2026 Local Election Manifesto – HTML version

A Letter to Sefton

This is a plan for Sefton’s future. And we’re proud to sign it.

From Bootle to Southport, Crosby to Maghull, Formby to our villages and rural communities, we know that ours is a borough bursting with pride. 276,000 of us call it home. Each of us is different but from the thousands of conversations we’ve had, we know there is a shared ambition for Sefton’s future.

That’s why we chose to stand as councillors. We aren’t here to reflect anger and grievance and sow division. Others will do that better than we can. In today’s politics, we will lose in a battle of who shouts louder.

But we are confident we will win in a battle for the future.

Our record is strong. We’re proud to have led the council that took children’s services from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good.’ We’re proud to have stabilised adult social care and invested in our workforce. We backed our communities through the cost-of-living crisis. We’ve cleaned alleyways, resurfaced roads, built partnerships and started building homes again – and we’ve kickstarted a once-in-a-generation regeneration programme that is breathing new life into Bootle and Southport.

We’ve fixed the foundations and we’re delighted this has been recognised through the shortlisting of Sefton Council as the ‘Most Improved Council’ in national awards. But we’re not here to collect prizes.

Instead, we turn to new ideas and big ambition. Our job as councillors – past, present and we hope, future – is to ensure we’re constantly striving to improve, to make things better. In this plan, across five areas, we set out our commitment and say what we will do to deliver it.

Our council will work better for everyone in the everyday. Sefton will be a great place to grow up and a place you are proud to call home. It will be a more prosperous and opportunity-filled borough. Our future will be cleaner and it will be fairer.

Ultimately, Sefton will be one of the best places in the country to live, learn, earn, visit and raise a family.

The job of your Labour candidates is to turn that ambition into reality.

We would love your support on May 7 2026.

Working Together for Sefton

This plan will be led by Labour in Sefton, but it will not be delivered by Labour alone.

One of Sefton’s strengths is that when we work together, we get things done. Progress depends on working with partners in the public, private and voluntary sector, with communities and residents, in a spirit of shared endeavour. That is how change happens here.

It’s also why Labour working together across every level matters. With our local councillors and candidates. With our MPs. With Steve Rotheram as Metro Mayor. With businesses, trade unions, schools, colleges, faith groups, social landlords, charities and community organisations. And with the people of Sefton themselves.

We are strongest when we line up behind the borough’s future. When we use Labour leadership locally, regionally and nationally to unlock investment, improve public services and back local ambition. And when we make sure that major projects are not isolated from daily life, but help drive jobs, pride, cleaner streets, better opportunities and stronger communities right across Sefton.

That’s why we’re proud to show our commitment to this ambition for Sefton.

Marion Atkinson
(Leader)

Steve Rotheram
(Metro Mayor)

Patrick Hurley MP

Bill Esterson MP

Peter Dowd MP

Dan Carden MP

Our Values

“They’re all the same.”

It’s a criticism we’ve heard many times about politicians seeking your support and, respectfully, we disagree. We came into politics – into Labour politics – because of a shared set of values.

Ultimately, we chose Labour because we want working people, their families and their communities to thrive in a world that is ever-changing. This is the ultimate non-negotiable: if a decision doesn’t improve the lives of the citizens we serve, we don’t take it.

Other values run through this plan like a thread of steel too. They shape every decision we take, from the biggest regeneration deal to the small actions every day in the streets we serve.

Partnership

We cannot do this alone. We are proud of the partnerships we have forged to make change happen and we commit to doing that again. If you’re reading this and believe that you’re someone who can help us make Sefton the best place to live then we want to hear from you. Our track record is strong. We’ve worked with social landlords to make quality social housing more available, with the voluntary and faith sectors, with employers through the Caring Business Charter, and with education and cultural partners to create opportunities for young people. Sefton’s future depends on working with partners and communities.

We will build on that. We will make the most of the partnerships that deliver results. We will use public, private and community power together to get results.

Innovation

Sefton cannot meet modern expectations with old habits. We are proud to have steered a transformation plan that is explicit about the need for a faster, better connected council that prioritises you. We will always push for a bolder, more innovative borough, including better access to services that are much more personalised – without forgetting those who do not have digital access.

We will back innovation that improves people’s lives. Not innovation for its own sake. And we will use our relationship with a national Labour government to push for Sefton to be at the forefront of change.

Financial and Climate Sustainability

Money and climate go together. Too often, politics separates them. We won’t just throw the word ‘green’ around like others do. We will stress test every decision we take – twice. Once for its impact on the budget, once again for its impact on climate. And we will never seek to break our climate commitments to score cheap points. We will make sure climate responsibility is woven through how we grow, build and govern. The future has to be cleaner, but the move to this must also be fair.

Building on our climate emergency declaration, the Labour-led Sefton Council is transitioning to a green vehicle fleet as part of its Climate Emergency Plan, with the aim of reaching 100% clean energy by 2030.

Sefton’s environment is one of its defining assets. The coast, dunes, parks, green spaces and rural communities are not just things to protect. They are part of our identity, our economy and our quality of life.

And we will never take your money for granted. No one likes paying council tax – we will make sure the council treats every penny raised as if it were its own, even if this means taking difficult decisions.

Pride in Place

People notice when things improve and they notice when they do not. We will prioritise the small actions that, combined, make the biggest difference. The work we already do in street cleansing, combating fly-tipping, visible enforcement, green spaces and civic pride matter because they shape how we feel about where we live.

We want Sefton to look better, feel better and work better.

Social Justice

We’re proud that protecting the most vulnerable has been at the heart of Sefton’s core purpose and plan under our leadership. This does not change. We will use every lever we have, from employment and skills plans to procurement, housing and early help, to build a fairer borough.

The Plan

1. A Borough That Works for Everyone

We commit to making Sefton a borough that works in the way people need it to: clean, responsive, connected and visibly on their side.

People experience their council through the basics. Whether the bins are collected. Whether grass is cut. Whether fly-tipping is dealt with. Whether a complaint gets answered. Whether the street feels cared for. Whether local government feels present, competent and on top of things. Under our leadership, Sefton now collects more than 161,000 bins a week and maintains a huge public realm across 607 miles of road and a very large parks and green space network. But the everyday experience of place still matters enormously and there is more to do on cleansing, visible standards and responsiveness.

We will set a higher standard for the visible services that shape how Sefton looks and feels, from street cleansing and grounds maintenance to weed control, neighbourhood upkeep and local pride.

We will strengthen action on fly-tipping and environmental neglect, with more visible enforcement and clearer accountability for local standards. Citizens must be able to see action and, critically, track it too. We want a system that goes from ‘rubbish identified’ to ‘rubbish removed’ with citizens informed every step of the way.

We will back cleaner, greener neighbourhoods in every part of the borough, not just our main centres. Pride in place will extend from Bootle and Southport to Waterloo, Crosby, Maghull, Formby and our villages.

We will make the council easier to deal with, with a stronger focus on timely responses, simpler reporting and more joined-up access to services.

We will put power in the hands of residents to report the issues that matter to them. A new, game-changing mobile phone app will enable the reporting of potholes, highway improvements and other local issues and – as importantly – keep residents updated in real-time on how these issues are then dealt with.

We will use innovation and data better to improve residents’ experience, while doubling down on our belief that good local government still starts with doing the basics well.

We will make sure residents in every part of the borough can see that progress is being made in their area.

At a Glance: A Borough That Works for Everyone

We will set higher standards for street cleansing, grounds maintenance and neighbourhood upkeep across all 607 miles of Sefton’s roads and public spaces.
We will strengthen enforcement on fly-tipping, with clearer accountability and a system that keeps residents informed from report to resolution.
We will make the council easier to deal with – faster responses, simpler reporting and more joined-up access to services.
We will deliver an efficient, easier, more modern way for residents to report local issues and to be kept updated on how those issues are being dealt with.
We will ensure every part of the borough – from Bootle and Southport to Waterloo, Crosby, Maghull, Formby and our villages – can see that progress is being made.

2. A Great Place to Grow Up

We commit to making Sefton the best place in Britain for a child to grow up.

Young people are Sefton’s future. There are more than 56,000 children and young people aged 0 to 17. We must ensure individual needs are catered for and in a world which is increasingly more difficult to navigate, we have a responsibility to marry a strong education with abundant opportunity for young people to develop and grow. In Sefton, they can thrive.

After all, we have resisted the national trends around unemployment and young people, with one of the lowest shares of young people not in employment, education or training in the country. We should not take this for granted. It is the direct result of keeping youth employment and early help high on the agenda. We know that our schools and social care are mission critical and so too are the wonderful businesses that we work with, including those who signed the Caring Business Charter – where more than 60 signatories committed to giving looked-after children the opportunities they need.

We will keep improving children’s services so that more children are safe, supported and able to thrive close to home.

We will strengthen early help for children and families, because strong families and early support save pain later and give children the best chance in life.

We will back better outcomes for children and young people, including those with additional needs and those who need extra support to stay engaged in education and training.

We will work with employers, schools, colleges, community organisations and the Liverpool City Region to create clearer pathways into work for local young people.

We will build on Sefton@Work, community learning and employment support to make sure local growth creates real openings for local people. Our key measures of success will be in employment, education and training outcomes, early intervention with 16 to 17-year-olds, workless residents accessing support and residents using community learning.

We will expand opportunity for care-experienced young people through the Caring Business Charter, delivering mentoring, work experience, apprenticeships and stronger links to local employers. We will look to create similar charters for other groups of young people and over time, develop a Sefton Youth Charter that forges even deeper relationships between job creators in our borough and young people.

We will back creative, cultural and sporting routes into confidence and careers. We will continue to build out key cultural opportunities for this, including Sound City support for NEET and care-experienced young people, work with LIPA, and targeted youth provision through programmes like Think FAST. These examples matter because they show a broader idea of opportunity.

We will make football work for young people, whether you’re red, blue, Mariner, Sandgrounder, or don’t care for the thing. With Premier League and non-league clubs on our doorstep and so deeply embedded throughout Sefton, there is so much we do and can continue to do to ensure this creates opportunities for young people to develop the skills they need – as well as making a vital contribution to our local economy.

We will share the lessons and learnings around young people not in education, employment or training with national government, given Sefton’s positive results in creating opportunities for young people. This should include a national, flagship summit on NEETs that brings together leading thinkers and senior politicians to solve a national problem here in Sefton. We will use our convening power to ensure government decisions are taken with Sefton at the centre.

We will make tackling child poverty part of the borough’s mission, because too many children’s life chances are still narrowed before they begin.

We will work with the Labour government’s national £500 million plan to invest in Youth Hubs and provisions in Sefton – north, south and central.

At a Glance: A Great Place to Grow Up

We will keep improving children’s services so more of Sefton’s 56,000 children and young people are safe, supported and able to thrive close to home.
We will strengthen early help for children and families, because strong families and early support save pain later.
We will build on Sefton’s record as one of the areas in the country with the lowest share of young people not in employment, education or training – and share those lessons nationally.
We will expand the Caring Business Charter – already with more than 60 signatories – and develop a Sefton Youth Charter forging deeper links between employers and young people.
We will back creative, cultural and sporting routes into confidence and careers, including through Sound City, LIPA and Think FAST.
We will make tackling child poverty a borough-wide mission.

3. A Place You’re Proud to Call Home

We commit to making Sefton a place where people can live with dignity, security and pride.

A decent life starts with a decent home, safe streets, strong communities and the right support around people as they age or face difficulty. This is not a marginal issue. It is central to whether people feel secure in their lives.

There are strengths to build on. We have delivered council housing, affordable homes through our partnership with Sovini Group, and worked with partners to meet housing need. We are proud of the relationships we’ve forged with social landlords – including working with partners to build new homes across the borough.

We will work with partners to increase the supply of genuinely affordable, high-quality homes for local residents.

We will support the direct delivery of council and affordable housing where that helps meet local need and gives the borough more control over its future.

We will ensure developers deliver for every Sefton citizen by pushing the boundaries even further to do more to commit to creating additional economic, social and environmental value, including affordable housing, education contributions, open space, public transport, employment and training opportunities, and local supply chain opportunities.

Adult social care has been independently rated ‘Good.’ That matters in a period when councils across the country are under huge pressure. We will push further still.

We will work to help older people and vulnerable residents stay well and live independently for longer, with dignity and support close to home.

We will support neighbourhoods that are safer, healthier and more cohesive, because home is not just about housing stock. It is about whether people feel they belong.

We will back the Right to Food campaign, which seeks to enshrine access to basic food provision in law. We will support community food initiatives across the borough and work with partners to ensure no resident in Sefton goes without. This will include a commitment to senior council leaders visiting every food initiative, supporting those at a grassroots level who are fighting poverty on the frontline.

We will work with the voluntary sector, faith groups and community organisations that already do so much preventive work in Sefton, from tackling isolation to supporting families. Sefton’s Council for Voluntary Services – the second largest in the country – brings together voluntary organisations and empowers them to tackle challenges in a joined-up way. We are proud of this and will continue to support it.

We will continue to expand Labour’s Warm Homes Plan to cut energy bills and improve energy efficiency in properties throughout Sefton.

At a Glance: A Place You’re Proud to Call Home

We will work with partners to increase the supply of genuinely affordable, high-quality homes, including through our partnership with Sovini Group and our council housing programme.
We will keep improving adult social care, which has been independently recognised as ‘Good’.
We will support the Right to Food campaign and back community food initiatives across the borough.
We will work with community organisations, faith groups and partners to strengthen community cohesion, particularly in Southport, as a lasting commitment to the kind of borough we want to be.
We will stand up for women and girls and back safer communities for everyone, delivering our Integrated Domestic Abuse Service.
We will support Sefton’s Council for Voluntary Services – the second largest in the country – and the wider voluntary and faith sector that is one of the borough’s greatest hidden strengths.

4. A Prosperous and Proud Sefton

We commit to building a stronger economy that creates pride, opportunity and good jobs for local people across the whole borough.

Economic growth matters. But it only means something if people can see and feel the benefits. We’re proud to have driven major investments in the Strand and the Marine Lakes Event Centre. These are once-in-a-generation opportunities that can revitalise the town jobs, more visitors and a real sense of pride, benefiting all parts of our borough. We have seen more than £100 million invested in Sefton places that in turn has unlocked funds from elsewhere.

Building new things matters. But renewal has to mean more than buildings. It has to put people at the heart of change.

We will back the transformation of Bootle town centre, including the redevelopment of the Strand – backed by £20 million of government funding – and not leave places like this to market drift and managed decline. We will make sure the regeneration generates jobs, skills, pride and local opportunity, not just a physical rebuild.

We will back Southport’s renewal too, including delivery of growth projects, support for a funding solution for the Pier, and the Marine Lake Events Centre. The MLEC is expected to bring more than half a million additional visitors each year and generate an estimated £18 million annually for the local economy. We are steadfast in our commitment to realising this.

We will use culture and tourism as serious engines of renewal. Salt and Tar has already shown what is possible. The 2025 music weekender brought 11,600 people into Bootle town centre and featured major acts, showing strong year-on-year growth and the potential of the venue. We will build on our partnerships with LIPA, Red Rum Club and Sound City to connect culture, place and opportunity.

We will commit to becoming a Living Wage borough. Every direct employee of the council is paid the Real Living Wage, and we will extend that requirement to the contractors and suppliers we work with. Hard work must pay.

We will use the power of planning, procurement and investment to secure social value from major development. Every major development should create jobs, apprenticeships, work experience, training, local supply chain opportunities and ultimately a feel-good factor about where we live.

We will insist that growth in Sefton works for Sefton people by using our procurement power to back good employers, local opportunity and businesses that care.

We will continue to strengthen the Caring Business Charter and support employers who open doors to care-experienced young people, apprentices and local talent.

We will champion every part of the borough as a place to live, work and visit. From the coast and tourism economy to local high streets, parks, creative partnerships and growing communities, Sefton has more to say about itself and we want to enable its people to say it.

We will continue to expand Labour’s Warm Homes Plan to cut energy bills and improve energy efficiency in homes across Sefton.

We will back the transformation of Bootle town centre, including the Strand redevelopment, backed by £20 million of government funding.

At a Glance: A Prosperous and Proud Sefton

We will deliver Southport’s renewal, including the Marine Lakes Event Centre – expected to bring more than 500,000 additional visitors and £18 million annually to the local economy.
We will commit to becoming a Living Wage borough, requiring the Real Living Wage of our contractors and suppliers. Hard work must pay.
We will use culture and tourism as engines of renewal, building on Salt and Tar – which brought 11,600 people into Bootle at its 2025 weekender alone.
We will use our procurement power to back good employers, local opportunity and businesses that care about this borough.
We will grow the Caring Business Charter and work towards a Sefton Youth Charter, deepening links between employers and young people.
We will champion every part of the borough – coast, high streets, parks, culture and growing communities – as a place worth visiting, investing in and calling home.

5. A Cleaner, Fairer Future

We commit to shaping a Sefton that is cleaner, healthier and fairer, with progress shared across the whole borough.

Sefton’s environment is one of its great strengths, but it is also one of its biggest responsibilities. The coast, dunes, parks, green spaces, beaches and rural communities are part of what makes this borough distinctive. They also shape the visitor economy, local wellbeing and community pride. We have 22 miles of coast, 26 main parks and 140 other parks and green spaces, and millions of visitors each year.

We will protect and promote Sefton’s natural assets, from its beaches and dunes to its parks, green spaces and rural communities.

We will support practical action that makes the borough greener and healthier, from better public spaces to greener infrastructure and more attractive local environments.

We will recognise that good environmental policy is also good place policy. Cleaner streets, better parks, protected coastline and greener neighbourhoods make daily life better.

We will back stronger transport and connectivity, because fairness also means being able to get around. We will work with the Combined Authority on bus reform, green bus corridors and rail connectivity across Sefton.

We will back the public ownership of our railways and make sure Sefton residents stand to benefit as new lines are opened.

We will support measures that improve health and wellbeing and tackle preventable inequality. This includes building on our child poverty work and nationally recognised efforts in areas such as breastfeeding and community health.

As a designated national pioneer for the Labour government’s Neighbourhood Health Programme, we will work with the NHS locally to deliver, improve and enhance health facilities across all our towns and communities, including Crosby, Maghull and Formby.

We will continue to back volunteers and community groups who make Sefton stronger, greener and more connected. We are proud of the 1,000 Green Sefton volunteers and will support them to make our borough cleaner, while ensuring we recognise the huge contribution of the voluntary and community sector across the borough.

We will make sure the transition to a greener future is fair and rooted in the real lives of Sefton residents, not imposed in a way that ignores cost, place or common sense.

Building on our climate emergency declaration, Labour led Sefton council is transitioning to a green vehicle fleet as part of its Climate Emergency Plan, aiming for 100% clean energy by 2030.

At a Glance: A Cleaner, Fairer Future

We will protect and promote Sefton’s natural assets – 22 miles of coast, 26 main parks and 140 other green spaces – that help attract 7.6 million visitors to the borough each year.
We will back the 1,000 Green Sefton volunteers and the wider community groups that make our borough cleaner and greener.
We will work with the Combined Authority on bus reform, green bus corridors and improved rail connectivity across the borough – and back the public ownership of our railways.
We will support health and wellbeing measures that tackle preventable inequality, building on our nationally recognised work on child poverty.
We will make sure the transition to a greener future is fair and grounded in the real lives of Sefton residents.

From Ambition to Reality

Our ambition for Sefton is high, but it is grounded in a real understanding of the place we call home. It draws on strengths and assets we already have.

A council that has fixed the foundations and laid plans for the future. A council shortlisted in prestigious national awards as the ‘Most Improved’. A borough with major regeneration under way. A strong voluntary and community sector. Employers willing to step up. Social value tools already in place. Partners in housing, culture, skills and public services. Labour leadership locally and across the city region. And, ultimately, citizens – people – from Maghull to Crosby, Bootle to Southport, Formby to our towns and villages who want to make sure our future is as bright as it could be.

What matters now is bringing these strengths together to turn ambition into reality.

That is the choice this May.

Here’s to the future.