For Bootle, The Strand is more than just a shopping destination

Dear readers — it’s safe to say the past 20 years have not been good for our once bustling shopping centres. And perhaps nowhere is this more evident than Bootle’s New Strand, a once thriving retail hub in Sefton visited by over 120,000 people a week in its heyday of the 1990s. As one of the most memorable markers of Bootle, its continued decline in recent decades has led to many residents feeling resentful, raising uncertain questions about its future and place within the town.

In today’s Answers in The Post, Abi digs into the history of The Strand, and why its slow decline has prompted a rise in anti-immigration sentiment and support for political groups like Reform in recent weeks. When can residents expect a revitalised Strand? And will its regeneration truly change the way people feel about Bootle? Read on to find out.

But first, your regularly scheduled Post briefing. 

Your Post briefing

Dion Rudakubana, the brother of Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana, has suggested his brother targeted children in order to harm society. Giving evidence to the public inquiry, which has been ongoing since August, Mr Rudakubana was asked if he had any idea why the dance class had been targeted by his sibling. "Because children are very valuable and they are the future of society and it would hurt society very badly,” Mr Rudakubana answered. He previously confessed he had become "increasingly wary" of Axel’s "violent outbursts", and that his father, Alphonse Rudakubana, had warned him "your brother is dangerous". He also told the inquiry that he had feared his father was at fatal risk from his brother, and that their parents would hide knives around the house to stop them from falling into Axel’s hands. 

A mural of Trent Alexander-Arnold was defaced before Liverpool’s crunch Champions League tie with Real Madrid. The Sybil Road image of the former Liverpool player, who left his boyhood club to join the Spanish giants earlier this year, was daubed with the words ‘rat’ and the phrase 'adios el rata' on Tuesday. Before his departure from the club, Alexander-Arnold was booed by fans at Anfield, but eventually cheered when he lifted the Premier League trophy he had helped the club win after his farewell game. However, the latest graffiti — and posts on social media site X by Liverpool fans — suggest tensions have not fully dissipated. Liverpool won Tuesday night’s game with Real Madrid 1-0.

University of Liverpool researchers have found that in excess of 100,000 obesity deaths could be prevented if nutrition labels on the front of food packs were made mandatory. In the UK, food packaging must already display nutritional information on the back, but experts from the university found that warning labels for high salt, fat, or sugar on the front could save lives and reduce the number of overweight people. Dr Rebecca Evans, one of the study’s authors, said: “Our findings suggest that mandatory nutrient warning labels could deliver substantial health benefits for the population, reducing both obesity rates and related mortality.” Dr Evans and her fellow researchers used data modelling to project a 20-year period from 2024 to 2043, finding that mandatory implementation of front-of-pack warnings would result in a 4.44% reduction in obesity prevalence and 110,000 fewer obesity-related deaths.

In today’s Answers in The Post, Abi digs into the history and future of The Strand, and why its slow decline has prompted a rise in anti-immigration sentiment.