Issue - meetings

The Leader of the Council referred to the fact that this was the first meeting of the Cabinet held since the tragic events in Southport of Monday, 29 July 2024, when the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King were taken, and others were injured at the dance class in Hart Street. The deepest condolences of the Council were offered to the families of the victims, and thoughts and prayers were with survivors and families affected. The Leader thanked first responders as well as local people who rushed to the scene to help. Sadly, some of those brave individuals found themselves facing anger and violence, in the face of misinformation, a few hours later. This was followed by a show of unity in the joint clear-up and re-build. The Leader thanked local people, businesses, community and faith leaders, Council staff, emergency services and everyone else who responded to events. Since then, the Council’s focus had been on the families of those affected and the residents and communities impacted, and that focus would remain in place for as long as it was needed. Everything the Council had undertaken was with the approval of Alice, Bebe and Elsie Dot’s families, and the Council would stand by them, the wider community and Southport as a whole, in the long journey of healing ahead. The Council had responded with colleagues in the health and voluntary sectors in dealing with the wider implications and support had been put in place by Family Hubs and the Education Department by working with schools and families to ensure a calm, reassuring return to school for the Autumn term. The Council and other agencies had also reached out to ethic minority individuals and families who had felt threatened and isolated after events. Local businesses had been engaged with, resulting in the development of the Southport Business Recover Fund, which the Cabinet would approve at the meeting. Despite the terrible and heartbreaking circumstance, the Leader was proud of the way in which the community, Southport and Sefton had pulled together, and considered that despite the efforts of some, the local community remained stronger and united as one. There was unity in heart-felt sorrow and sympathy, unity in commitment to support everyone affected and unity in determination to support Southport together.

The Cabinet observed a one-minute silence, as a mark of respect, in reflecting on the events in Southport of 29 July 2024.