Council to learn from other disasters for Southport response

Council bosses have said they will learn from other major atrocities to help provide support for people in future following the Southport knife attack.

Sefton Council on Merseyside is working with resilience teams who helped create recovery plans following the Manchester Arena bombing and the Grenfell disaster.

A cabinet report published ahead of a planned meeting on Thursday detailed the authority's response to the mass stabbing on 29 July.

Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were all killed in the attack a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

The council said it was working to establish a fully-rounded recovery plan to support all those affected by the incident.

It stated the plans would also consider the impact the violent attack on Southport Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre on 30 July, and work has already started on creating a "comprehensive community response".

This work has included psychological and trauma support, the creation of a dedicated health and wellbeing team, and facilitating practical guidance in tackling violence against women and girls, racism and Islamophobia, hate crime and anti-social behaviour.

Deborah Butcher, executive director of health care and wellbeing, has been chairing the work with key partners.

“We have been working with those resilience teams involved in [Manchester and Grenfell] so that we’re learning from those teams around the types of support and the offer we need to have for our Sefton residents," she said.

“We are also using NHS England standard guidance on responding to the stress caused by major incidents."

In May 2017 suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a device at an Ariana Grande concert in the Manchester Arena, killing 22 people, including seven children.

Manchester City Council developed a recovery action plan including areas such as community recovery, business and economic recovery, communications, finance, debrief and learning.

Two years after the 2017 Grenfell tower block fire that killed 72 people, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council agreed a similar "Grenfell Recovery Strategy".

Sefton Council is planning an extraordinary general meeting on Thursday to reflect on the events of 29 July and to offer thanks to the emergency services who responded.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected]