Stay up to date with all the biggest stories from across Merseyside in the daily Liverpool Daily Post newsletter.
You can receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by signing up right here.
Here is today's Liverpool Daily Post:
Hello,
Today’s edition looks at what comes next for the mayoralty in Liverpool as a tepid response to the public consultation appears to have thrown up more questions than answers. There’s more on the cash row between Liverpool council and Everton FC and a report from a part of Liverpool that is seeing a worrying spate of attacks and violence.
More questions than answers
For four months people had the chance to have their say on how Liverpool is governed going forwards, but it's fair to say an electoral fever never once gripped the city. Even during general elections, where many seats are some of the safest in the country, Liverpool gets into the democratic swing of things, characterised by large amounts of visible campaigning with day to day discussion never too far from politics. But for the mayoral consultation, which arguably would have a more direct impact on the citizens of the city than any general election, the touch paper was never lit. The “full and meaningful consultation”, as it was billed, was reserved for an online form, but for the few ballot-style boxes contained in libraries across the city.
Only 4% of the eligible population took part in the consultation which sought to steer the city toward the model of governance it desired. The consultation was seen as a safer bet than a referendum in times of crisis, saving the council around £400,000 on something it said could garner the same results. But the outcome has been far from resounding. And the next steps are likely to ignore the views of the few people who felt compelled to participate. The council now faces more questions than answers, ironically, off the back of an exercise that hoped to deliver certainty - and help the authority remain on a clear path toward recovery.
Only around 10,000 people took part in the mayoral consultation, which run from March until the end of June. Based on the question of ‘how should Liverpool be governed going forward’, it offered three options for people to lend their support to. There was retaining the mayoralty, which has been used since 2012 and featured two directly elected mayors. Other options included a return to the leader and cabinet model, or a change to the committee system. None of the options were a resounding winner. Interestingly, the mayoralty got the most individual backing, with 41% (4,709 respondents) of the vote. The committee system received 3,793 votes (32.9%) while the leader and cabinet model leader and cabinet model garnered just 2,721 votes (23.6%).
While the mayoralty came out on top, a majority voted in such a way to remove the position. But few could argue that there is a clear mandate for what direction the council takes next.
The main opposition in the chamber, the Lib Dems, want to see the committee system installed. Having got the most votes beyond the mayoralty, the Lib Dems and opposition leader, Cllr Richard Kemp believe the outcome lends itself to their preferred model. Although it must be said that the committee system would work most favourably in providing the Lib Dems with more influence over council decision making.
The Labour group has doubled down on its desire to see the leader and cabinet model introduced, despite being the least popular option. At a full council meeting on 20 July, the group’s councillors will argue for its return before a vote is taken. But, it is a move that will leave some people questioning the point of the consultation exercise.
A note sent to Labour councillors by group chair Cllr Mary Rasmussen attempted to explain the group's position. She said: "None of the three models on offer – mayor, leader with cabinet or leader with committees - had majority support, although a plurality of the responses backed the leader with cabinet or committee options.
"The second point is that this consultation process was advisory but given the response rate was equivalent to just 4% of the city’s population, we do not believe it offers a representative view of public opinion across the whole of Liverpool. All of which means that the Labour group’s position remains the same: We are committed to change and want to see a leader and cabinet model introduced."
Having come in for criticism for not delivering the referendum which had been promised, the lack of interest in the public consultation hasn’t vindicated Mayor Joanne Anderson’s decision that the cheaper option was the best option. But equally, public interest on the whole has to be taken into account. Facing one of the worst cost of living crises in recent history, people may be forgiven for having their heads elsewhere other than the political mechanics of the council chamber. Equally, the grave failings published in the Caller report last year, and fears improvements are not being made at the desired rate, could have impacted public faith and overall participation.
With cost efficiency in mind, the consultation is now being viewed by some as a complete waste of money. The Lib Dems have regarded the consultation as a “flawed process”, with the Greens’ Cllr Tom Crone saying the outcome was “worse than useless.”
Dissatisfaction is only likely to be felt among the majority who took part. The model which received the least support is now likely to be voted through by the commanding Labour group. Summing up the mood following the results, the ECHO’s Liam Thorp wrote: "It all leaves a pretty unsatisfactory taste in the mouth. A two month, £120,000 consultation exercise about how an entire city will be run, that hardly anyone could be bothered to take part in and for which the results will essentially be ignored. And we wonder why people sometimes don't feel engaged in our politics?"
Bramley Moore cash row
The chief executive of Liverpool City Council said he was "surprised and disappointed" with Everton FC during negotiations in relation to fees spent on the Bramley Moore project.
In May, Liverpool Council was ordered to conduct an investigation into how it incurred “significant expenditure” to investigate the possibility of a loan to Everton FC as the club sought funding options for its new ground over a three-year period.
In the report, Government installed commissioners identified a 'failure of governance' and found the council acted 'without any formal council approval and without any budget provision approval.' In May the local authority referred to the matter as a "legacy issue which had been amicably resolved by both parties." Everton agreed to pay £502,000 of the £841,000 incurred by the council. Everton FC sought alternative sources of funding and did not accept the proposed investment.
The ECHO has now seen a letter from Tony Reeves, the council's chief executive, sent to Everton chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale. In the letter, Mr Reeves expressed a degree of frustration with the club. The letter, dated May 25, 2021, was released by the council in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request. You can read the comments via the link below.
READ MORE: Council boss 'surprised and disappointed' with Everton's stance on Bramley Moore cash row
Fear in 'lawless' area of north Liverpool
There’s a traditional feel to the run of shops along Broadway in Norris Green. While high street decline has seen the face of many residential areas change dramatically, Broadway still boasts an independent butcher, a local jeweller and a carpet shop sandwiched between its bookmakers, pound shops and takeaways. It’s an active scene at the heart of its community, but its resilience is weathering more than hostile economic conditions.
As featured in a report by the ECHO this weekend, the area has turned “hellish” in recent months for some of those trying to make their livings in the traditional crescent of shops. At the end of last month, it was announced that Merseyside Police had introduced a dispersal order covering Broadway and the surrounding streets. The order gave officers extra powers to seize items, disperse crowds and arrest those who returned to the area.
That action came shortly after police were forced to close Broadway when teenagers were seen on the roof of a former bingo hall in the centre of the high street, throwing bricks and slate onto the road beneath them. Three young teens were arrested for criminal damage and on suspicion of assaulting police and other emergency workers.
The incident offered a glimpse into something much deeper, as the ECHO’s Liam Thorp reports, writing that “the reality is that gangs of teenagers have been running riot in the Broadway area for months, terrorising business owners with violence and abuse - including racist attacks.”
Conversations with a range of shop owners in the area confirmed the growing sense of fear and worry. To make these attacks even more sinister, there is a racial element to what has been taking place. A number of the businesses that have been targeted have Asian owners and staff members. One owner, who also asked to remain anonymous, shared CCTV footage of large gangs of kids gathering outside his shop, kicking the windows. Another video shows a youth walk up to a car and smash its back window, before running off.
Another business owner, of Pakistani heritage, said he has been repeatedly targeted with racial slurs and told 'to go back to his own country.' He added: "There has been lots of racist abuse. If you look at the businesses being targeted, it is 100% racial. These are hate crimes." Merseyside Police say they are aware of the problems and are trying to tackle them.
READ MORE: Violence, racism and fear in 'lawless' area of north Liverpool
In focus
The view
"The process was so flawed that there were only 11,519 valid responses out of the 330,000 electors of the city plus business and other residents who could have responded"
| Lib Dem Cllr Richard Kemp on the mayoral consultation outcome |
Making buses safer
As reported by the ECHO’s David Humphreys, a bid for government cash has been made to expand a service aimed at making women and girls feel safer on public transport. Launched in March, the Safer Streets programme is a scheme worth more than £250,000 designed to make the public transport system in Merseyside feel safer for women and girls across the region. More than 50% of women surveyed by the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) Office were identified as feeling unsafe using public transport in the region at night, with 42% uncomfortable during the day.
As a result, the PCC and Liverpool Council launched an effort targeted at potential perpetrators of harassment and sexual violence on the region’s transport network, known as Safer Streets Liverpool, funded by the Home Office. The service has expanded to include a text service enabling women and girls to report sexual violence on the bus network.
ECHO Chamber
This Victorian building was the corner of its community as a pub before closing and being left abandoned for 20 years. Now, after £1m investment, it’s helping put Kirkdale on the map as a ‘luxury hotel’ in north Liverpool.
Is there something you'd like to run by us? Please contact me at elliot.ryder@reachplc.com - If you have enjoyed reading this email, why not forward it to a friend? And if your friend has passed this on to you, you can sign up for free daily updates at t his link.
