Agenda item

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It was moved by Councillor Prendergast, seconded by Councillor Riley:

Southport Pier

Southport is fortunate to be blessed with many unique and historic buildings and structures. This benefits local businesses, residents and all those people who visit the Town.

This heritage and history enables Southport to market itself as a unique tourist destination and one of Southport’s most iconic structures is the Pier.

At over 160 years old and the second longest in the UK it is synonymous with Southport and its Victorian heritage. People travel from far and wide to visit the Pier and enjoy it.

It is therefore, deeply regrettable that the Pier has had to close. Whilst we all recognise that on occasion works need to be carried out, these should (where possible) be done in a manner that keeps the Pier open and accessible to all.

Therefore, this council resolves:

1.      To commit to re-open the Pier as soon as possible.

2.      To make every effort to carry out any required repair works in a manner that allows the Pier to remain open whilst works are being undertaken.

3.      On the basis of the above provide a firm date when works will commence, provide details of costs and a schedule of works to be undertaken in a report to the Audit & Governance meeting scheduled for 6th September 2023.

An amendment was moved by Councillor Atkinson, seconded by Councillor Byrom that the Motion be revised as follows:

Southport Pier

Southport is fortunate to be blessed with many unique and historic buildings and structures. This benefits local businesses, residents and all those people who visit the Town.

This heritage and history enables Southport to market itself as a unique tourist destination and one of Southport’s most iconic structures is the Pier.

At over 160 years old and the second longest in the UK it is synonymous with Southport and its Victorian heritage. People travel from far and wide to visit the Pier and enjoy it.

It is, therefore, deeply regrettable that the Pier has had to close and remains closed.  However, as safety is priority, it is recognised that the Council, based on independent experts, has made and continues to make the right decision that the Pier remains closed. Furthermore, the swift action of the Council in raising the profile of the Pier to secure its future is of paramount importance to the town and is welcomed. 

Therefore, this council resolves: 

1.       To commit to re-opening the Pier with the safety of our residents, visitors and businesses being a priority when making those decisions.

2.       To continue to make representations to Government departments, grant funders and all interested parties to work toward securing the additional funding that is needed.

Following a debate on the Amendment the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the Amendment was carried by 40 votes to 11.

A further amendment was moved by Councillor Pugh, seconded by Councillor Shaw that:

Further to the above the Council commits itself to consult with all relevant stakeholders in order to construct a viable timetable for the restoration and re-opening of the Pier to be published in either draft or final version before the next council meeting, simultaneous with an update on any attempts to secure funding.

Following a debate on the further amendment, the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the further amendment was lost by 10 votes to 41.

On being put as the Substantive Motion it was carried unanimously and it was:

RESOLVED:

Southport Pier

Southport is fortunate to be blessed with many unique and historic buildings and structures. This benefits local businesses, residents and all those people who visit the Town.

This heritage and history enables Southport to market itself as a unique tourist destination and one of Southport’s most iconic structures is the Pier.

At over 160 years old and the second longest in the UK it is synonymous with Southport and its Victorian heritage. People travel from far and wide to visit the Pier and enjoy it.

It is, therefore, deeply regrettable that the Pier has had to close and remains closed.  However, as safety is priority, it is recognised that the Council, based on independent experts, has made and continues to make the right decision that the Pier remains closed. Furthermore, the swift action of the Council in raising the profile of the Pier to secure its future is of paramount importance to the town and is welcomed. 

Therefore, this council resolves: 

1.       To commit to re-opening the Pier with the safety of our residents, visitors and businesses being a priority when making those decisions.

2.       To continue to make representations to Government departments, grant funders and all interested parties to work toward securing the additional funding that is needed.