London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Liverpool City Council: Commissioners to oversee authority

Liverpool City Council: Commissioners to oversee authority

Government-appointed commissioners will oversee parts of Liverpool City Council following a highly critical report, the local government secretary has said.

Robert Jenrick told Parliament inspectors found a "serious breakdown of governance" and "multiple apparent failures" which meant he had to act.

The authority has been under scrutiny since police began investigating building and development contracts.

The probe has seen five men, including then mayor Joe Anderson, arrested.

Mr Anderson denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Jenrick said the "Best Value inspection", commissioned in December, had found "multiple apparent failures" and a "deeply concerning picture of mismanagement" in some functions at the Labour-run authority.

Mr Jenrick said it was only the fifth time a statutory intervention had happened


In a statement to the House of Commons, he said:

*  Inspectors had found failures in the planning and regeneration departments, including a "worrying lack of record-keeping" and documents "created retrospectively, discarded in skips or even destroyed"

*  There had been a lack of scrutiny in the highways department, with dysfunctional management, "no coherent business plan" and "dubious" contract deals

*  There had been issues in property management that had led to "a continued failure to correctly value land and assets", meaning taxpayers had "frequently lost out"

*  There was a "fundamental failure... to understand and appreciate the basic standards governing those in public service" and "no established way to hold those falling below those acceptable standards to account"

"Given the gravity of the inspection findings, I must consider what would happen if the council fails to deliver the necessary changes at the necessary speed," he said.

Mr Jenrick is proposing to appoint commissioners to run some aspects at the city council for a minimum of three years.

He added it was only the fifth time a "statutory intervention" had happened, as the move was regarded as a "last resort".

"I want to underline the report is not a verdict on all the staff working at Liverpool City Council - in fact, [it] commends the hard work and dedication of many," Mr Jenrick said.

Liverpool City Council: What does the future hold?

Shadow local government secretary Steve Reed said the Labour party accepted the report "in full" and would hold a review into what he called "severe institutional weaknesses".

He welcomed Mr Jenrick's "measured and appropriate approach" to the council's problems and said he wanted "to reassure people in Liverpool that this does not mean government ministers are coming in to run their city directly".

"This is not, as some would put it, a Tory takeover," he added.

Analysis

By Claire Hamilton, BBC Merseyside political reporter

The bitter fallout from Robert Jenrick's announcement is only just beginning. From those who see this as a power grab in Labour's reddest city by a party which hasn't won an election at any level here in decades, to those furious that the behaviour described in the report may have been allowed to fester, there's a lot of anger, uncertainty and sadness.

It's rare for a government to take action in this way. It's unlikely residents will notice any difference as they go about their daily lives - the bins will still get emptied, the pot holes will still get filled in (although not as quickly as some would like).

But behind the scenes, one of the key stipulations is that the elected mayor and council might be unable to spend cash on property transactions without the formal consent of the commissioner, which could have significant ramifications.

Another dramatic change is also to come: the proposed shrinking of the council chamber from 90 to just 30 elected councillors, who would all face elections at the same time.

In a statement, a Liverpool City Council spokesman said the authority took the report's findings into its highways, regeneration and property management functions "extremely seriously" and was committed to addressing "all the concerns raised".

He added that the report made clear that since the arrival of chief executive Tony Reeves in 2018, the council had "already taken steps to address the issues".

Steve Reed said the intervention at the council was not "a Tory takeover" of the city

Mr Reed told the BBC the public would be "rightly shocked" about the report.

He said Mr Jenrick made it clear that the "vast majority" of the council's politicians and staff were "honest hard-working, dedicated public servants".

He added that he was "determined to make sure the council continues to run its own business," adding: "We do not want this to define the council or the city."

Acting mayor Wendy Simon said the report was "deeply unsettling" and she was "truly shocked" by the contents.

But she was "really pleased" at the level of commissioners coming in and "that they are coming in at an advisory manner".

She said it was important to "take collective responsibility" and for all councillors, regardless of political party, come together.

"We know it is a long road ahead to build that trust."

'Grotesque'


Mr Anderson said: "Under my leadership of eleven years as leader and as the mayor of Liverpool, our city has been transformed... into a northern powerhouse.

"Today's headlines do not reflect the dramatic success that we have generated. I want to digest fully today's report before commenting on specific details."

Councillor Richard Kemp, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group at the council, said the inspection had "exposed grotesque practices".

Councillor Tom Crone, leader of the council's Green Party group, said the city's Labour leaders should "resign as one".

"Any administration with even an ounce of shame would resign immediately and allow the city to start afresh," he added.

Independent mayoral candidate Stephen Yip said the findings painted an "appalling picture" but applauded the "courageous and honest" council staff who provided evidence to inspectors.

He added he was grateful there was no "Whitehall takeover".

Inspectors were sent in by the local government secretary following allegations of fraud, bribery, corruption, misconduct in public office and witness intimidation at the council.

All five men who were arrested deny any wrongdoing and have not been charged with any offence.

Merseyside Police said the men were no longer on bail, but remained under investigation.

Mr Jenrick reiterated elections would still go ahead in Liverpool in May, with the following candidates for mayor announced so far:

*  Roger Bannister (TUSC)

*  Katie Burgess (Conservative)

*  Tom Crone (Green)

*  Richard Kemp (Liberal Democrat)

*  Steve Radford (Liberal Party)

*  Stephen Yip (Independent)

The Labour party is due to announce its candidate on 29 March.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×