Liverpool City Council Lead Commissioner Mike Cunningham writes about the publication of their final report, which recommends the Commissioner-led intervention ends in June, and is replaced by a Statutory Assurance and Improvement Board.
Our fifth progress report to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was published today.
This report is significant because it details our recommendation for what should happen regarding the intervention post June.
A lot of consideration has gone into our recommendation, as we have balanced the need to rightly acknowledge the progress the Council has made, particularly in the last 18 months, with the need to provide assurance that the Council’s improvement trajectory is well established.
The improvements we have seen in the Council since the start of the intervention have been substantial. We know it is now a much better led, resourced, and resilient organisation. Because of this, we feel confident recommending a hand back of our remaining powers and an end of the Commissioner-led intervention from June.
Although all areas of the intervention have improved, this has not happened at the same rate across the organisation, and some areas require more time to meet their Best Value Duty.
Additionally, the scale of the Council’s improvement programme means there are risks to its delivery. Because of this, the Council leader and Commissioners are aligned on the opinion that it would benefit from some ongoing support post June. In our report, we recommend that this support come in the form of a Statutory Assurance and Improvement Board, which would provide robust oversight and assurance of the Council’s ongoing improvement.
This is a big, positive step forwards for the Council. We are confident in its capacity to continue to make progress with the support of a Statutory Assurance and Improvement Board.
More information regarding the panel and how it will work will be released in the coming weeks.
