Sefton LGBT+ Consultation Launched

A borough-wide consultation into the experiences and needs of Sefton’s LGBT+ community has been launched.

The work aims to discover what it means to be LGBT+ in Sefton – if people feel safe, supported and seen – and what kind of events and services might enhance and improve their lives in the borough and beyond.

The consultation is being facilitated by LCR Pride Foundation, the Liverpool City Region’s LGBT+ organisation, and supported by Sefton Council. The foundation was established in 2019 with the founding mission to position all six boroughs as the most LGBT+ friendly region in the UK and improving the lives of LGBT+ living in and visiting the region.

Andi Herring, CEO of LCR Pride Foundation, said:

“The consultation has been launched in response to conversations that the Liverpool Echo has had with the local community and feedback we have received from LGBT+ people living in Sefton who want to bring the community together in a more local setting.“As has been the case in other areas in the city region, the feedback was originally focused around ideas for a Pride festival in the borough. However, ongoing conversations have highlighted wider concerns in the community including lack of representation or space spaces for LGBT+ people, fear of discrimination and hate crime, and isolation.“It is important that any event, service or initiative that is created to support and celebrate the LGBT+ community in Sefton is aligned with the needs, wants and concerns of that community. We want to encourage the community in Sefton to engage with the survey so they can have their say and shape the outcomes of the consultation.”

Once complete, the results of the consultation will be shared with the public and LCR Pride Foundation will work with the community, local organisations and Sefton Council to facilitate and develop action points raised.

A spokesperson for Sefton Council said:

“We welcome the launch of the LCR Pride Foundation’s Sefton LGBT+ Survey, and we’re keen to receive and review all of the responses once the survey has concluded.“As a Borough for everyone, we’re committed to supporting our diverse communities, giving those who live, work, study and visit Sefton the opportunity to help us better understand their needs.“Working in partnership with the LCR Pride Foundation, and other partners across the Borough, we want to play our part in making the Liverpool City Region the most LGBT+ friendly region in the UK, and we welcome any ideas in how we can achieve that goal. A key part of this is ensuring that our LGBT+ community not only feel safe and valued, but that they are visible.“Additionally, we want to make it absolutely clear that hate crimes, whether it be physical, verbal or online, will not be tolerated in Sefton, and we work with a number of partners including Merseyside Police to eradicate hate crimes from our communities. We’d like to remind people that they can report a hate crime 24/7 by contacting the police, visiting sefton.gov.uk, or anonymously via Stop Hate UK.”

If you identify as LGBT+ and live in Sefton, you can have your say. Simply go to www.lcrpride.co.uk/sefton and complete the survey by midnight on Thursday 30th September 2021.