Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, reflects on the news that the Commissioner-led intervention is to end in June 2024, with the Council having its powers handed back.
When Max Caller’s Best Value report into Liverpool City Council was published in 2021, it was a dark day for our organisation, and the wider city.
Having our organisation comprehensively trashed in the local and national media was tough, particularly when only a small number of individuals were involved in the poor governance and cultural issues identified.
So the last three years have been hard, and there have been well documented bumps along the way, as we have worked through some difficult issues with the Commissioners.
I am naturally pleased that Mike Cunningham and his team have recognised that we are now a changed organisation whose improvement journey is well set.
We now have a much more methodical and considered approach to decision making, have ramped up our governance and scrutiny processes and are focused on improving services to make sure they deliver value for money.
But let me be clear, we know we still have a long way to go. The Commissioners’ directive from the Government was that they could leave when the Council was ‘good enough’. The Council’s Cabinet is clear, our ambition is not for ‘good enough’, but to deliver some of the best services in the country. That is why there is a huge amount of work going on in the background to transform our services. This is particularly true in services in our neighbourhoods where we are joining up our work to get better at tackling grime and blight. We have committed additional funds but we recognise that we need to do better on enforcement, and for us to work more closely with communities on issues they care about in their area.
The Statutory Assurance and Improvement Board, that we have jointly agreed with the Commissioners to set up, is part of our commitment to making sure that the work that has been set in train over the last three years delivers fundamental and long-term improvements in services. As a maturing organisation, we welcome constructive challenge. We accept that we don’t have a monopoly on wisdom, which is why in July we will also be working with the Local Government Association (LGA) on what is known as a Peer Challenge, so we can take advice from some of the most experienced people in local government.
In conclusion, while I welcome the ending of the intervention, I absolutely accept that we have a long way to go to re-earn the trust of our residents, and the absolute focus of the Council is ensuring we deliver better services.
