"'An excellent public servant".
These were the words tweeted out by then Secretary of State Robert Jenrick just 15 months ago. He was speaking about Liverpool Council's chief executive Tony Reeves.
Mr Jenrick had just stood up in Parliament to read out, in grim detail, the shocking findings of a four-month government investigation, carried out by local government inspector Max Caller, into activities at the Cunard administration.
But while the minister spoke of widespread mismanagement, toxic cultures and millions of wasted taxpayer pounds, there was one name held aloft for praise. Mr Jenrick told the Commons: "The report is clear that the current Chief Executive Tony Reeves and statutory officers have taken positive remedial steps – and I wish to thank Tony for his dedication and service."
READ MORE: Liverpool Council chief executive Tony Reeves resigns
It felt to many that Mr Reeves was the one shining light in the council's darkest hour. That he and his deputy Mel Creighton were the ones trying to turn things around and get the city council back on a solid ground. But 15 months on and they have both resigned.
The irony is that it appears to be the relationship with the team of Whitehall commissioners - installed at the council in the wake of those Caller resignations - that has caused Mr Reeves to announce his immediate resignation today. Sources have suggested that the working relationship between the chief executive and the commissioners had been strained for a while and become intolerable in recent weeks.
Its fair to say that Mr Reeves' time in Liverpool has been dramatic from the start. Having previously served as the top officer at Bradford Council, he joined financial firm Deloitte in 2014 in a role that supported local government and led him to Liverpool in 2017.
The city and its council was reeling from the arrest and dismissal of its then chief executive Ged Fitzgerald in 2017. Mr Fitzgerald had been held on conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and witness intimidation as part of Lancashire Police's Operation Sheridan, which was looking at telecoms deals in Lancashire and Liverpool. Mr Fitzgerald denies wrongdoing and has not been charged.
Having initially joined as a consultant, Mr Reeves would go on to take on the top job fully in 2018. He would quickly become a central figure in the process that later saw investigations and high profile arrests at the top of the city's council.
The first of those arrests came in December 2019 when police came to the Cunard Building to arrest the council's director of regeneration Nick Kavanagh on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and misconduct in public office. Merseyside Police had launched its Operation Aloft shortly before this, investigating building and development contracts in the city.
Mr Kavanagh, who denies wrongdoing and has not been charged, would later be dismissed from his role. In his recent employment tribunal against the council - which he lost - Mr Reeves spoke about when his concerns were raised over a meeting regarding the controversial New Chinatown development in 2018. He would go on to launch a review of what took place.
Mr Reeves said the contents of the subsequent report were of 'great concern' and it was clear the recommendation of carrying out an investigation into the conduct of any individual officer required consideration in respect of Nick Kavanagh and his conduct. He said it became apparent that Merseyside Police were also conducting their own investigation into the conduct of Mr Kavanagh and other parties.
A year later and Operation Aloft detectives made an even more dramatic arrest when then Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson was held in December 2020 on suspicion of bribery and witness intimidation. He too denies wrongdoing and has not been charged. He would step back from his position and did not seek a third term as mayor of the city.
Following the mayor's arrest, the government stepped in to announce the four month inspection of the council which was to be carried out by Max Caller. In March that year the revelation from that report would send shockwaves around the city and beyond.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Jenrick spoke of a 'deeply worrying' picture of a council with a 'dysfunctional culture of intimidation' and of terrified whistle-blowers who spoke on condition of anonymity to raise their concerns about widespread mismanagement.
It was a bleak day for the city and its council but both Mr Caller - in his report - and Mr Jenrick in Parliament were at pains to praise Mr Reeves as a key driver in exposing the problems and trying to turn things around. The government confirmed it would be imposing commissioners to work alongside Mr Reeves in focussing on the problem departments of regeneration, highways and property management.
Despite the plan to work together on the council's improvement journey, it is thought the relationship between Mr Reeves and the four Whitehall commissioners has been strained for some time. Things came to a head earlier this year when revelations first came to light about a catalogue of mistakes in the procurement of a new electricity deal for the city.
As first reported by the ECHO, it was revealed that the errors and miscommunications over the energy deal could lead to a £16m additional bill for the council, for schools in the city and the local fire service. There was widespread anger leading to an independent investigation being launched by Mayor Joanne Anderson.
Before the investigation got going, Mr Reeves' deputy chief executive and finance director Mel Creighton resigned. She, along with her boss, had been in the firing line from councillors and others in the wake of the contract revelations.
Shortly after that story came to light, Mr Reeves faced perhaps the most uncomfortable moment of his time at the top of the council, as a specially held finance committee meeting saw him attacked by councillors from all parties, a number of whom told him to step down.
The council is currently awaiting the publication of the second report from the commissioners, who have now been installed in the city for over a year. A leak from the Department of Levelling Up to the ECHO in June suggested the team believe further interventions are needed at the council, which was described as 'going backwards rather than forwards."
Council insiders suggest that the report was set to criticise Mr Reeves further and recommend taking further powers away from his role. Some suggest he has decided to jump before he was effectively pushed out by those he helped to bring in.
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