The Liverpool City Councillor at the centre of a parking fine investigation exposed by the Liverpool ECHO has announced she will step down as an elected member of the council.
Cllr Ann O'Byrne, a former deputy mayor of the city, has announced that she will step down as a councillor, having first been elected in 2007.
Last week, Cllr O'Byrne was named as a central figure in the ECHO's 16-month Liverpool Council parking fine investigation. We found that between 2015 and 2020, Cllr O'Byrne had 17 parking fines rescinded by officers without going through the proper processes. Her total of 17 was significantly higher than and of the 14 elected members named in our report.
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Yesterday the Labour Party conducted interviews with all the current Liverpool Labour councillors named in our investigation. Following those interviews Cllr O'Byrne released a statement on social media to say she will be quitting the council.
She wrote: "Throughout my time as a Councillor, my focus has been on eradicating poverty, supporting families and improving the environment in my ward and across the city.
"During this time, I have seen how 13 years of austerity, cuts and attacks on the welfare state has impacted families and my community. At the beginning of the pandemic, I set up Walton Vale Community Shop; in the last three years, the organisation has supported hundreds of residents who are bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis.
"After a lot of soul-searching, I’ve decided to put my energy and focus into this community work rather than serving as an elected member of Liverpool City Council."
"The great Tony Benn said on retiring from Parliament after 47 years as an MP that he was off to 'spend more time with politics.' I feel a bit the same."
Cllr O'Byrne had served as the number two to former Mayor Joe Anderson before a spectacular fall out in 2018. She had hoped to replace her former boss as leader of the city but failed with an election night leadership bid in 2019.
The ECHO understands that Cllr O'Byrne will leave the council when her current term ends at May's elections.
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