At their meeting this week, Sefton Council’s Cabinet will consider a report on the Council led response to the tragic events in Southport on 29th July and the public disorder of 30th July.

Council, partners, volunteers and community

The report covers the immediate response to these events and the work carried out since. It details the breadth of the response and the huge amount of work of the Council, its partners, volunteers and the community.  Also included in the report is a description of how the response has been and will continue to be delivered.

And, most importantly, the report to Cabinet confirms that Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King, and Elsie Dot Stancombe will remain at the forefront of everyone’s minds and at the heart of the response and recovery.

In the immediate aftermath of the events in Southport, Sefton Council set up a Recovery Team to coordinate support for victims, families, residents and businesses. This meant working closely with a range of partners across health, education, police, the voluntary sector central Government and, most importantly, the people of Southport.

Emotional wellbeing

A significant focus of the recovery programme has been supporting the emotional wellbeing of those affected. Enhanced psychological support was quickly established for children, families and adults. This was delivered through a partnership that included NHS services, specialist providers, schools, the police and volunteer groups.

Recognising the long-term impact on children and families, the programme placed particular emphasis on education and safeguarding. Additional resources were provided to children’s services to manage increased demand and complexity. At the same time, trauma-informed training was rolled out to frontline professionals

Schools most directly affected by the tragedy received tailored support to enable them to provide care and reassurance to pupils. Longer-term planning focused on ensuring that children affected by the events continue to receive appropriate support as they move through the education system.

The recovery response also focused on supporting community cohesion and addressing the wider social impact of the events of 29th and 30th July.

Dialogue, reflection and understanding

Listening exercises, community engagement and partnership working have helped create space for dialogue, reflection and understanding. And targeted programmes have supported young people, faith groups and community organisations.

There has been investment in community safety and infrastructure, including improvements to security at local venues and support for youth services.

Southport’s economy and town centre businesses were also significantly affected. In response, Sefton Council delivered a phased Business Recovery Fund. This providing targeted financial support to businesses as well as self-employed people and families directly impacted by the events.

Resilience

Alongside this, an enhanced events programme for 2026 will support footfall and confidence in the town, complemented by longer-term work on visitor economy and place strategies to support Southport’s future growth and resilience.

As well as its work within the town, the Recovery partners dealt with the concentrated focus from national and international media national and international media. There was coordinated communications during these periods of intense public and media scrutiny. Sefton Council alone responded to more than 700 media enquiries.

There has also been close work with central government to secured significant recovery funding. Plans were put in place for major milestones in the recovery journey including the criminal trial, the one-year anniversary and the first stage of the public inquiry.

Sefton Council will to ensure ongoing support for children, families and communities in Southport through core council services and long-standing partnership work.

The Southport recovery efforts have been recognised at the highest levels of Government with our work having a positive impact on those directly or indirectly affected.

Never be forgotten

Ahead of this report being considered at Cabinet, Sefton Council’s Leader Cllr Marion Atkinson said: “Those affected by events of July 2024 will never be forgotten.

“We are proud of the work done by the Council, its partners and the community.

“What this report shows is a testament to the compassion, strength and solidarity shown by the people of Southport. Without them we would not have been able to do this vital work.

"This was an unprecedented 18 months which needed round-the-clock care, compassion and clarity at the most difficult of times.

“Along with the whole of Cabinet and the wider Council, and I am sure the communities of Southport, I want to place on record our profound thanks for what everyone involved in the recovery did and continues to do. That includes all our partners, volunteers, community leaders, businesses and residents who were part of the recovery effort. And the people of Sefton who have been key to every element.

“And of course our thoughts remain, always, with everyone directly affected by those terrible events and we will continue to offer our support as long as it is needed.”

Information and support can still be found at www.sefton.gov.uk/southport-together

The agenda and papers for the meeting can be found here.