Commissioners at Liverpool delay next report to Secretary of State by two months as intervention reaches “pivotal point”

The Commissioners at Liverpool City Council have delayed sending their second report on the progress of the intervention by two months, saying matters had reached “a pivotal point” and that the local authority needed to show greater urgency in some areas.

The Commissioners had been due to report to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities last month but will instead now write to Michael Gove on 10 June 2022, one year on from the intervention.

In a letter to the Secretary of State, Lead Commissioner Mike Cunningham said: “We are at a pivotal point in the intervention. The last six months have primarily been defined by discovery. Review work has been conducted and significant challenges have been identified. The scale of the improvement challenge and the risks to effective transformation are becoming clearer as more review work is undertaken. With support, the council has developed plans to address some of these challenges.

“However, the delivery of these plans is at risk. As well as prioritisation, we need to see more urgency from the council on the key elements of the transformation. Over the next two months we expect to be in a better position to judge the efficacy of these plans, and therefore be able to provide a more holistic view of the council’s improvement journey.”

In response the Secretary of State said he was content with the proposal. Mr Gove wrote: “It is crucial that you are able to fully assess Liverpool City Council’s ability to rise to the transformation and delivery challenges that they face. Furthermore, I agree that the one year anniversary of the intervention is a timely point to review their progress in the round.”