I've always lived in Southport and your assessment is more or less true. But as I'm preparing to bring up a kid here, the decent schools, parks, and services are all I'm really looking for in a place to live. There are regeneration schemes under way with various levels of promise: https://standupforsouthport.com/southport-town-deal-5-marine...

The only other thing I'd add, like a commenter below, is that we went walking the other day on the frosty grassland of the beach, under a beaming wintersun, and it was really quite beautiful.