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Hello,
Today’s edition continues to assess the fallout of the mayoral consultation, with growing calls for a full referendum to now be held. The council’s energy contract blunder is placed in clear view and there’s optimism that the Lime Street scheme may soon be completed.
Checking the small-print
The discontent toward the mayoral consultation hasn’t subsided in the four days since the results were published. As noted in yesterday’s edition, frustrations are emerging over the poor level of participation in the exercise, as well as how the results are being interpreted by the most dominant groups within the council chamber. Having been carried out as means of saving money while the local authority stares down the barrel of more central government cuts, it could end up paying the price for gambling on what was seen as the easier and more sensical option.
The consultation was said to have cost in the region of £100,000, offering roughly a £400,000 saving on carrying out a referendum - with the two said to likely generate the same result. But such was the low level of participation in the four month long consultation, it’s unclear if a fair and reflective result has been found. Those frustrated with the outcome are now pointing towards the smallprint from when the consultation was announced.
Despite its best intentions to be conclusive, there was always a chance the result from the consultation would never be binding. When the consultation was rolled out, noting what models were on offer and how people could have their say, it was said that the potential of a referendum was still on the table. Under electoral rules, the council explained that if 5% of the eligible electorate call for a referendum to be held, one will be triggered. In Liverpool, 15,000 signatures would be needed, roughly 3000 more than featured in the consultation. A number of former mayoral candidates have now outlined their intentions to force a full vote on the matter.
These include Stephen Yip and Liam Fogarty. Last year, independent candidate Mr Yip had a strong showing in the mayoral elections, taking the vote to the second round - an outcome that will have left many in the Labour camp red faced, given the domination the party has enjoyed in the city over the last decade. Liam Fogarty, who ran for the position of mayor when it was introduced in 2012, is also pushing to gain the necessary signatures to trigger a referendum.
Much of the frustration stems from the fact the leader and cabinet model proved the least popular of the three options - receiving 24% of votes compared to 41% for the mayor and 33% for the committee model - but will still be pursued by the ruling Labour group at full council later this month. The group says the small turnout means the results are not representative. However the two former mayoral candidates will now push for what they say is a ‘people’s poll’ in a bid to trigger the referendum that was scrapped by Labour earlier this year, despite it being one of Mayor Joanne Anderson’s key election pledges.
Mr Yip said: "Mayor Joanne Anderson broke her election pledge to give the people of Liverpool a referendum to decide how our city should be led. Instead, we got a half-baked consultation process which has generated a pitiful number of responses. It would be deeply wrong to base a decision about Liverpool’s future governance on such a turnout. We need a proper say, a referendum, to sort this out once and for all."
Mr Fogarty added: "Liverpool is the only major city in England to deny its residents a referendum on how it should be run. Last year, Liverpool Labour promised one and broke that promise. Today we learn that Labour councillors plan to scrap the mayoralty anyway. This consultation has been an expensive farce, a six-figure 'fig leaf' to disguise a shameless power grab."
The level of support Mr Yip received in last year’s mayoral election could be a point of concern for Labour, should it want to avoid a vote and push ahead with its desire to reinstate the leader and cabinet model. But based on the interaction with the consultation, gaining the 15,000 signatures might not be so straightforward.
The pitiful response to the consultation could be down to its failure to engage with the electorate, but general interest has to be questioned too. The people of Liverpool may be turned off from the day-to-day dealings of the council, which has been hit by scandal and government control over the last 12 months. Forcing a public vote on a subject that has already failed to capture the imagination could see the city paying even more, and running in circles. So much for saving on costs, the council may well have to stump up around £600,000 for a question few seemed interested in answering.
Relief at Lime Street
It’s felt as though Lime Street has been stuck in an eternal state of roadworks, such is the disruption the scheme has caused in Liverpool city centre. Just under a year ago the news of NMCN, the original contractors, going into administration was announced - paving the way for months of uncertainty that left the city’s iconic gateway as nothing more than a complex building site.
Since the turn of the year the council has put new contractors in place, Huyton Civils, and pushed forward with amendment to the scheme. This means that buses will be allowed to travel in multiple directions through the critical network of roads in the heart of the city centre. In recent months sections of new cycling infrastructure have also started to appear.
At Easter, the council was confident that the works would be completed by the end of summer, and the latest progress report suggests that work is remaining on track. The council has said it hopes that works can be completed by the end of July. But the final phase of works will not be without headaches. These come in the form of more road closures as repaving of the area takes place. You can view the full set of road closures, which are impacting the areas until the end of the month, via the link below.
When completed, the redesign project will see Lime Street reduced to a single carriageway in each direction and will include a new cycle lane, bike shelter, an expanded plateau and new crossings for St George's Hall, a new bus link, 33 new trees and new seating. It is hoped the improvements will make life easier for the huge numbers of people who use the famous train station and the attractions in the surrounding area.
Councillor Dan Barrington Cabinet Member for Environment and Highways, said: “The redesign of Lime Street has unfortunately not been a smooth journey and we can only apologise for the inconvenience the setbacks it has caused. I’m sure everyone will be pleased that the end of this scheme is now in sight.”
READ MORE: Road closures in place as last phase of Lime Street revamp begins
Energy contract errors in full view
Following the news of the energy contract blunder coming to light in May, details have now appeared on an official contract register concerning the council's new electricity deal. As expected, the figures show that the council is expecting to pay £16m for a new deal due to a litany of mistakes stretching back to earlier this year.
The council previously had an energy contract with Scottish Power for electricity, but the company withdrew from the commercial market. Council officers failed to inform cabinet of these changes before agreement to continue with the provider, with the authority moved on to a more expensive tariff.
It was predicted that the litany of mistakes would cost the council itself a further £4.5m in energy costs, while the overall costs could rise by £16m. The revelations were followed by the resignation of the council's director of finance and deputy chief executive Mel Creighton while deputy mayor Jane Corbett had her finance brief removed.
The council is now moving away from Scottish Power and according to the Proactis contract portal, has agreed a new, temporary deal with Crown Commercial Service, which is an executive agency and trading fund of the UK Government's Cabinet Office.
An investigation is being carried out by accountancy firm Mazars in order to get to the bottom of what happened with the energy bill disaster. The findings are expected in the coming days. Mayor Joanne Anderson has previously called for 'full accountability' for what went wrong.
The level of scrutiny is also set to increase as Government installed commissioners are due to publish their latest report. They are expected to recommend further interventions and action at the council given the ongoing problems.
In focus
The view
“We now need Labour to break a habit of a lifetime and show real leadership in the face of this disastrous turnout”
| Liverpool Green Party leader Cllr Tom Crone |
Disturbing the peace and quiet
Speke is one of the most built up areas of the city, with large amounts of infrastructure stemming from John Lennon Airport, Liverpool South Parkway, a retail park and nearby freight depot. But right on the cusp of all this development is one of the more quaint parts of the city region.
Hale, on the edge of Halton, is renowned for its characterful homes and leafy backdrop. But its proximity to Speke means its identity is increasingly at risk of intrusion. Coexisting with the airport does not come easily for some residents, as Dan Haygarth writes. Therefore the possibility of expansion looms over the village, while John Lennon Airport's most recent plan - a solar farm on the land bounded by Dungeon Lane, Hale Road and Bailey's Lane on the approach into the village - drew the wrath of the parish council.
Dan headed to the most southern point of the city and crossed the border to assess the level of tensions between the two contrasting areas.
READ MORE: Life in the shadow of Liverpool Airport for the village that's 'just like Emmerdale'
ECHO Chamber
| Dale Street is one of the seven original streets that went on to form the city centre we know today. It’s been at the centre of significant change through the years, as these photographs show. |
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