On January 29, 2026, Sefton Council leaders announced an update on the £20 million Levelling Up Partnership for Bootle, saying the council is moving into the delivery phase and creating dedicated regeneration management and project-delivery roles to oversee the programme. The funding is intended to repurpose parts of the Strand Shopping Centre and to support wider town-centre improvements across Bootle, Crosby and Litherland.
The council says the Strand transformation will repurpose elements of the former mall — including the former Marks & Spencer unit — to introduce health, leisure and education uses alongside retained retail and new public realm and routes linking Stanley Road, the canalside and Washington Parade.
Part of the programme also supports the Salt and Tar canalside events brand, which has proved popular in 2023–25. Sefton has said Salt and Tar will continue in 2026 but will operate from alternative locations around Bootle during the main construction period for Strand phases 1A–C; longer-term plans envisage an expanded canalside offer once works allow.
The council is recruiting project-delivery specialists and regeneration management roles to oversee delivery, meet government spending deadlines and manage the multi-year programme. Residents and local businesses will feed into spending priorities through advisory Town Boards made up of community representatives and business owners who recommend local projects.
Sefton Council leader Cllr Marion Atkinson has said the investment is intended to create a vibrant, modern town centre that the local community deserves. Local reporting (Liverpool Echo, Liverpool World) has described the package as a move to make Bootle’s high street less dependent on traditional retail and to attract wider investment to the area.
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