Daily news bulletin: Concerns over Liverpool ‘north-south divide’ recorded in survey

Over 900 people recently completed Liverpoolcouncil’s Our City, Your Say survey, in which residents were asked what they love about the city and what they think needs improving.

Whilst there was praise for the city’s cultural events programme, concerns were raised about Liverpool’s ‘north-south divide.’

The survey suggested their is a perception in the city of poverty in the north, while the south of the city receives more investment and cultural events.

Some of the headlines from the survey – which was accessible online and through postcards in libraries, Children’s Centres, Lifestyles Centres, Customer Hubs – include:

• A request for more to be done around cleaning streets and public spaces and tackling those who dump litter and rubbish
• Fears about public safety, particularly in the night-time economy
• Concerns about Liverpool’s ‘north-south divide’, with references to poverty in the north and a perception that the south of the city receives more investment and cultural events
• Praise for the city’s cultural events programme and a request for more, particularly for children and young people, especially during school holidays
• A plea for fewer roadworks, more efficient public transport, particularly to the football grounds and the airport.

Deputy Mayor, Cllr Jane Corbett, said: “I am pleased that so many people responded and let us know their views. This is all part of our commitment to being a listening organisation and acting upon the concerns of residents who pay for local services.

“Some of the issues raised are not in our direct control, such as public transport, but we have strong partnerships with the local agencies that do so we will be feeding back views to them.

“This is an ongoing conversation which we will continue to have with people who live and work in Liverpool over the coming months and years. It will also feed into our process of setting the budget for 2022/23 and the development of the Medium Term Financial Plan. We are determined to make this city one that delivers for everyone.”

COVID case rate decreasing

Coronavirus cases have almost halved in the space of a week in Wirral. In the week up to January 11, there were 4,888 COVID-19 cases in Wirral at a rate of 1,507 per 100,000.

That is down by 49% on the figure of 9,548 cases registered the week before, at the much higher rate of 2,944 per 100,000.

The latest figures show 98 people in Wirral’s hospitals with COVID-19 on January 11, up from 73 on January 4 and just 28 on December 28. It remains to be seen if this pattern of rising COVID-related hospitalisations will continue.

Cost of recycling errors in Liverpool

Recycling errors cost Liverpool taxpayers almost a million pounds in the last year.

Data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) shows 9,946 tonnes of waste collected by Liverpool City Council were rejected at the point of sorting in the year to March.