Following news yesterday that a bid has been made for Southport to become part of Lancashire again, people been having their say on the matter.
Southport MP Damien Moore and West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper have launched a joint bid to have the boundaries changed which would see Southport and Ainsdale leave Sefton and join Skelmersdale and Ormskirk in a united West Lancs. The proposal has divided people in the region, with residents from Southport exclaiming the plans were made without the public being consulted.
Others said they would be happy for Southport to leave Sefton and Merseyside to join their Lancashire neighbours, although as some pointed out, there is no guarantee Lancashire would accept them. The letter signed by Damien Moore and Rosie Cooper addressed to Michael Gove, said: "We are writing to ask to meet you to discuss local government arrangements for the town of Southport, including its communities of Ainsdale, Birkdale, Cambridge, Dukes, Kew, Meols, and Norwood, and West Lancashire Borough Council.
READ MORE: Southport hoping to leave 'no man's land' Merseyside and join Lancashire
"It is our firm belief that our two communities are better served by being in the same local authority area, and we are working closer together to achieve this. As you said in your speech to Parliament on 2nd February 2022, when you unveiled the Levelling Up White Paper, 'we need to allow overlooked and undervalued communities to take control of their destiny'.
"It is with this very clear and firm commitment that we ask that the necessary provisions are made to ensure that we can achieve this aim for Southport and West Lancashire, through changing the local authority catchment area. We appreciate that this needs primary legislation, and as communities up and down the country are keen to harness this new opportunity for self-determination, we need to ensure that provisions are in place to allow us to do this.
"Thank you for considering these points. We look forward to meeting with you soon." Rosie Cooper even labelled the area as "no mans land".
Hundreds of comments were posted across the Liverpool Echo and Sefton Live pages as people weighed in with their opinions on the matter. One person pointed out that people may suffer with the complications of travel passes.
They commented on the ECHO's Instagram page: "Again? That will mean possibly thousands of Merseyside people won't be able to use their Merseyside travel passes and revenue will drop."
Another person pointed out that the town has a PR postcode. They wrote: "Bye. It’s a pr postcode anyway." Another person wasn't keen on seeing the seaside town leave Merseyside boundaries. They wrote: "No way. Southport belongs to the Scouse land!!"
People on the Sefton Live Facebook page were more divided in their views. One person commented: "Get us out as soon as possible. Sefton has taken so much and put so little back it is now a dying town. Should be a place that people love to come to and residents of the town are proud and fortunate to live here. Our town has really suffered since became Sefton."
People defended Sefton as well, another man wrote: "No, not worth the hassle - stay in Sefton. Never visit and nothing in common with Preston and beyond! Liverpool has more to offer for a trip out and easier to get to."
