Liverpool Council 'well-governed and improving' commissioners claim

Liverpool Council is on the path to deliver “good quality service the people have a right to expect” commissioners have found.

Delivering their fifth and final report into the performance at the city council, government appointed officials have detailed a marked improvement at the Cunard Building since the onset of intervention three years ago. It was confirmed earlier today that the formal oversight will end officially next month, to be replaced by an advisory board for nine months.

In their 23-page report to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, the team of five said Liverpool Council was now a “well-governed, improving organisation.”

READ MORE: Commissioners to hand back all powers to Liverpool Council

READ MORE: Commissioner control was 'necessary step' claims council chief executive

The final assessment by the group - appointed by Mr Gove’s successor Robert Jenrick in 2021 - has recommended the three-year term monitoring improvements at the city council should end as expected next month with the return of all functions to city councillors and officers. However, the officials have advised support for the council should continue on a more informal basis.

In their report, the commissioners highlighted the slow progress in the first 18 months of the intervention with problems described as “worse than originally anticipated.” Among these was the “stark” financial position of a budget gap of £98m that it had “no coherent plan to deal with.”

Subsequent progress has been made to install confidence that “underlying failures” have been fully identified, owned and improved. It said: “Our overall assessment at this time is that it is a well-governed, improving organisation, with ambitious leaders who are committed to long term change. If LCC continues on this path, it will soon be a council that can achieve the value for money, good quality services the people of Liverpool have a right to expect for many years to come.”

The officials praised the council’s political leadership, claiming Cllr Liam Robinson “continues to demonstrate positive and professional leadership, and he and his cabinet remain united and committed to making necessary improvements.” Alongside chief executive Andrew Lewis and the corporate management team, leaders had agreed actions in “difficult areas” citing the future of leisure centres and markets.

However, concerns remain around the performance of the city’s property services, with improvements said to have been “slow and more limited” than in other areas. The commissioners said it had “persistently underperformed throughout the intervention, and it remains an area of acute concern” with the council acknowledging it had not kept an adequate and consistent record of assets.

This was due in part to the lack of effective leadership, the report said. Property services were described as “not yet stable, nor are there the robust plans, or sufficient resources within the team,” that would give commissioners assurance that an improvement trajectory is well set.

In a bid to turn around performance, a chief executive-chaired property improvement board has been established, with a new director of property in place. The commissioners said: “We believe that these changes will provide a platform for a more positive improvement trajectory in the next period.

“However, the absence of a well-functioning service, with a stable structure and clear strategies, is currently impeding the delivery of the Council’s wider ambitions. This is a corporate council priority that has begun to be gripped but the pace of progress must now improve.”

Praise was also reserved for progression of legacy projects and stalled sites but more evidence is needed to show new projects can be successfully developed in the long term.

Responding to the report, Simon Hoare MP, minister for local government said the continued progress was “very much welcome” including the “considerable confidence in their political and officer leadership team, and their appetite and ability to drive the improvements needed.” Mr Hoare added: “We have noted the commissioners' conclusion and evidence in your report that more council corporate and service functions are already or are approaching stability and on a well-set improvement trajectory, which were factors you agreed with the council needed to be demonstrated for the council to be meeting the best value duty.”

Writing to chief executive Andrew Lewis, Max Soule, deputy director, local government stewardship, said Mr Gove said the advisory board proposed to replace the formal intervention should be smaller in scope and would seek to provide oversight, advice, and challenge to the council. It is expected this would run until March 31 next year.

He said: “Commissioners have shared that they have considerable confidence in the leadership team, and that you have the appetite and ability to drive the improvement needed. If appointed, the board will need to see concrete evidence of a well-set trajectory in order to be confident that the authority is making arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.”

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here