The threatened Ovington Drive playground has received a major lifeline after intervention by local Labour campaigners.

The playground had been closed on safety grounds by Sefton Council after a young girl broke her arm in Formby on play equipment of a similar age and design.

The Formby apparatus collapsed after corroding internally and forcing the decision on the Southport play park as a precautionary measure to avoid further injury.

The closure led to a petition being raised in opposition and a meeting with council officers and ward councillors had to be abandoned after details were leaked.

As a result, Liz Savage, Labour's local parliamentary candidate in 2015 and '17 and colleagues from Kew Ward of Southport Labour Party have spoken to local residents and then made representations to Sefton Council.

They've discovered that around £20,000 of ward funds are unspent in Kew and could be put towards the cost of refitting the playground. Liz Savage explained:

"With over £200m lost to Sefton since 2010 in budget cuts agreed by Conservatives and Liberal-Democrats, money to replace the equipment is obviously very tight. Ward funds are council funds but spent at the discretion of local ward councillors, so it will need the agreement of Kew Ward's representatives to use them."

The proposal will also mean a full consultation is carried out with local residents and Kew Woods Primary School to explore what facilities they would like to see re-installed.

The most expensive option is thought to be refurbishment on a like-for-like basis which is significantly higher than the ward funds at an estimated £50,000 or more.

If that was the option local residents decided upon, Sefton Council's Leader, Ian Maher, has agreed to put in the extra money to save the playground if the Kew Ward funds also contributed to the project after discussions between Liz Savage and Sefton's Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Ian Moncur.

In an email announcing the council's decision to her, Councillor Moncur stated:

"Community involvement is fundamental to this development and I know from what we discussed there are lots of ideas which can be explored further... but the most important thing I did want to confirm to you and residents is that there will definitely be a play facility retained on site if the Kew Ward Councillors will cooperate with us on this matter."

Liz Savage described it as "a major step forward to save the playground" and commented:

"We are delighted to be able to find a solution for the residents. We urge their Liberal Democrat ward councillors, Mike Booth, Fred Weavers and David Pullin to co-operate with us to save the playground by agreeing to spend the ward funds on the Ovington Drive playground renovation."

Details of the lifeline were released in an open letter to Kew residents which has been published on the Southport Labour website explaining the situation and asking them to contact their ward councillors in order to help save the playground.

"Liz Savage (fifth from left) with protestors."

Good to see local Labour campaigners securing a potential lifeline on this.

Why have none of the Kew Ward councillors suggested this ?

Southport councillors are sitting on 3 years worth of unspent Area Committee budgets.
Why don't they spend the money they are allocated?

I think it is very clear that the Councillors should work with Sefton Council to save this play area. I do worry that they won't co-operate, then fall back into their default position of demonising the Council. This is the opportunity to do some good. Let's watch and see.

So the Labour council closed it. Now the Labour councillors have asked for it to be reopened. Nothing to see here except Labour manufacturing a crisis and a miraculous "save". One wonders why one hopeless bit of the Labour-run administration doesn't know what another hopeless bit of the Labour-run administration is up to.

Originally Posted by dav

One wonders why one hopeless bit of the Labour-run administration doesn't know what another hopeless bit of the Labour-run administration is up to.

Liz Savage and Kew Ward Labour Party members are not part of the Labour run administration.

Originally Posted by Mr. Brightside

Liz Savage and Kew Ward Labour Party members are not part of the Labour run administration.

Liz Savage certainly is. She is a councillor in Skelmersdale and is part of the controlling Labour-run administration.

Originally Posted by prasnee

Liz Savage certainly is. She is a councillor in Skelmersdale and is part of the controlling Labour-run administration.

Utter tripe. Being a councillor in Skem' nowt to do with Sefton, Skem' is part of West Lancs council.

Originally Posted by dav

So the Labour council closed it. Now the Labour councillors have asked for it to be reopened. Nothing to see here except Labour manufacturing a crisis and a miraculous "save". One wonders why one hopeless bit of the Labour-run administration doesn't know what another hopeless bit of the Labour-run administration is up to.

Always helps to try checking your facts... firstly, they were local Labour members, not councillors, apart from one and she is on a TOTALLY DIFFERENT COUNCIL, West Lancs not Sefton, and also the Labour Parliamentary Candidate here in '15 & '17.
So your theory, as usual from you, is totally bogus.
Also they were contacted by local residents for help, which they provided and have come up with a solution. Why not, just once, stop supping from the saucer of sour milk, it's curdling your brain.

Originally Posted by prasnee

Liz Savage certainly is. She is a councillor in Skelmersdale and is part of the controlling Labour-run administration.

Your posts get more and more divorced from reality, this seems to have happened since a certain Lib Dem councillor was divorced from the Lib Dems to become an independent councillor?

Can you tell me what influence an elected West Lancashire Council councillor has in Sefton?

Can you tell me why your (formerly?) beloved Lib Dems are stockpiling Area Committee funds year after year without spending them?

Originally Posted by Gwhizz

Always helps to try checking your facts... firstly, they were local Labour members, not councillors, apart from one and she is on a TOTALLY DIFFERENT COUNCIL, West Lancs not Sefton, and also the Labour Parliamentary Candidate here in '15 & '17.
So your theory, as usual from you, is totally bogus.
Also they were contacted by local residents for help, which they provided and have come up with a solution. Why not, just once, stop supping from the saucer of sour milk, it's curdling your brain.

So, to summarise: Labour messed it up. Labour aim to return it to what it was like before they messed it up. Whether councillors or not, it is a mess of Labour's own making so I will hold off on the round of applause.

Originally Posted by Gwhizz

Originally Posted by prasnee

Liz Savage certainly is. She is a councillor in Skelmersdale and is part of the controlling Labour-run administration.

Utter tripe. Being a councillor in Skem' nowt to do with Sefton, Skem' is part of West Lancs council.

My sentiments exactly.

Or is Liz Savage claiming that there are no problems left for her to deal with in Skelmersdale that she needs to start meddling in those in Southport?

Originally Posted by Mr. Brightside

Can you tell me what influence an elected West Lancashire Council councillor has in Sefton?

Hopefully none.

It's just that this "Fake News" story implies that she does.

Originally Posted by dav

So, to summarise: Labour messed it up. Labour aim to return it to what it was like before they messed it up. Whether councillors or not, it is a mess of Labour's own making so I will hold off on the round of applause.

Got it in one!