The vision to create a beautiful new Town Hall gardens space in Southport in memory of Alice, Elsie and Bebe will not be dented by selfish protestors.
The exciting £10 million was due to be officially approved at the full meeting of Sefton Council at Southport Town Hall last Thursday (10th July 2025), but the meeting unfortunately had to be postponed when protestors at the meeting became abusive and disruptive.
Speaking on the ‘Hot Seat’ show on BBC Radio Merseyside today (Wednesday 16th July 2025), Sefton Council Leader Cllr Atkinson said: “This was not representative of the community I represent in Sefton.
“There was a handful of people at the meeting whose intent was to disrupt.
“There was shouting, there was inappropriate language, there was inappropriate behaviour, and it was just awful. There were two female councillors who were particularly targeted.
“When disruption like that happens, we have to make sure that councillors, our members of staff and members of the public are kept safe.
“There were children and there were members of the public in the public gallery at the time. It was just completely inappropriate.
“I am not going to just sit there and have women spoken to in the way that they were.”
The protestors will not have any impact on the ambitious plans to create the new Town Hall Gardens space in Southport.
Cllr Atkinson said: “We will still carry on with the process that we need to go through with the Town Hall gardens.
“I have spoken with the opposition leader on Sefton Council and while there are questions that can still be asked and answered, we will make sure that this process carries on.
“We won’t let what happened stop what we need to do.”
The “most significant regeneration ever” of the Southport Town Hall gardens has been proposed by – and is being led by – the families of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar, and Bebe King.
Their collective vision is for a new town square and gardens that will be a child friendly and family-focused flexible events space in the heart of Southport town centre, that will provide a lasting positive legacy for their girls.
It will also provide an opportunity to say “thank you” to the town for the support they have received from their community.
Last Thursday, Sefton Council was officially due to reaffirm its support for the families and their vision for this legacy project.
They were also due to confirm that The Leader of the Council, Cllr Marion Atkinson, and the Chief Executive Phil Porter will be Sefton Council’s nominated representatives on the proposed project governance board.
They were also set to approve the undertaking of a procurement process for a main contractor for the works.
The regeneration will be funded by:
- £5 million from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- £2.5m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
- £2.5m to be funded by Sefton Council
In the report, Sefton Council Executive Director (Regeneration, Economy and Assets) Stephen Watson said:
“Their families envision the Town Hall gardens space as a safe and joyful place, full of energy and creative expression — particularly for Southport’s younger generations.
“In direct reflection of the spirit of Elsie, Alice and Bebe, the reimagined Town Hall Gardens will provide a child friendly and safe platform for musicians, dancers, artists, culture lovers and more, ensuring it remains a vibrant hub for generations to come.
“Beyond its cultural significance, the regeneration project will play a key role in Southport’s ongoing economic recovery and growth.
“By creating a flexible high-quality public space, the project will attract visitors, support local businesses, and complement other landmark public developments such as the Marine Lake Events Centre and Les Transformations De Southport projects.
“The project will also be accompanied by an exciting events programme for Southport for the coming years and beyond, helping to make Southport’s town centre as exciting a place to be as possible for children and families.”
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