The leader of Liverpool Council’s largest opposition group has lept to the defence of the authority’s beleaguered chief executive.
After former Lord Mayor and ex-Labour councillor Anna Rothery called for Town Hall boss Tony Reeves to step down, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Cllr Richard Kemp has defended Mr Reeves and chastised the newly-appointed leader of ex-Labour members Cllr Rothery. Cllr Kemp said Labour and members of the new Liverpool Community Independents Group - formed of ex-Labour councillors - were seeking to make Mr Reeves a “scapegoat” for the ruling group’s own failings.
Cllr Rothery called for Mr Reeves to step down just 24 hours after it was confirmed that his deputy Mel Creighton would leave her post as deputy chief executive and director of finance after three-and-a-half years. The Princes Park councillor said despite Ms Creighton’s resignation, Mr Reeves’ position remained “untenable”.
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Cllr Kemp, who leads the largest opposition group at the Town Hall, said a light has been shone on the litany of errors at Liverpool Council because of the “professionalism and integrity” of Mr Reeves. He said: “Within weeks of taking up his position he stopped a number of dodgy deals which would have cost the people of Liverpool millions; he started to create proper procedures within the council; he had produced an internal audit report which led to the police actions which led to the Caller Report which led to the commissioners.
“Our council was reduced to a dreadful state not only in the regeneration and resources departments which have been highlighted but producing poor outcomes for children and our elderly and a road system that in many places is more pothole than road.
"Now people both within the Labour Party and in the new Independent Group who took positions, prestige and responsibility payments and helped create this chaos are scapegoating a fine officer to cover up their own part in this shambles.”
Mr Reeves faced heavy scrutiny for his part in the energy contract mix-up at a bruising meeting of the finances and resources select committee when he admitted the local authority still doesn’t have all the facts over failures potentially costing millions of pounds. Calls were also made by a number of councillors for Mr Reeves to go and he was forced to defend his position when committee chair, Cllr Barry Kushner, described his leadership as “passive”.
Cllr Kemp said those responsible for the energy chaos were “castigating” Mr Reeves who was “leading the fight back to normality within the council. He said: “Clearly, the electricity purchasing saga has exposed that there are still problems within the council. We await the Mazars Report but it is clear that the person who should have dealt with procurement issues has now left the council.”
The Liberal Democrat leader said Mr Reeves was a “fine officer” who was facing an “unprecedented attack” from other councillors. He said: “Changing the procedures and culture of the Council is a long-term project.
“The chief executive is now well on the way to sorting out these problems but for the first two years he was with us he had to deal with a cabinet there was at best incompetent, possibly worse, and for the last year with a Cabinet that is incapable. It’s no wonder that Labour is now trying to cover up their own misdeeds by an unprecedented attack on a fine officer who needs to be given the space and support to do things right.”
