Wirral Council criticised for avoiding 'difficult' financial decisions

Wirral Council was criticised over its "prevailing culture" of avoiding tough decisions

Wirral Council has been criticised in a government report for avoiding "difficult financial decisions" as it looked to plug a £9m budget hole.

It said the council had dipped into its reserves due to a "prevailing culture" of avoiding tough decisions.

The authority was criticised for its reluctance to make cuts to any of its 16 libraries, make staff redundant or increase car park charges.

The council applied to the government for extra help last year.

A report by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) said the council's financial woes were not all down to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

It highlighted the council's reluctance to close or cut back on its leisure and sport facilities.

DLUHC minister Kemi Badenoch told the council's Labour leader Janette Williamson she was "concerned that you have not fully acknowledged or perhaps even understood the severity of the challenge that your council faces".

Ms Williamson said the council had tried to keep facilities open wherever it could and Wirral residents' interests were "at the heart of every decision we make".

She said libraries and leisure centres were used by "our most vulnerable residents", adding: "Selling things off only works once - once they are gone then there's nothing left for future years."

Ms Williamson also said parking proposals aimed to bring in additional income had been blocked by Conservative councillors.

Analysis

By Claire Hamilton, BBC Radio Merseyside political reporter

This report makes uncomfortable reading for Wirral's councillors.

It suggests they've been reluctant to take tough decisions for fear of short term electoral consequences.

Of course, no councillor wants to see services close on their watch, but the report suggests councillors have failed to grasp the severity of the authority's financial problems and always believed money could be found from somewhere, when in reality it couldn't.

Particular criticism is reserved for the council's plans to create a community bank. The council's political make-up has made consensus almost impossible in the past.

Let's see if a new system of governance and less frequent elections changes that

The council's chief executive Paul Satoor said the authority would "take time to fully digest the findings and recommendations made in these reviews".

The report was written by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

Councillor Tom Anderson, leader of Wirral's Conservative councillors, said: "The people of Wirral should thank the independent authors behind these reports for shining a light on the decade long failure of the Council's political culture.

"It is a damning indictment of Labour's inability to manage Wirral Council's finances responsibly and prudently."

He also slammed the "reckless policy" of dipping into the reserves.