Liverpool City Council handed back decision-making powers

A government team was sent in to Liverpool City Council in 2021

Government commissioners overseeing Liverpool City Council are set to hand back decision-making powers to the authority.

A government team was sent in to the authority in 2021 after an inspection report labelled parts of it "dysfunctional".

Decision-making powers will be returned to elected representatives in June but “continued support” will be provided by an independent statutory improvement board.

Lead Commissioner Mike Cunningham said while "significant" progress had been made, the board would ensure improvements "continue into the future".

'Important step'

Liam Robinson said the move was a "really important moment"

"We have sufficient confidence in the council that these powers can be handed back and that further support can be offered by way of an independent board," he said.

Certain functions will be returned to local politicians on 9 June but government intervention will continue to be in place until March 2025.

In a statement, the Minister for Local Government Simon Hoare said although there had been "significant improvement" in many areas, the council "had started from a very low base and there was slow progress in the first half of the intervention".

He said while new leadership had sped up improvements "significantly" there had not been sufficient time to show improvements "are embedded throughout the council".

He said government intervention would continue in the form of a statutory assurance and improvement board.

The board will:

• provide advice and challenge to the council on all areas of work related to any relevant improvement indicators; and

• require the council to undertake specific actions in relation to property, to continue finance improvements, to build capacity and capability for regeneration and to further embed culture and performance management throughout the council.

'Confidence'

Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson it was a "really important moment" that had come after "months of very hard work".

He said the council's vision was to be "an exemplar local authority" and work would continue to improve the council "for many years and months to come".

Liverpool City Council chief executive Andrew Lewis said the move was an "important step forward for city council" and an improvement panel "will support good local decision making and will help us in our transformation journey".

"We've changed the constitution of the council, we've put in place one of the most ambitious transformation programmes in local government and that's starting to bear dividends," he said.

The city "can look to the future with confidence", he added.