Southport Conservatives are calling on Sefton Council to reverse their decision to close the aviary at Botanic Gardens in Churchtown.
The recent announcement that the aviary will be closed has been heavily criticised by many and across the political spectrum there are calls for a reversal of the decision.
Sefton Council will be borrowing huge sums in the next 12 months, spending money on more cycle lanes that very few people will use and it’s highly likely that Council Tax will once again go up by the maximum amount, again.
Yet the aviary at Botanic Gardens will be closing, saving around £60,000 per year from the council budget. News that was not publicised by Sefton Labour in the run up to the local elections.
Mike Prendergast of Southport Conservatives said, “The unexpected announcement has taken many by surprise and it’s one of those issues that has pretty much brought everyone together. Absolutely no one in Southport wants to see the aviary close and we agree with the calls for this decision to reversed.”
“Virtually everyone in Southport has memories of visiting there as a child or taking their own children there, myself included. It’s one of the quirky features of Southport and holds a special place in the hearts of everyone in the town.”
“The rationale for the decision seems to be a combination of animal welfare concerns and financial constraints. Surely though the welfare concerns can be addressed and better budget management can tackle the financial side of things.”
“The only figure available is the running costs of around £60,000 per year, no figures have been publicised about any capital expenditure needed, yet the decision has been taken to close the aviary.”
“A simple freeze in councillors allowances, for example, over the next few years would likely yield the money needed to keep it going in terms of running costs. I’m sure all of Southport’s councillors would be agreeable to that if it helped keep the aviary open and they could all put this forward in a Notice of Motion for the next council meeting.”
“It also seems that many within Sefton Council knew this decision was coming and it’s hard to believe that at least some of Sefton’s Labour councillors knew full well the aviary at Botanic Gardens would be closing but kept quiet about it.”
“More broadly though, the poor state of Sefton’s finances is the main driver behind this decision. Over a prolonged period the finances have deteriorated; there are no cash reserves and with borrowing levels set to soar, it’s imperative that someone gets a grip on the finances or we could see more cuts to services across Southport.”
