The Guardian carries the fairly stark headline today, ‘Liverpool council bottom of league’, reporting the verdict of the Audit Commission that the unitary City Council is the worst financially managed local authority in England. Lib Dem Voice got in touch with Paul Clein, Lib Dem executive member for children’s services in Liverpool, to ask for his views. Here’s what he told us:
Liverpool’s poor ranking by the Audit Commission for financial management has some justification measured against the criteria used in their inspection regime. I would be first to concede that there is considerable room for improvement. However three significant issues need to be taken into account.
Firstly, the scale of the mess we inherited from Labour in 1998 was unbelievable. People tend to think saying this was the standard political rhetoric of an incoming administration. It wasn’t. The Education Service was on the brink of privatisation within 9 months and Social Services was even worse. Housing was awful and it was hard to find a single service functioning as it should. We had the toxic combination of the highest Council Tax in the land and the third worst basket of services. You cannot prioritise everything, even over a 9 year period. We have made significant progress on nearly every front since 1999.
Secondly, context is crucial. The achievement of winning 2008 Capital of Culture status, with the consequent commitment to find 55% of the projected funding (which has turned out to be over 60%) has inevitably skewed Council spending temporarily and diverted some of the administration’s focus of attention from other priorities. This unique set of circumstances will pass in 11 months time.
Finally two issues have become conflated by the partisan comments of John Healey. Whilst not decrying the efforts of other authorities with their own challenges, if a 13% increase in Council Tax over 10 years, removal of £150 million from the base budget of the most deprived – but not best funded – city in England whilst simultaneously improving most services against a backdrop of constantly moving goalposts and (unlike the Government) delivering real Gershon savings represents inefficiency, then words fail me.
PS: and before any political opponents rush in to say “typical Lib Dems, they can’t be trusted with money”, it’s also worth pointing out that the Audit Commission reckons the best financially managed council in the country is Cambridge… run by the Lib Dems.
8 Comments
If the labour government blamed Major for financial problems today I would not be sympathtic. If you agree with that, then I think you really have to write off the first paragraph.
As to capital of culture, I guess that is something Liverpublians can decide the worthiness of. Glad my council isn’t raising taxes and spending for such a thing though.
Liverpool is an incredibly poorly run city Stephen. A great city but ill-served by the current decaying and shrinking crew of muppets. Storey and Bradley reported behaviour related to the CoC has been (a) notorious and (b) incredible. It seems highly likely that 2/3rds of the CoC will actually be run under a Labour regime, trying to recover from the amazing mess created by the incumbents.
Southend which was similarly shambolic is of course a Tory town. While the Scilly Islands don’t do party politics in quite the same way but they have a Lib Dem as an MP …
Thanks for the clarification.
One suggestion that the low tax rises would be better communicated by merely stating how much less than the national average Liverpool’s tax has gone up in £’s over ten years, rather than in a percentage – I feel that 13% over 10 years sounds bigger than it is/was.
Eg Liverpools tax rises have been £x00 (or even £x,000) below the English average, and in one year our prudence actually resulted in a 3% tax cut for the people of Liverpool.
In my experience few ‘real’ people understand percentages and in the context of tax rises they automatically assume whatever a politician is telling them is bad news.
The other thing that would be helpful is some indication of future priorities for investment by the Lib Dems in Liverpool for beyond city of culture.
Keep up the good work.
No-one listens when Labour blame the Tories for problems handed-over over TEN YEARS AGO. So, really, I hardly think Mr. Clein’s carry much weight.
This of course has little to do with with Party Politics, and everything to do with incompetent individuals…
sorry sweetie.. people do remember the last time labour was in power here. My neighbours.. in a traditional terraced street.. remember the simple fact that the labour council couldn’t get their rubbish collected.
The recent report is flawed and I am afraid it is partisan. No one running any council should claim to be perfect – but look at the facts
* population growing again as people move in
* businesses wanting to invest rather than fleeing for the hills
* care for elderly and disabled people provided at a level avoided by most other councils in the country
* tourism spend up and increasing
* school pass rates gradually improving
loads more to do obviously but hey its much easier to criticise than to make positive suggestions.
any labour posters on here may wish to ask their colleagues in Liverpool why they havent bothered for the last few years even compiling a budget.
I would have thought the fact they were Liverpudlians at least as signficant as the fact that they are Lib Dems.
I think you are being unfairly maligned.
“Firstly, the scale of the mess we inherited from Labour in 1998 was unbelievable.”
This is Labour’s favoured excuse for all their national cock-ups. It would be better if opposition parties avoided giving it any credence.
Stephen, did you also get in touch with anyone from Cambridge city council? Just thought it might be nice to hear how a Lib Dem council is also getting it right. Give Liverpool a few pointers 🙂