The people of Liverpool must lead the city “not a remote Tory government” according to the leader of the city’s largest opposition group.
Cllr Richard Kemp, leader of the Liberal Democrat group at the Town Hall, said the appointment of an additional commissioner for finance had been “inevitable” given how the current and former administrations had run the city council. It was confirmed that the government is to take over all financial, governance and recruitment powers from the troubled council as a result of the findings of the Whitehall appointed officials.
Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has also announced the formation of a strategic advisory panel that he hopes will develop a long-term plan to guide Liverpool Council out of the current government intervention and help shape the future of the city.
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The Liberal Democrat group leader said there was “nowhere near enough effective action” to implement the plans put forward to steer the ship. He said: “The new partnership effectively means that national Labour have been appointed to take over the future of the city while Liverpool Labour have effectively been frozen out of any major decisions on running the City by the appointment of a fifth commissioner for finance.
“This was inevitable given the depths to which our city has been dragged by Joe Anderson and the obvious inability of Joanne Anderson’s Labour Party to put things right. We now have report after report after report saying what should be done within the city and within the council but nowhere near enough effective action to implement those plans and the political and managerial expertise needed to put the city right is clearly in short supply.”
Cllr Kemp said he would recommend his group accept the situation and work positively with both the commissioners and Strategic Futures Group “to try and map out a way forward in the short and medium term.” He added: “Ultimately, it must be the people of Liverpool who leads the city and not a remote Tory government.”
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