Southport News
The latest Southport news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Ainsdale Library and Hesketh Conservatory: Viewings 5 Nov
Groups can now bid to run Ainsdale's old library, Hesketh Park Conservatory and a Formby park building. Viewings start 5 November; no closing date yet.
More stories
Business
EFT Group's £9m Southport HQ Approved, £687k Grant Next
EFT Group can build its £9m headquarters on Wight Moss Way. On 5 November Cabinet weighs a grant from £686,850 Aldi paid, which must be spent by October 2028.
Business
B&M Southport Moves to Chapel Street on 3 December
B&M's Lord Street store closes on 26 November and reopens on 3 December in the former New Look on Chapel Street. Dates, address and where to shop in between.
Southport
Southport MP's Culture Report: Back Towns, Not Only Cities
Patrick Hurley's Northern Culture Untapped report says culture money sits in London and asks Mayors to fund venues and heritage in towns like Southport.
Southport
Southport Bonfire Night: Fire Service Asks Parents to Check
Merseyside firefighters were hit with fireworks last bonfire season. The fire service asks parents to know where children are, and how to report bonfires.
Ainsdale
Toad Hall Ainsdale Demolition Filed: Barn Owls Move First
Sefton Council has filed to demolish Toad Hall in Ainsdale for a car park. Barn owls nesting inside get a new tower first, and no work in the nesting season.
Southport
Southport MP: Stop Counting Veterans' Compensation as Income
Patrick Hurley joins 100-plus MPs asking the Chancellor to stop means tests counting military compensation as income; 4,120 veterans could gain Pension Credit
Data
Sefton Claimant Count September 2026: Up 130 to 6,430
Sefton's claimant count rose 130 in September to 6,430, the highest since April 2025. Most of the rise was in Bootle; Southport's seven wards added 20.
House prices
Sefton House Prices August 2026: Down 1.2% to £221,105
The average Sefton home cost £221,105 in August, down 1.2% on July and the second monthly fall. Annual growth has slowed to 2.0%, behind Wirral and Liverpool.
Formby
Formby St Jerome's Hall to Become Little Pegs Family Hub
Sefton approved Little Pegs' plan for the old St Jerome's church hall in Formby on 13 October: toddler play, a family café and parties, 17 families a session.
Formby
Formby Dunes Cattle: 18 Longhorns Back Until April 2027
18 longhorn steers return to Formby's Ravenmeols dunes from mid-October and graze until April 2027. What dog walkers should do if they meet them.
Data
Sefton Private Hire Cars: 5,724, Four Times England's Rate
Sefton licenses 20 private hire cars per 1,000 people, four times the England rate, while hackney cabs fell to 193. Councillors noted the report on 20 October.
Crime
Southport Crime Down 10% as Formby Shoplifting Doubles
Recorded crime in central Southport fell 10% in the year to August, with burglary almost halved. In Formby, shoplifting reports more than doubled to 163.
Health
Southport Cancer Centre Cut: GPs Blame £427k Funding Loss
GPs will stop funding the Southport Macmillan Centre's cancer navigators, who give emotional, practical and financial support, after March 2027. What changes.
Ainsdale
Sandbrook Road Playing Fields Lease Opens £250k Bid
Sefton approved a 25-year lease of Sandbrook Road Playing Fields to Hightown Junior Football League, opening a bid for up to £250,000 for new changing rooms.
Food hygiene
Southport Food Hygiene: 31 Venues Rated 5 in September
Royal Birkdale, Gusto Trattoria and 29 more Southport venues were rated 5 in September. Lower scores publish weeks later, as August's 15 below-5s show.
Bootle
Bootle Fire Cause: E-Scooter Battery, Fire Service Confirms
An e-scooter's lithium-ion battery started the Stone Square fire that killed four. Merseyside has had 150 such fires since 2023, 67 of them in people's homes.
Southport
Southport Aviary Pause Rejected 35-27: How Each Ward Voted
Full Council voted 35 to 27 against pausing the Botanic Gardens aviary closure. All 20 Southport councillors present backed a pause; Formby's six voted against.
Sefton
Sefton Planning Committee: Petition Route Ends 31 October
From 31 October a petition will no longer send a Sefton planning application to committee, and councillors lose call-in. Here is what replaces it and who decides.
Formby
Formby Sports Bar on Brows Lane Can Open Until 12.30am
Sefton approved a sports bar with pool, snooker and darts above the shops at 27 Brows Lane, Formby. Customers are allowed in until 12.30am at weekends.
Southport
Southport Cove Resort Site Opened to New Bidders: Approved
Sefton Cabinet approved a partner search for the Esplanade park and ride land on 1 October. A sale would likely move the Eco Centre; Cove Resort stays in the running.
Southport
Southport Aviary: Scrutiny Bid Lost 5-3, No Birds Rehomed
Councillors voted 5 to 3 against a report on how the aviary closure was decided. No bird has been rehomed yet, and donors can now ask for theirs back.
Council
Sefton Cabinet Approves Hiring Freeze on £7.7m Overspend
Sefton Cabinet approved a hiring freeze against a £7.689m overspend on 1 October, plus the Esplanade partner search and a garden waste deal.
House prices
Sefton House Prices July 2026: £224,289, Up 3.7% in a Year
The average Sefton home cost £224,289 in July, up £7,901 in a year but 0.5% below June's record. Liverpool and Wirral prices are rising almost twice as fast.
Southport
Southport Town Hall Gardens: Consultation Backs £10m Plan
Sefton says most people in its Town Hall Gardens consultation backed the £10m rebuild, and over 70% would use the gardens more. Planning comes next.
Southport
Queens Road Southport: Council Admits Drivers Ignore Ban
Sefton Council says early camera data shows drivers ignoring the Queens Road restriction, and it has no approval for camera enforcement at that junction.
Bootle
Bootle House Fire: Woman and Three Children Die
A woman and three children died in a house fire on Stone Square, Bootle, early on Tuesday. Crews were called at 3.38am. A fifth person is in hospital.
Schools
Formby High School Teacher Banned From Teaching For Life
A former Formby High School teacher is banned from classrooms for life, with no right to ask for it to be lifted. The decision was published on 16 September.
Planning
Formby Lidl and M&S Scheme Refused Against Officer Advice
Councillors refused the Lidl and M&S scheme off the Formby Bypass against officers' advice. The council's own consultants put the village's trade loss at 15.9%.
Data
Sefton Claimant Count August 2026: Up 225 to 6,410
Sefton's claimant count rose 225 in August to 6,410, its biggest monthly jump since July 2024. Kew and Norwood led the rise across Southport's seven wards.
Planning
Formby Lidl and M&S: Planners Urge Yes Before 16 Sept Vote
Sefton planners back a Lidl and M&S Foodhall off the Formby Bypass, with a vote on Wednesday. Council consultants put the village centre's trade loss at 15.9%.
Planning
Greenbank High School Rebuild: New Building Due Autumn 2028
Sefton planners back rebuilding Greenbank High School in Birkdale, with a vote on Wednesday. The new building would open in autumn 2028 as lessons carry on.
Southport
Southport Pier: 27 Arches Gone, New Steel Due This Month
AE Yates has removed 27 lighting arches, a kiosk and the halfway house from Southport Pier. New British steel goes in on the landward end later this month.
What's On
Books Alive Southport: Free Sessions, Five Now Sold Out
Kate Pankhurst, Hansel and Gretel, Lydia Monks and both Wondershelf shows are fully booked; 21 free sessions at The Atkinson, 26 to 30 Oct, have places.
Southport
Southport Aviary Closure Faces Scrutiny on 15 September
Sefton councillors review the Botanic Gardens aviary closure on 15 September, and one of the four welfare groups backing the closure has withdrawn support.
Southport
Maureen Fearn, Southport Councillor for 33 Years, Has Died
Flags fly at half mast for Maureen Fearn, Kew ward councillor from 1983 to 2016 and Mayor of Sefton three times. Council and Lib Dem leaders pay tribute.
Planning
Santa's Secret Forest Ince Blundell: 21 Nov, Five-Year Bid
Santa's Secret Forest opens on 21 November at Ince Blundell. A new application asks Sefton for five years, and comments close on 25 September.
Food hygiene
Sefton Food Hygiene: Every August Rating So Far Is a Five
All 34 inspections published so far for August scored 5, from a Lord Street chippy to Formby's Chapel Lane. No venue in the borough currently holds a zero.
Licensing
Southport Alcohol Bids: Wine Rack, Baltic Store, Zia Pizza
A Birkdale wine shop wants on sales to 11.30pm, an Eastbank Street store wants 6am off sales, and Zia Pizza seeks a licence. Deadlines 11, 15 and 22 September.
House prices
Sefton House Prices Hit Record £225,433, Up 5.2% in a Year
The average Sefton home reached £225,433 in June, the highest figure since the index began in 1995. Terraced homes rose fastest at 6.7%; flats barely moved.
Formby
Formby Hall Hosts Golf Tourism England Convention, July 2027
Golf Tourism England's 2027 convention runs 25 to 27 July at Formby Hall, ten years after the first one was held there. A pre-event trip to Royal Birkdale and Hillside is planned.
Jobs
Sefton Claimant Count July 2026: 6,295, Under-25s Rise
Under-25s make up 1,340 of Sefton's 6,295 claimants, the highest July figure since 2021. The 25 to 49 group fell again. All seven Southport wards.
Business
Sefton Visitor Economy Hits £716.9m but Tourism Jobs Fall
Sefton's visitor economy grew 5% to £716.9m in 2025 on 7.79m visits, but tourism jobs slipped again to 6,160 and visitor numbers are still below 2023.
Schools
Southport Ofsted 2026: Every Grade for 7 Local Schools
Birkdale High scored Strong standard in four of six areas. Educ8 Southport needs urgent improvement. Every 2026 Ofsted grade for seven local schools.
Business
Sir Henry Segrave Southport: Wetherspoon Plans Hotel Use
Wetherspoon will run the Lord Street pub as a hotel and has applied to change its licence. Representations close Friday 21 August. What is actually changing.
Formby
Formby dunes fire burned 10 hectares, six engines sent
Six fire engines fought a gorse fire in the dunes near Albert Road from 8pm on Wednesday. Wind pushed it to 500m by 200m, and lighting a fire there is already an offence.
Southport
Southport aviary closure saves £60,000, budget book shows
Sefton's own budget puts the saving at nil this year and £60,000 in 2027/28, against £80,750 to run the aviary. PETA backed the closure on Thursday.
Business
Emily's Formby operator in liquidation a year after CVA
Rebel Restaurants Group Ltd, which trades as Emily's on Brows Lane, Formby, went into liquidation on 6 August, 13 months after a rescue deal.
What's On
Southport Flower Show 2027: 19-22 August, Parking £10
Southport Flower Show 2027 runs 19 to 22 August in Victoria Park. Early bird tickets are on sale, the PR8 and PR9 resident price is set and parking is £10.