Statement from the Commissioners about their fourth report into Liverpool City Council

The Commissioners appointed to Liverpool City Council, following the Best Value Inspection, have today had their fourth report published. The Commissioners team – led by Mike Cunningham – acknowledge the Council’s improvement has continued and they are planning to hand some powers back ahead of schedule, although some challenges remain.

“Our fourth report to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the Liverpool City Council intervention has now been published.

“Since our last report, there have been significant changes in the political and officer leadership of the Council. Cllr Liam Robinson has been elected as Leader of the Council and Andrew Lewis has taken up the role of Chief Executive. Alongside this, a new cabinet has been elected and there have been several new additions to the corporate leadership team.

“We are pleased to report that the new leadership understand what needs to be done and are resolute about making the progress rightly expected from the people of Liverpool. The pace of improvement at the Council over the last 6 months has been positive and is very encouraging.

“In the areas of Transport & Highways and Finance, particularly good progress has been made towards reaching stability and continuous improvement. For this reason, we have recommended to the Secretary of State that powers are returned from Commissioners to the Council ahead of the initially envisaged end of the intervention in June 2024. This is a significantly positive step in the intervention and a demonstration of the confidence that Commissioners have in the leadership of the Council in these areas.  

“Challenges do remain across the Council, however, and there is still a lot to do to make the required improvements.  In our report, we note our concerns regarding Property Services. To set these out in more detail and clarify our expectations in this area, we have written a separate letter to the Council Leader and Chief Executive.  This letter will be published alongside our report.

“The primary messages in this report are positive and the hard work of many people across the Council is recognised by Commissioners. Given the scale of the improvement challenge and time remaining, it is likely the Council will continue to require support beyond June 2024.  Any ongoing support will be at a reduced scope, cost and Commissioner presence. Commissioners will discuss options with the Council leader and Chief Executive before making any recommendations.

“The Commissioners’ recommendation to the Secretary of State regarding post June arrangements for the intervention will be outlined in our fifth report, which is due in March.

“Commissioners welcome Liverpool City Council’s commitment to improvement and the shared recognition of what remains to be done. We look forwards to working with the Council to continue to make the improvements the people of Liverpool deserve.”

Read the report at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/657998970467eb000d55f6c4/Liverpool_Commissioners__Fourth_Report.pdf

The Commissioners letter about their concerns about Property Services can be found at https://liverpool.gov.uk/media/jyxp1ojo/property-management-functions-letter.pdf