As Labour cruised to victory in this month's local elections, you could have been forgiven for thinking this was a new party seizing control of Liverpool City Council.
Labour is certainly under new management and there is a fair amount of optimism that the council's new leader - Liam Robinson - has the right qualities to move things forward from the dark and desperate recent years of scandal and mismanagement.
But this is not a new party, and this is not a new council. While there have been some important personnel changes since the publication of the utterly damning Max Caller government inspection report in 2021, there was a stark reminder this week that this council's problems run deep - and that there is still a long way to go to turn things around.
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This week's devastating Ofsted report into Liverpool Council's failing children's services was a truly dreadful read. A local authority's first and most important duty is to protect its most vulnerable residents - and vulnerable children are at the top of that list.
The report, which landed on Thursday, could scarcely have been more critical. In four of the five areas of assessment this vital service was branded as inadequate - this was also the overall rating for the failing department.
When you dig a little deeper into the report, you can see the reality of what these failures have meant for Liverpool's vulnerable kids. The inspection cited 'serious weaknesses' for children who need help or protection, 'which leave children being harmed or at risk of harm.'
The inspectors found there were 'serious failures to safeguard children' within the department and a failure to always identify significant harm. This is really serious stuff and it's deeply concerning for anyone who cares about the city and its vulnerable residents to read it.
It's important to point out where improvements have been made already, and while former leaders of the department were pulled out for withering criticism, the current interim director Suzy Joyner, who had only been in post a matter of days when the inspection took place, is praised - as is the work of interim chief executive Theresa Grant.
The council is now recruiting for a new department director and it is essential that the right person is brought in to turn things around as quickly as possible. The council has had major issues in recent years in terms of the turnover, recruitment and retention of senior officers.
But what this grim report really makes clear is that Liverpool Council's improvement journey has a long way to go. These are fundamental issues in a critical council department and they need addressing urgently.
While another commissioner is not joining the ranks of the five Whitehall officials already overseeing so much of the council's work, there will be further government oversight as an improvement plan must now be put in place before September that is approved by the Department of Education and Ofsted. A new improvement board will then be set up to oversee progress of the department.
This week has proven that while some steps forward may have been taken since the Caller Report sent shockwaves around the city, this is a city council that is still some way from functioning in a way the people of Liverpool deserve.
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