The most senior official appointed by the government to oversee Liverpool Council has admitted his “disappointment” at having to persuade local authority officials about the level of change needed.
Mike Cunningham said he was surprised that he and his Whitehall mandated colleagues had to explain to “officers and some politicians” how much would need to be rectified at the Cunard Building to get the council back on the straight and narrow. Mr Cunningham and his colleagues were installed by the UK Government after the damning Caller Report last year.
In August, the officials delivered their second verdict on progress into the administration in which they criticised the systematic, whole-council weaknesses” alongside its financial shortcomings. As well as highlighting the “organisation-wide culture where people do not feel accountable for managing public money” government appointed commissioners at the Cunard Building have found serious gaps in Liverpool Council’s leadership, risk management, decision making and workforce capability.
