Combined Authority approves major funding boost for Salt and Tar

Bootle music venue Salt and Tar today received a major boost as the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority approved £585,000 in funding – just months after it hosted Tom Jones and Status Quo.

More than 11,000 people attended the 3,000-capacity outdoor venue at Bootle Canalside in just four days last summer to enjoy acts including Tom Jones, Status Quo and local favourites Red Rum Club.

A Sefton Council initiative, Salt and Tar was established with £2.1m of Combined Authority funding and was granted permission to operate for five years in 2021.

The additional funding will enable improvements to secure the venue’s future as a long-term cultural asset and allow ‘wider aspirations’ for the multi-use events space. Work is expected to start following the 2025 events programme, subject to detailed design and planning approval.

The funding, which is part of a £2m package that will support Sefton Council to deliver four projects across Bootle and Seaforth, was approved at today’s Combined Authority meeting (Friday 15 November).

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said: 

“Salt and Tar is a brilliant example of the sort of cultural asset that we want to support and protect.

“This funding means not only can we secure a long-term future for this much-loved venue, it will also bring new opportunities to Bootle and Seaforth, creating jobs, boosting local learning and contributing to the area’s vibrant future.”

Other funding approved by the Combined Authority included up to £785,000 for the refurbishment of St George’s House, up to £580,000 for improvements to Sefton Community Learning Centre on Cambridge Road, and up to £50,000 to support the Bootle Strand Commodity Trading School.

St George’s House is an office block set within the Strand shopping centre that requires renovation before it can be brought back into use. Sefton Council is proposing to undertake these renovations unlocking 8,000 sq.ft of office space. The council then plans to relocate some staff from its existing offices on Balliol Road into the refurbished space. A start on site is targeted for Spring 2025 with completion later that year.

Sefton Community Learning Centre on Cambridge Road, Seaforth, provides high-quality adult learning programmes to help residents from across the borough into further education, training, and employment.

Improvements to the centre will allow provision of new hospitality programmes, supporting the ambition for new uses in the town centre and the creation of a night-time economy. The investment will improve digital connectivity and ensure the upper floors of the facility are fit for purpose, increasing the number of learners who can access courses at the centre. A start on site is currently targeted for early 2025.

The Bootle Strand Commodity Trading School already operates in Bootle Strand, delivered by Merseyside Expanding Horizons.

Developed in collaboration with experienced commodity trader Mat Halsall, the pilot project launched in 2023 and has delivered training to 16 students – with nine having secured employment in the commodities industry.

The investment will see a permanent, specialised facility created in Bootle Strand to expand the reach of the programme. It is expected the new facility will be operational for a new cohort starting in September 2025.

Councillor Mike Wharton, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Business, Investment and Trade, said:

“This funding will enable us to support Sefton Council in their ambitious and innovative plans for the whole of Bootle and Seaforth, creating jobs and opportunities for local people.  Salt and Tar’s success so far has been a real boost for the whole area and is exactly the kind of project we should be supporting.”

 Councillor Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council, said:

“We’re really pleased to see this funding being earmarked for Sefton and it shows the confidence in what we’re doing here.

“It will help us to continue some of the great work taking place to support the local economy and improve facilities to make best use of them for the local community.”