£2.5m Hillside Station Lifts Made Unavailable When Staff Absent says Cllr Ron Watson

The introduction of lifts at Hillside Station were very welcome but were also very expensive at a cost of some £2.5m.

Those of us who pursued this matter were surprised to learn that there were over 11 different local and national government departments and others involved in the approval and introduction of these lifts but they do hugely benefit those with mobility difficulties.

The problem however has now arisen over the fact that if the ticket office does not have a member of staff on duty, for whatever reason, the lifts are put out of action and the authorities concerned really do need to make sure that this does not happen as an investment of this magnitude really should be available to the public and not be dependent on the absence of staff, for whatever reason.

This is essentially a managerial problem but it needs to be given priority to ensure that we get the best value for money for the provision of this facility.

Councillor Sir Ron Watson CBE

Dukes Ward Councillor

Sefton Council