Southport aviary closure saves £60,000, budget book shows

Sefton Council published a statement on Thursday saying PETA has written in support of closing the aviary at Southport’s Botanic Gardens, joining the Born Free Foundation, In Defence of Animals and Freedom for Animals. What the statement does not set out is what the closure is actually worth to the council’s finances. The budget papers do, and the figure is smaller than most of the argument so far has assumed.

The council’s own Revenue and Capital Budget Plan for 2026/27 to 2029/30, the document approved through the budget process this year, lists the aviary among its savings proposals as “Operational In-House Services - Green Sefton - Close Aviary”. Against it the table records 0.000 for 2026/27, -0.060 for 2027/28, and nil for 2028/29 and 2029/30. In other words, the closure delivers nothing in the current financial year and £60,000 in 2027/28. (Sefton Council, Revenue and Capital Budget Plan 2026/27 to 2029/30, page 17)

That £60,000 sits inside a package of budget proposals worth £15.775m for 2026/27, against a four-year funding gap the same report totals at £91.757m. Adult social care and children’s social care carry £14.122m of the savings between them.

What the aviary costs to run

The council has published the aviary’s running costs for the last five financial years in its own FAQ, which it says was updated on 8 August. Three years have a total: £53,192.54 in 2024/25, £71,607.12 in 2025/26 and an estimated £80,750 for 2026/27. Employee salaries, including on-costs and overtime, are the bulk of it, budgeted at £60,000 for this year against £54,480.30 last year and £35,330.35 the year before. (Sefton Council)

The gap between the two sets of numbers matters. The aviary is budgeted to cost £80,750 to run this year, but closing it is scored as a £60,000 saving. The council has not published a reconciliation of the difference, and its FAQ says staff who work at the aviary “could be offered an alternative role where possible”, which would keep some of the salary cost inside Green Sefton rather than removing it.

The council’s own account of the decision

On the process, the council says the closure went through the 2026/27 budget approval route: Overview and Scrutiny on Tuesday 10 February, Cabinet on Thursday 12 February and Full Council on Thursday 26 February 2026. It says the announcement came in June partly because the borough-wide elections in May delayed discussions.

There was no public consultation. The council’s stated reason is that this was “an operational decision that does not warrant public consultation”, and that given the scale of the saving, which it puts at 0.017 per cent of its budget, the level of assessment was proportionate.

On the building, the FAQ says the structure is over 80 years old and that improvements, or a total restructure, would be needed for the cages, indoor accommodation and roof. It gives no firm price: “There is not a concrete figure but could be as high as a six-figure sum, according to internal estimates.” It also says the site cannot be expanded for any price because of its location, and records that rats have previously entered the cages and killed birds.

Who tried to take it on

The question most often put to the council is why a volunteer group cannot run it. Its answer sets out a sequence. In 2016/17 the Botanic Gardens Community Association proposed managing both the fernery and the aviary; active proposals only emerged for the fernery. In 2019 the aviary was advertised on The Chest, the public procurement portal, and Rainbow Bird & Animal Rescue sought a short lease. The council inspected the charity’s aviaries in North Wales and offered heads of terms, but the charity withdrew because trustees felt the commute was a barrier. The community association then offered to put its donation income towards running costs, which the council says averages about £1,500 a year from the on-site donation column.

Set against a budgeted £80,750, that £1,500 is the arithmetic the council is relying on.

The birds, and the deadline

The aviary is home to several bird species including different types of parrot, plus rabbits and guinea pigs. The council says euthanasia “has been completely ruled out”, that every effort will be made to rehome the animals before closure, and that only bodies suitably skilled in animal welfare will be considered. Staff were asked to stop accepting donated birds once the decision was made. The closure date in the council’s own FAQ is the end of March 2027.

Cllr Marion Atkinson, leader of Sefton Council, said in Thursday’s statement: “Nobody is calling into question the care and kindness shown by staff and volunteers to these birds over the decades but the fact remains this facility is simply no longer in the best interests of the animals who are kept there.” (Sefton Council)

Dr Carys Bennett of PETA said the aviary’s parrots “in nature, live in flocks, fly long distances, forage for food, and make their own choices”, and that confining them “with little stimulation does not respect animals’ best interests”. Chris Lewis of Born Free said tradition “should never be used as justification or a barrier for improving animal welfare”.

Patrick Hurley, the MP for Southport, wrote on 14 July that he was “deeply disappointed” by the reports of closure, that he had written to Sefton Council asking for the financial and operational reasoning, and that he had asked whether alternative models of operation, partnership or community involvement could be explored before a final decision. (Patrick Hurley MP)

What it means for you

Nothing changes at the gates yet. The council says the aviary “will continue operating to the same standards and with the same investment until its closure”, volunteers are still welcome, and the target date is the end of March 2027. The Botanic Gardens themselves are not closing: the council states directly that there is no truth in the social media rumours that it wants the Gardens to close, and says Green Sefton will work with volunteers to turn the aviary space into an area supporting native wildlife.

If you want to take an animal on, the council’s stated position is that all individuals and organisations are welcome to submit their interest in any number of them, and that it will only rehome with people suitably skilled in animal welfare. The route in is the aviary page on the council’s website.

The two numbers to hold on to when the argument continues: £80,750 budgeted to run it this year, and £60,000 scored as the saving from 2027/28.

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