People in Southport are being urged to do all they can to help our town recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Businesses across the resort have been affected in lots of different ways by the crisis, with hundreds of shops, restaurants, bars and other venues ordered to close to stop the spread of the disease. But with Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggesting that ‘Phase One’ of the mission to control coronavirus is nearly over, many people have now started looking towards the future – and what happens next.
Our CEO Rachel Fitzgerald is looking to the future and how we need to work together. “The key to our recovery will be the commitment of every local resident to embrace the town we live in, to love it and to use the facilities, services and amenities within it”.
She said: “We are living in extremely challenging circumstances at personal, community and professional level. We fear what is currently happening and we fear even more the ‘unknown’. We all look for certainty and security.
“The big question is what ‘normal’ will look like when we start to return to our businesses or to our jobs? Will we have jobs and businesses to return to? If we do, will they look and work in the same way they did before?
“Our town will be at the heart of our recovery and so it is extremely important that here in Southport we work collectively; local authority, business community, key local organisations to drive forward a plan on how we will support our town.
“We in the Business Improvement District (BID) believe that the key to the success of our recovery will be the commitment of every local resident to embrace the town we live in, to love it and to use the facilities, services and amenities within it.
“This is the time when the sense of local belonging and shared responsibility for our town is more important than ever. Together, we can not only recover but also unlock a new future for the town.”
When the strict measures imposed during the first phase of the coronavirus lockdown are eased, Southport must work hard to encourage visitors back into our resort and the many attractions it offers. And Southport Business Improvement District is looking to focus on four key areas to make the most of what Southport has to offer.
Rachel Fitzgerald said: “Southport is a key part of the Liverpool City Region and there lies the opportunity to start to capitalise on what this region can do for us.
“Firstly, we should focus on attracting the residents of the region to come to Southport to experience the unique offer we have – a place that makes you feel happy, relaxed and rejuvenated. We have the wonderful buildings, fresh seaside air and a large variety of bars, shops and restaurants, many of which are independently owned and run.
“Secondly, we collectively need to create a united plan which will make it easy for the Liverpool City Region to see that we have short-term and long-term goals, which need the financial support of the Combined Authority to deliver real, sustainable outcomes for Southport.
“In the short-term we (BID) are focusing on these four areas and developing programmes to support them:
1 – Place. The importance of a pleasant environment will be more important than ever, once we start to come back into our town. Residents and visitors alike want to feel good when engaging with the town centre.
2 – Local. ‘Spend local’ is the key way to drive forward our future.
3 – Efficiency. Support businesses in helping reduce running costs.
4 – Mobilise key stakeholders. Facilitate collaborative thinking and investment.
“We don’t know at this moment when the return will happen. During this time please use the resources here on our site or on our partners at Invest Sefton to get up to date information. Accessing accurate information during this time of uncertainty is vital.
“We will continue to promote the independent businesses in this town through our Southport Indies campaign, so as a business owner, if you have news to share we can promote it for you. We also have a full list circulating on southportindependents.co.uk of the businesses still delivering or supporting the community through the crisis.”
