Bike lanes, potholes and telegraph poles: the battle for Southport's vote

Concerns around bike lanes, potholes and telegraph poles will all be central to how people vote in Southport, but there is a very clear sense the national political landscape will influence people's choices in the forthcoming local elections.

The race for council seats in Southport is a tight-run thing and will be keenly contested by all major parties. Indeed, the contest is so close, even the incumbent representative for Dukes ward is uncertain which way it will swing.

To gauge the feelings of Southport's residents in the run up to the local elections, we went out and spoke to some of its constituents and asked them what their concerns are and what issues they want to see on the agenda.

READ MORE: Devoted mum with 'asthma' dies after devastating diagnosis

READ MORE: Win a VIP three-night Butlin’s Big Weekender break for adults

Martine and John Power are gracious enough to pause their cycle ride home to stop and chat. They are both retired teachers and spend a lot of their free time travelling - allowing them to compare Southport with other towns around the world. They also like to keep active and regularly cycle around the borough.

Martine said: "I've been cycling up and down this road [Talbot Street] for 20 years without the cycle lane and never come to any harm.

"To be honest, you can't use the cycle lanes half the time because there's cars parked on them. They've inconvenienced people and I don't see the point.

"They would be better off maintaining the decent cycle paths that were already there like the one outside the hospital. That cycle lane is in terrible nick."

Husband John wholeheartedly agrees: "They put these cycle lanes in but don't maintain them. The one that goes past the hospital - its awful. It's safer to ride on the road than use the cycle path.

"They don't go anywhere. There's no extended route through Southport.

"For me, the state of the roads is a bigger issue than the cycle paths. The potholes are just horrendous."

Both John and Martine are concerned about what they see as the decline in some parts of the town and point to the issue of cleanliness, particularly in the centre. They also highlight what they believe are fewer shops opening and more places closing, with many buildings being left empty. Martine said: "I've lived here for 45 years and Southport used to be beautiful.

"When I used to say I was 'going to town', I meant going into Southport. Now it's means going into Liverpool."

The perspective of Southport being a town in decline is one Brian can sympathise with.

Brian is the owner of The Sandgrounder fish and chip shop just off the Promenade. It is situated in a prime location for Southport's visitor economy as it serves traditional meals associated with the British seaside experience.

Brian has run the restaurant for 24 years and used to have over twenty staff working there. However, things are much different now with Brian and two other staff members alternating shifts to keep the place afloat.

Local parking issues and the decline of the high street are two concerns which Brian points to when discussing the forthcoming local election. He says parking enforcement is inconsistent with many people parking on the pavements outside his shop receiving no punishment, whilst some of his customers have been fined as they park up to pick up their food.

However, Brian's primary concern is the closure of Southport Pier. He said: "The closure has had a massive impact on the town.

"The problem is also the fact that the closure of the pier is not widely known to people outside the town. Last year people were asking about the pier on their visits but they didn't know it was closed.

"Will they come back to the town now they know the pier's no longer open? I don't know, but what I can say is each year, business is getting slower and it will fade out more and more.

"This is the main stretch next to the sea and one of the main attractions of the town. The building next door to me is empty, the Hungry Horse is empty, the Casino is gone, the hotel's going - there's nothing on this end now."

Like many people up and down the country Brian has little faith that voting will have much impact, and it's a view seemingly shared by many people across the borough - the turnout in Sefton for the last local election was just 30.8%. Brian added: "I don't think our say matters much. After 24 years - I remember bringing my daughter here when she was two years old, she's 22 now - I've heard it all before."

As we walked the streets of Southport mining the opinions of local residents, we happened upon Cllr Mike Prendergast from the Sefton Conservative Group who was out canvassing. Cllr Prendergast was elected in 2021 and is the incumbent representative for Dukes ward.

Grabbing some time with him between door knocking and electioneering, we asked the councillor about his campaign. He said: "Locally, I think the main issues are things like cycle lanes in Southport which are not particularly popular. They've been installed now for two or three years and there's a lot of public opposition to them. Then there's the roads and pavements and the general state of them."

Cllr Prendergast had actually proposed a motion for the council meeting that night (Thursday April 18) which sought approval to have the temporary cycle lanes removed. Although the motion was supported by both Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, it was subsequently rejected.

Nonetheless, there are other issues for the councillor to contend with. He said: "People are commenting on the state of the town centre. It's a big issue for people, locally. Within the Conservative Group we are trying to help the local MP with his investment into the town centre via the Town Deal funding that he got."

Labour are the party in power within Sefton council and the Conservative Group find themselves in the curious position of being affiliated to the ruling party in central government whilst representing the opposition at local level. In response to a question about whether the tory government and national politics is impacting on people's voting intentions for local elections, Cllr Prendergast said: "Our party has been in charge nationally for 14 years now so that is reflected in some of the issues we hear on the doorstep.

"People do sometimes use local elections as a protest vote and there's no way of getting away from that. Part of our job is to remind people that local elections are about local issues and that here in Sefton, we need proper opposition to Sefton Labour."

As we continue to piggy-back on the election trail, Cllr Prendergast knocks on the door of local resident Meghan Mungster, who said this was the first visit she's had from any of the ward's candidates. For Meghan, the national political picture will influence her vote in the locals, but has not yet decided on who to vote for.

The race to be the new councillor for Dukes ward is a closely fought contest with even the Conservative representative admitting it's a difficult one to call. For Meghan, she wants to hear what all the candidates have to say before casting her vote. She said: "Southport has changed. There's less high street shops and less people out and about. There's definitely been a decline.

"We are a seaside town so I understand we have seasonal trends, but we live here all year long and it would be good to have more things going on.

"I think the work they've done around by the new Sainsbury's is good thing - not everything has to be built on Lord Street but it is sad seeing Lord Street dying down.

"I see reports saying new fairground rides are choosing Blackpool over Southport and that will have a long-term impact, potentially. It's not just about how much funding there is for new projects it's about where it's allocated as well."

As we leave Cllr Prendergast, we walk towards the corner of Portland street where we bump into local resident, William Rushby on his way into the town centre to do some shopping.

William does use some of the cycle lanes but feels they have had a largely negative impact: "Houghton Street used to be a busy thoroughfare, but with the two cycle lanes there now, it's like a ghost street.

"Then there's London Street. That cycle lane has been there for a while but like the other lanes, cars park over them so you can't use them . It's ridiculous."

William is engaged with local politics and likes to stay up to date with local issues. However, he's ambivalent about what impact local councillors can do to effect change in the town. He said: "There's issues I would like to be addressed in the local elections but I know they won't be.

"I'd like discussion on 'Southport out of Sefton' which is a campaign going on for donkey's years.

"We came out and had Sefton since 1974 but before then, Southport had its own town council. The town has gone downhill - you go down Lord Street and there's empty shops and it doesn't seem as well kept as it used to be, but maybe it's my age! But seriously, the town seems to be going down the drain.

"The money seems to go out of Southport and into Bootle and we just end up with the crumbs. They are both such different towns and it's hard to marry up the priorities of both areas."

Asked whether he would be voting, William said: "I might do but I don't think very much of local elections, but this year with the general election on the horizon, I will probably vote."

On the issue of whether Southport should remain in Sefton, another resident of the town, Sue, said: "It all depends. Everyone who lives in Southport says all the money goes to Bootle and everyone in Bootle seems to say all the money goes to Southport. I don't know in all honesty but it's not an issue which I'm overly concerned with."

Nevertheless, one issue which will certainly be motivating Sue to vote is the ongoing protests around Openreach's installation of telegraph poles in Southport.

Sue is part of the campaign against Openreach.

Sue said: "I have to say locally, the Lib Dems are there out on the streets and trying to do something about the telegraph poles."

It's fair to say the telegraph pole issue (and the residents' campaign) has garnered cross-party support within Sefton Council - such as Labour councillors John Fairclough and Greg Myers as well as Lib Dem cllr Leo Evans all working to help campaigners.

The only point of contention evidenced within the council chamber is about where to place the blame. The Conservative group introduced a motion calling out the tactics of Openreach whilst the ruling Labour group and the Liberal Democrats are keen to clarify that Openreach's installation works are only legally compliant because of legislation introduced by the Tory government.

As the sun sets, we head to the council meeting at Southport Town Hall. Outside there are two separate protests going on - one against Openreach and another calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Both issues will be heard during the meeting after motions were proposed for each campaign.

The protest scene illustrates the importance of both local issues and world events for Southport's residents. As with the forthcoming general election, all of these concerns will be at play when Sefton's constituents go to the polls on May 2.

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here