On May 5, when voters across the country head to polling stations to cast their votes in a crucial set of local elections, those in Liverpool will stay at home.
The city will be a notable exception from this year's locals as the council continues to recover from last year's historically appalling government inspection. One of the many changes brought in after that damning assessment was a move to all out elections every four years, rather than the previous system where a third of the council seats were voted for in three of every four years.
In theory, the move to full council elections every four years is to bring stability. Inspector Max Caller said he believed some of Liverpool's political problems came from the fact that councillors and parties were almost always in election mode, with votes held so regularly. But looking ahead to those first all out votes in 2023, there is a growing feeling that more chaos and instability is on the way for the city.
