A team of government commissioners tasked with overseeing major improvements at Liverpool Council have asked to delay their latest report because of the 'scale' of the problems they have uncovered.
The four commissioners were sent by ministers to oversee key departments at the city council as a result of last year's damning inspection by Max Caller. Mr Caller's investigation revealed a shocking litany of failures and poor practices at the Cunard administration.
The team, headed by lead commissioner Mike Cunningham, had been expected to submit their latest report on the council's improvement journey in April, but they have now asked for a delay until June 10, at which point they will have been in Liverpool for a year. In a letter to Secretary of State Michael Gove, Mr Cunningham revealed concerns at the scale of the task in hand and at the lack of urgency from the local authority in some areas.
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In his letter to Mr Gove, former police chief Mr Cunningham wrote: "I am writing to inform you of our decision to delay the second report by two months. Instead, we will write to you on June 10 2022, one year on from the beginning of the intervention.
"This would result in the submission of two reports within a 12-month period. We are at a pivotal point in the intervention. The last six months have primarily been defined by discovery. Review work has been conducted and significant challenges have been identified.
He added: "The scale of the improvement challenge and the risks to effective transformation are becoming clearer as more review work is undertaken. With support, the council has developed plans to address some of these challenges. However, the delivery of these plans is at risk.
"As well as prioritisation, we need to see more urgency from the council on the key elements of the transformation. Over the next two months we expect to be in a better position to judge the efficacy of these plans, and therefore be able to provide a more holistic view of the council’s improvement journey."
Responding in his own letter, Mr Gove accepted the requirement for a delay, adding: "It is crucial that you are able to fully assess Liverpool City Council’s ability to rise to the transformation and delivery challenges that they face. Furthermore, I agree that the one-year anniversary of the intervention is a timely point to review their progress in the round."
He added: "I continue to appreciate the challenges you face in turning around Liverpool City Council and welcome your ongoing candour and professionalism."
Mr Cunningham and his team were ostensibly appointed to tackle the many failures identified in the specific council departments of regeneration, highways and property management. It was within these departments that Mr Caller identified major failures, poor practices and the potential wasting of millions of pounds of taxpayer cash.
But in an interview with the ECHO last month, the lead commissioner said further problems had been found in other areas of the council that must be addressed. He said: "If you start to look at one area and tug on a piece of string, you start to see issues elsewhere. This is an organisation that needs significant improvements."
The commissioners were appointed at Liverpool Council initially for a three-year period. Mr Cunningham said he has seen nothing in his time at the Cunard Building to make him think they will not be required for that full period.
A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said: “A huge amount of work has gone in to the council’s improvement plan since March last year to make the necessary changes to deliver best value for our residents and businesses.
“We welcome the input from the Commissioners on this journey and appreciate that to deliver change across an organisation as large and as complex as a council, will take time.
“Both the city’s politicians and council staff are fully committed to working very closely with the Commissioners and their team to increase the pace of change and deliver improvements to the services that matter most to residents, provide value for money and be a council they can trust.”
