Croxteth Farm future secured

A deal has been agreed which will secure the future of the rare breeds farm at Croxteth Hall and Country Park.

Following months of detailed negotiations, Mayor Joe Anderson has reached agreement with Alt Valley Community Trust over a new partnership to take over the farm.

It will see the Trust working with Myerscough College and nearby Larkins Farm to give it a viable future with a focus on education, training and agriculture.

The farm currently costs £200,000 a year to subsidise, and the council has been looking for the past year at how it can secure its future at a time when it has lost 58 percent of its controllable budget due to cuts in Central Government funding.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “I know how important Croxteth Hall and Country Park is to people – because it is hugely important to me as well – and I am absolutely committed to its future.

“We have been talking for several months to Larkins Farm and Alt Valley Community Trust about entering into this partnership, not only to keep the farm open but also invest and develop it for the future.

“I am pleased to say that we are now in a position where we are able to announce that we have done that, and look to complete the deal that provides the reassurance people have been seeking over its future.

“The simple fact is that we have less than half the money that we used to. That means we have to look at innovative ways to continue to provide amenities such as Croxteth Farm as we simply can’t afford to subsidise it to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“People should rest assured that across the council, we are working quietly and diligently to find other innovative ways of protecting services that they are passionate about if we possibly can.

“In having to find £156 million of savings over the next three years, our priority has to be protecting the most vulnerable, and this inevitably means tough and difficult choices over other services that people value and cherish.”

Phil Knibb, Executive Director at Alt Valley Community Trust, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to reach agreement on this exciting partnership.

“We are confident we will be able to make the farm sustainable in the long term and are excited at its potential as an education, agriculture and training centre.

“We look forward to working with the partners and the local community to make our vision a reality.”