Pier pressure Row sparked by claims from Reform UK

THE leader of North Somerset Council has hit out at people "trying to stir doubt and confusion" about the restoration of Birnbeck Pier.

- John WIMPERIS Local democracy reporter

The council and the RNLI are working on a major restoration of the derelict Victorian pier. The once popular tourist attraction has been crumbling since the 1990s, but the plans will see it restored and a new lifeboat station built on the island.

Council leader Mike Bell, inset, said: "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to save a vital part of our heritage, bring the RNLI back to its historic home, and turn a crumbling structure into something we can all be proud of." He added: "I know there are those now trying to stir doubt and confusion. That's politics. But what matters is facts and outcomes - not social media noise."

Although he did not reference them directly, his post on June 6 came a week after the Weston-super-Mare branch of Reform UK shared a post on Facebook accusing North Somerset of wasting taxes on the project.