Whistleblowing
If you work for the council, a contractor, or any local body, and you have seen something that the people of Southport have a right to know, you can come to us. We take the safety of anyone who comes forward seriously, and your protection comes first.
Your protection comes first
- We never ask for personal details we do not need.
- Submissions are handled carefully and stored securely.
- Every tip is treated with respect, but we cannot promise to investigate or publish every disclosure.
How to share information
We use a simple tiered approach depending on how sensitive your information is. If in doubt, start with a short, non-sensitive message and we will guide you from there.
Lower sensitivity
General leads and tip-offs.
- Use the contact form or email for non-sensitive information.
- Do not send confidential, personal or classified documents this way.
- Best for public material, small leads, or simply starting a conversation.
Medium sensitivity
Private exchanges and documents.
- For confidential files or conversations, ask us for an encrypted channel.
- Best for sharing documents where the risk to you is low to moderate.
- We will explain the safe steps before you send anything.
High sensitivity
Anonymous disclosures.
- For highly confidential material, we can arrange a route that protects your anonymity.
- Best for higher-risk disclosures where you cannot be identified.
- Contact us first and we will set out the safest way to proceed.
Tell us only that you have something to share and the best way to reach you. Do not put sensitive detail or documents in a first message, we will set up a safe channel.
Legal notice
- If you are bound by the Official Secrets Act 1989, disclosing certain information is a criminal offence with no public interest defence. We cannot protect you from prosecution under that Act.
- If you are bound by an employment contract or confidentiality agreement, disclosure may carry civil or criminal liability.
- We cannot give legal advice. If you are unsure, please seek independent legal advice before sharing anything.
- If you ever believe you are in immediate danger, call the police or emergency services first.
- We handle personal data in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, collecting as little as possible and keeping it secure.
Have something to ask rather than to disclose? Use our Freedom of Information page instead.