Leadership at Liverpool Council has not displayed “sufficient pace, urgency or grip” to tackle the issues it faces, commissioners overseeing the authority have concluded.
Whitehall appointed officials have delivered their second report into the city council this morning and delivered an excoriating verdict on performance at the Cunard Building. The team, led by Mike Cunningham, said key aspects of the council are failing and require urgent reform and overall, Liverpool Council is not meeting its statutory duty to provide best value and must take “urgent action”.
Mr Cunningham’s team said the council faces a lot of work in the next 12 months and its improvement journey “is at risk”. In their 26 page briefing, the commissioners said the local authority has not addressed financial challenges with sufficient pace or urgency and faces a “stark” financial situation, with particular criticism levelled at the process for the setting of this year’s controversial budget.
