Today at Building a Better Sefton, we speak to Abi Whistance, Editor and Reporter at the independent online newspaper The Liverpool Post. Local news has been decimated, and Abi talks superbly about the importance of investigative journalism and what the Post does! She also covers some of the big issues in Sefton and how they fit into the wider regional context. This is essential listening! 

Here is the website. https://www.livpost.co.uk/ - Please support them! You can subscribe here too to receive regular emails and newsletters. 

You can contact the Post at [email protected] with any potential stories.

The Post does vital work in any increasingly decimated news landscape!

We chat about: - 

-              The importance of quality and local independent news. 

-              Why investigative journalism is important. 

-              Toxic Facebook groups. 

-              How the Post works and their successful model of journalism. 

-              The difference between the Liverpool Post and the old ‘Daily Post’!

-              How the internet has changed news. 

-              Sefton Children’s Services.

-              Councils lacking transparency.

-              Bootle Strand Redevelopment. 

-              Southport Regeneration.

-              The causes and impacts of the riots. 

-              What Sefton needs moving forward. 

-              The importance of Section 106.

-              The investigation into the Big Help Project. 

-              Hopes to expand the Post in the future.

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingaBetterSefton 

Please join our Facebook Page, for written pieces and our podcasts - https://www.facebook.com/groups/695280703082811 

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Today at Building a Better Sefton, we speak to Neil Doolin, Green Party Councillor for Waterloo and Seaforth Ward in South Sefton. We talk about local politics, green politics, and concerns Neil has about Sefton moving forward. Neil is an excellent councillor with so much to tell. 

https://greenparty.org.uk/

https://sefton.greenparty.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/greenpartysefton

We chat about : - 

-              Neil becoming an elected Councillor.

-              The history of the Green Party in Sefton. 

-              Unhappiness with the traditional parties locally and nationally. 

-              Neil’s impact on the Council. 

-              Winter Fuel Allowance and WASPI Women. 

-              Sefton Labour and loyalty to the National Labour Party.

-              Rimrose Valley. 

-              Green Party nationally.

-              How the climate crisis links to local issues such as poverty and cost of living. 

-              Bootle Strand and issues surrounding it.            

-              Sefton Children’s Services.

-              Investments in Southport.

-              Divisions between North and South Sefton. 

-              Funding issues over the next three years for key services in Sefton.

-              Non-transparency in council budgeting. 

-              Lack of scrutiny in committees. 

-              Difficulties and criticisms faced. 

-              Neil’s remarkable election story! 

-              Neil’s analysis of the recently disrupted Full Council Meeting in Southport. 

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingaBetterSefton 

Please join our Facebook Page, for written pieces and our podcasts - https://www.facebook.com/groups/695280703082811 

We are also on Substack – where you can access podcasts and written pieces - https://buildingabettersefton.substack.com/ - You can subscribe and contribute financially on here. 

Follow us on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/timshortsefton.bsky.social 

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Today at Building a Better Sefton, we speak to Mike Brennan of Bootle Action Group. BAG is a Community Interest Company aimed at ‘greening up Bootle’ by looking after green spaces, clearing alleyways and rubbish, and raising awareness around the community of all of these issues. Bootle is a relatively deprived town in the south of Sefton Borough. 

Bootle Action Group can be found on Facebook. This link hopefully will work – please join them and get involved!!! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1554473551532716

We chat about : - 

-              The no doubt soon to be departed fine weather and the stress of the summer holidays! 

-              The perceived North/South divide in Sefton. 

-              The importance of green spaces for mental health. 

-              Pollution, parks and trees. 

-              Life expectancy across Sefton. 

-              Opinions on the redevelopment of Bootle Strand. 

-              Lack of public consultation.

-              Children’s Services in Sefton.

-              Issues of high turnover of staff at Children’s Services. 

-              The North/South Divide in the Borough? 

-              Relative deprivation across Sefton. 

-              Standing as an Independent.

-              The achievements of Bootle Action Group. 

-              Sefton CVS and the voluntary sector across Sefton. 

-              The importance of collaboration, and council and government engagement with community groups. 

-              The lack of consultation with the community. 

-              Ideas for moving forward.

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingaBetterSefton 

Please join our Facebook Page, for written pieces and our podcasts - https://www.facebook.com/groups/695280703082811 

We are also on Substack – where you can access podcasts and written pieces - https://buildingabettersefton.substack.com/ - You can subscribe and contribute financially on here. 

Follow us on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/timshortsefton.bsky.social 

You can also contribute financially through our Ko-Fi page - https://ko-fi.com/northsouthpodcasts 

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Today at Building a Better Sefton, we speak to Janis Blackburn of Southport Friends of Palestine. We look at the terrible situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and how international issues link in with local issues. 

You can find out about the group here - https://www.southportfriendsofpalestine.co.uk/

They are also on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/southportfriendsofpalestine

Here is a link to the book – A Gathering for Palestine - https://www.southportfriendsofpalestine.co.uk/a-gathering-for-palestine

We chat about : - 

-              The origins of the group.

-              Activities they do. 

-              Public Awareness and Media.

-              Some basic history of the situation in Palestine today. 

-              UK links to the genocide in Gaza.

-              The current situation on the ground. 

-              Links with social and community cohesion in Southport – particularly after the riots of 2024.

-              Anti-Semitism and the Labour Party.

-              Suspension from and then leaving the Labour Party. 

-              Facebook Groups in Sefton and the Far Right. 

-              Ethnic Groups in Sefton. 

-              Immigration and the Other. 

-              Childrens Services in Sefton. 

-              Issues arising in Community Assemblies.

-              Issues across Sefton.

-              The Regeneration of Southport.

-              Selling off land.

-              Conflict of interests.

-              Criticisms faced. 

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingaBetterSefton 

Please join our Facebook Page, for written pieces and our podcasts - https://www.facebook.com/groups/695280703082811 

We are also on Substack – where you can access podcasts and written pieces - https://buildingabettersefton.substack.com/ - You can subscribe and contribute financially on here. 

Follow us on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/timshortsefton.bsky.social 

You can also contribute financially through our Ko-Fi page - https://ko-fi.com/northsouthpodcasts 

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Today at Building a Better Sefton, David and Tim talk about the ideas and philosophy behind the podcast series. We want to be a news and interview platform that encourages transparency and accountability across the Borough. We are concerned about the rise of extremism especially with the decline of local newspapers and news deserts. 

We talk about : - 

-              The importance of factual news and diversity of opinion of ideas.

-              The importance of speaking to a range of local people – politicians, community groups, local business, charities and voluntary groups, and media.  

-              Encouraging people to get involved in the project.  

-              Children’s Services in Sefton and the Voice of the Families group. 

-              The importance of cross-party unity on key issues. 

-              Community Assemblies and wider participation.

-              The importance of Active and Responsible Citizenship. 

-              The changes at Bootle Strand Shopping Centre. 

-              How local, national and international issues are interlinked. 

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingaBetterSefton 

Please join our Facebook Page, for written pieces and our podcasts - https://www.facebook.com/groups/695280703082811 

We are also on Substack – where you can access podcasts and written pieces - https://buildingabettersefton.substack.com/ - You can subscribe and contribute financially on here. 

Follow us on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/timshortsefton.bsky.social 

You can also contribute financially through our Ko-Fi page - https://ko-fi.com/northsouthpodcasts 

You can also support our Crowdfunder - https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/VWE0qPrl?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink

Today in our first ever episode of Building a Better Sefton, we speak to Sean Halsall – Independent Councillor for Kew Woods, Southport. Sean is a member of Southport Community Independents 

Southport Community Independents is a new party founded to give a voice to Southport. https://southport-independents.co.uk/ - This contains details of the Community Assemblies we discussed.

The group are also on Facebook -   / 61566818510626 

Merch available for SCI at https://www.redbubble.com/people/Sout... 

We chat about : - 

Here are the questions we asked Sean. 

1. What do you hope to achieve for Sefton in your current position and how are you going to do this?

2. Can you explain what your organisation does for people who are unsure?

3. What are your views on Sefton Children’s Services and the Regeneration of Southport?

4. What is the biggest change that needs to happen in Sefton?

5.  What are you most proud of in Sefton and why?

6.  What do you think is the main criticism you face?

Today at Building a Better Sefton, we speak to Bobby Brennan – Former Mayor of Sefton and former Labour Councillor for Orrell and Netherton, Bootle. Bobby now works for Sefton Community and Voluntary Service and is about to publish his fourth book – A Time of Peace and War – a historical novel about the years of the Second World War from the perspective of Bootle. 

Here is the Amazon link. His other books – which are excellent – are also available on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Peace-War-Robert-Brennan/dp/1918038457/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3DILJWMV443PD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZDp6ZZTPM1fEHh45qCtMDQ.y-A7teFBPZM0RclAn6pK6d5fRRnpjj3r_VaY3AUcxDo&dib_tag=se&keywords=robert+brennan+a+time+of+peace&qid=1754482991&sprefix=robert+brennan+a+time+of+peace%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-1

We chat about : - 

- The importance of creativity, culture and history. 

- His latest book – the historical novel – A Time of Peace and War. 

- Bootle, the Second World War and The Blitz.

- The regeneration of Bootle Strand Shopping Centre. 

- Children’s Services in Sefton. 

- The importance of scrutiny, transparency, meritocracy and working        with other parties. 

- Criticism of the Cabinet System of Local Government. 

- Issues in the Labour Party in Sefton – particularly South Sefton. 

- The threat of Populism and Reform U.K. 

- Public engagement and lack thereof – Orrell Mount Park.

- Standing down as a Labour Councillor and leaving the Party. 

- Magdalene Laundries in Sefton Area!

- The importance of libraries, literacy and learning.

- Southport and Community Cohesion. 

- His achievements as Mayor and Councillor. 

- Other interesting aspects of his book, local politics and history.  

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingaBetterSefton 

Please join our Facebook Page, for written pieces and our podcasts - https://www.facebook.com/groups/695280703082811 

We are also on Substack – where you can access podcasts and written pieces - https://buildingabettersefton.substack.com/ - You can subscribe and contribute financially on here. 

Follow us on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/timshortsefton.bsky.social 

You can also contribute financially through our Ko-Fi page - https://ko-fi.com/northsouthpodcasts 

You can also support our Crowdfunder - https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/VWE0qPrl?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink

Building a Better Sefton Channel - YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BuildingaBetterSefton

First episode with Sean Halsall, talking about independent politics in Southport, including Community Assemblies! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d53ZMbz-V4o&t=16s

We are also on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/695280703082811 - Building a Better Sefton

Substack - Building A Better Sefton | TIMOTHY SHORT | Substack 

Today I talk about the heat, keeping cool and climate change. 

Check out our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1dQzS8KBgeT9iA7MAqhQpA - The channel now includes playlists about associated topics. 

https://timothyshort.substack.com/

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Check out the CIC website – www.northandsoutheducationcic.co.uk – You can fund the charity through this page

Please support the Podcast at https://ko-fi.com/northsouthpodcasts?ref=onboarding_email_share2    

Music from ‘ZapSplat’ – check them out!

I am back. Today I talk about the personal, the local and the political. How self-development links to local community, and the dangers of Populism and Reform in the UK context and more globally. 

Check out our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1dQzS8KBgeT9iA7MAqhQpA - The channel now includes playlists about associated topics. 

https://timothyshort.substack.com/

Follow us on BlueSky - https://bsky.app/profile/northandsouth.bsky.social

Check out the CIC website – www.northandsoutheducationcic.co.uk – You can fund the charity through this page

Please support the Podcast at https://ko-fi.com/northsouthpodcasts?ref=onboarding_email_share2