The amount that ratepayers will pay for the new council to oversee Liverpool Council

Liverpool taxpayers are facing tens of thousands of pounds to pay for a government-approved body to oversee its continued improvement.

After three years, the government’s official oversight of the city council following the highly critical appellant’s report has ended, amid a fifth and final report that said the authority had done enough to stand on its own two feet. Despite this, it was recommended that an informal council be established to help Liverpool Council through the final steps towards a lasting transition.

New cabinet documents revealed how much the city will pay for 35 days of work by the three board members, on top of the millions already paid to the public.

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In 2021, Liverpool Council was plunged into darkness following the encouraging Appellants’ Report, which led to the introduction of government-appointed commissioners. The four-strong team, which would become five due to later setbacks, effectively took over the city.

Commissioners were brought in from June 2021 following Max Caller’s damning inspection of Best Value and the damning report it published which shone a light on failings within Liverpool Council. A team of four officials – led by former head of the College of Policing Mike Cunningham – has been put in direct control of areas such as highways, finance and regeneration.

Following the lack of progress, a fifth commissioner was appointed in November 2022, with Stephen Hughes overseeing the council’s financial performance. Last December, commissioners confirmed this was the improvement in the 12 months since they managed to hand over key powers including finance, highways and transport to the council ahead of schedule.

This was completed in March, with the full intervention completed on time in June. A fifth report by Whitehall-mandated officials, however, recommended that support for the council should continue on a more informal basis.

As a result, a strategic improvement board is to be set up for a nine-month period to advise the authority Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, said the move was a “really significant milestone” for the city.

Cabinet papers released ahead of the meeting to approve the board and Mr Cunningham as chairman said “many challenges remain” for the city and it has a “deep responsibility” to its people to continue its journey of improvement.

In addition to Mr Cunningham, two more independent members are proposed to be appointed to “provide external expertise and challenge”. For his work, the equivalent of five full weeks, the council chairman will receive £1,000 a day – £35,000.

His colleagues – yet to be confirmed – will receive £900 a day for 18 days, respectively, for a total of £16,200 each. A further £10,000 was set aside for expenses, bringing the total cost to £77,400.
These will be funded from the council’s corporate policy and emergency budget in 2024/25. The cabinet report added: “It should be noted that the estimated costs of the new Improvement Board are significantly less than the board would have been expected to pay if formal intervention had continued beyond June 2024.”

During the three year intervention, the council allocated almost £2.5 million to fund the costs of the commissioners, which were funded from the improvement reserve.

The board is due to be formally ratified on Tuesday, July 16, with further announcements on who will join Mr Cunningham in office. A letter from Cllr Robinson to new Deputy First Minister and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said she would expect someone from the ministry to be an observer at the new council.

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