'An excellent public servant. Thank you."
Those were the words of the government's then local government secretary Robert Jenrick on March 24 last year, he was referring to Liverpool Council's chief executive, Tony Reeves. Earlier that same day when speaking in Parliament, Mr Jenrick had picked out Mr Reeves as one of the only positive points in an otherwise devastating assessment of Liverpool Council.
Few will forget the severity of the government inspection that prompted that moment. Max Caller's report laid bare for all to see failures, poor practices, toxic cultures and wasted millions had led to a major police investigation and plunged the city into chaos. While other leading figures were castigated - Mr Reeves was held up as the man rooting out the problems and turning the sinking ship around. He, along with the government-appointed commissioners, were asked to continue work and pull Liverpool out of the mire.
