Chancellor announces £20m to save Southport Pier

Rachel Reeves says the government understands how important Southport Pier is to the local economy

A Grade II-listed Victorian pier damaged by fire will be restored after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £20m of government funding.

Reeves said construction would begin on Southport Pier next year as she visited the Merseyside town on Saturday.

The pier, which first opened in 1860, was already in disrepair and had been closed since December 2022 after extreme weather caused safety fears. At the end of last month, an electrical fault caused further fire damage.

The £20m investment is subject to a full business case assessment but is expected to support Sefton Council, which owns the pier, with its ongoing restoration. The government said the restoration was expected to take about three years.

Reeves had already named the pier in June's spending review, before the fire, as one project nationally that would benefit from a new fund intended to boost growth.

"We know how important this pier is to the local community and to the local economy," Reeves told the BBC.

"It's part of our Growth Mission Fund to invest in town centres, into local communities to reinvigorate them, to bring renewal to our local areas."

The blaze broke out near an ice cream shop on the pier

The Growth Mission Fund will hand out £240m over four years to "expedite" local projects that contribute to economic growth.

Steve Rotheram, metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: "Southport Pier holds a special place in the hearts of people across the Liverpool city region and beyond.

"Generations of families have walked along it, shared ice creams on it, and made memories that last a lifetime.

"Its closure has been felt deeply by the whole community, which is why today's announcement will mean so much to local people."