Labour's Liz Savage has issued a correction to a press release she issued yesterday. It follows a story we ran:


Liz Savage says:

"Yesterday I issued a release pointing out how the local Liberal Democrat party are at odds with their party leader's claim of good local government.

I highlighted the recent plan by Cllr Pugh who proposed that £400,000 should be spent on potholes and the money for this should be borrowed and then paid back over out of the rods budget for the following nine years.

"This potholed potholes plan would have seen a small one off hit that would not have even touched the sides of the problem and then left the council with even less money to tackle the problem for the rest of a decade. It was little more than headline grabbing, not a real solution. Restoring funds for the highways budget which the Lib-Dems and Tories have slashed would go some way to being a real solution."

"I then commented on how local Lib-Dems were seemingly at odds with their leader's bold claims over housing, given their opposition locally to Sefton's efforts to meet the housing crisis."

"Included in the piece I also described a serious situation which had threatened Hightown Village Surgery. This could have resulted in patients not receiving GP cover and was averted in no small part due to the efforts of Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson and Labour colleagues.

Labour councillors at Sefton have also raised critical concerns about how the issue has been handled by NHS England; over communications issues with clinical commissioning groups and NHS England and the lack of a transparent complaints procedure. I noted that currently there are also issues with Lancashire Care’s review of Formby Clinic which could have knock-one effects in Ainsdale and Southport, something again that Labour is raising.

During this, I detailed how a special meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Adult Social Care and Health was held on 3rd April. This was to hear the second report of NHS England and NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group regarding the threat to the GP practice and I drew attention to the Lib-Dem's poor attendance record at the committee.

"None of the Lib-Dems who are part of the committee made the April 3rd meeting and I also stated that they had all failed to attend the previous meeting on it on the 22nd March. This was incorrect, one did on that occasion, Cllr Lynne Thomson. As such I'm happy to correct this and say sorry to Lynne for that. I've not been asked to do this by her but personally feel it's important to do so."

"The political point I was making still stands though - I do not believe that an 83% non-attendance record on such an important matter qualifies as good local government service by Lib-Dem councillors. The Labour councillors, meanwhile, had an 86% attendance record and actually dealt with the issue."

"Indeed, my point was rather reinforced by one of the Lib-Dem's very own local politicians, Cllr Simon Shaw, who commented on the article stating that:

"That Surgery's in Hightown, isn’t it? So not in Churchtown, or Southport or Birkdale or Ainsdale, all areas where Lib Dem councillors represent the community." (Cllr Simon Shaw)

This is exactly the type of attitude I was highlighting. It seems that Lib-Dem councillors are apparently Sefton councillors when they want to comment on and attack decisions made regarding other parts of the borough and not Sefton councillors when they need to take responsibility."

"As such I'm happy to issue this correction regarding Lynne who I respect on a personal basis but stand-by my concerns about her party locally."

Fair play, small correction needed... small correction given... wish other local politicians would be so straight.

Originally Posted by Gwhizz

Fair play, small correction needed... small correction given... wish other local politicians would be so straight.

Very good of you as a Liebour activist to praise the Liebour candidate who was caught mid-Lie. Most noble.

Originally Posted by dav

Very good of you as a Liebour activist to praise the Liebour candidate who was caught mid-Lie. Most noble.

Dav you really are silly... no-one forced her to make the correction and getting a small fact wrong is not a lie, it's a simple mistake and she put her hand up to it. It ain't even that big a mistake, 83% non-attendance instead of 100%. Grow up man.

Originally Posted by Gwhizz

Dav you really are silly... no-one forced her to make the correction and getting a small fact wrong is not a lie, it's a simple mistake and she put her hand up to it. It ain't even that big a mistake, 83% non-attendance instead of 100%. Grow up man.

Such "a small fact" and "ain't even that big" correction that some would apparently think it hardly worth commenting on.... but you, as a Liebore activist, chose to offer fulsome praise to your local Liebore leaderine. All part of the Liebore campaign.

Why is this woman being given so much press coverage. She is not an elected official within Sefton and neither is she looking to stand at the next local election in May. She is simply a hopeful candidate for the next general election - nothing more and nothing less.

Originally Posted by dav

Such "a small fact" and "ain't even that big" correction that some would apparently think it hardly worth commenting on.... but you, as a Liebore activist, chose to offer fulsome praise to your local Liebore leaderine. All part of the Liebore campaign.

What??! You really are odd at times. ... it's doing the decent thing as a factual error was made... no more, no less. Your infantile "Liebore" stuff is the most boring thing around here... and that's no lie.

Originally Posted by ainsdale local

Why is this woman being given so much press coverage. She is not an elected official within Sefton and neither is she looking to stand at the next local election in May. She is simply a hopeful candidate for the next general election - nothing more and nothing less.

She's already been selected as the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Southport... I'm sure you would just like to silence Labour in Southport but it's called democracy.

Originally Posted by Gwhizz

She's already been selected as the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Southport... I'm sure you would just like to silence Labour in Southport but it's called democracy.

And the campaign for the General Election starts when? Surely she should be doing her Skem councillor thang?

Originally Posted by Gwhizz

What??! You really are odd at times. ... it's doing the decent thing as a factual error was made... no more, no less.

Factual error, seen a few of those over the years....Best one has to be:-

Yes, there are WMD's in Iraq. Thinking back, did he actually correct his error......

Originally Posted by dav

And the campaign for the General Election starts when? Surely she should be doing her Skem councillor thang?

She certainly seems to spend more time interfering in Southport than she does doing anything at all for her Skelmersdale ward. Fortunately, the people of Skem would vote for a pig if it wore a red rosette so her Council gravy train should keep steaming for a while yet, keeping her from spending 100% of her time here.

Originally Posted by Tentill4

Factual error, seen a few of those over the years....Best one has to be:-

Yes, there are WMD's in Iraq. Thinking back, did he actually correct his error......

Well done... you are the front-runner for this year's "Most out there, ridiculous, absolutely unconnected reference" award... we'll let you know if you are a winner after Dav comes along and gives his next comment... and then see how things go from there...

Originally Posted by Darkside

She certainly seems to spend more time interfering in Southport than she does doing anything at all for her Skelmersdale ward. Fortunately, the people of Skem would vote for a pig if it wore a red rosette so her Council gravy train should keep steaming for a while yet, keeping her from spending 100% of her time here.

So, helping get £30k for the Kew Park Campaigners and the return of the 30 min parking charge is "interfering"... most amusing, if so, long may it continue... it produces results that are to the benefit of Southport residents.

Originally Posted by Gwhizz

Well done... you are the front-runner for this year's "Most out there, ridiculous, absolutely unconnected reference" award... we'll let you know if you are a winner after Dav comes along and gives his next comment... and then see how things go from there...

"return of the 30 min parking" - You keep talking about this 30mins as though Labour have brought it in. They took it away and now with the aid of SouthportBID, they done a u-turn and have the nerve to proclaim it as a victory for Labour.

For many years (29) I haven't seen sight nor sound of Labour in Southport, now that you think you have a chance, you're all creeping out the wood work. You may have conned the youngster with your open cheque policy, but those that remember, know that those kids are going to have a s**t time paying for all the debt we'll be in. If you think the tories/libdems have got us the in the s**t, pray that Labour don't get in.

Originally Posted by Darkside

She certainly seems to spend more time interfering in Southport than she does doing anything at all for her Skelmersdale ward.

That certainly appears to be the case.

Currently she is paid to represent Skelmersdale as a councillor (despite living miles away in leafy Tarleton) but doesn't seem to have much interest in doing that.

For instance I've just done a Google search and I could find no press report at all for "Liz Savage Skelmersdale" or "Liz Savage Ashurst" (Ashurst being the precise part of Skelmersdale that she is meant to represent).

Or maybe it's just that Skelmersdale doesn't have any problems that Labour councillors want to deal with.