Liverpool council commissioners plan: Locals 'confused' but 'positive'

The announcement that commissioners will oversee parts of Liverpool City Council was a "dark day" for the city and "confusing" for its citizens, residents have said.

On Wednesday, the local government secretary said a "serious breakdown of governance" meant he had had to act.

Acting city mayor Wendy Simon said it was "deeply unsettling" for residents.

Locals told the BBC the situation was a "shameful mess" but the changes might "be a positive thing".

Robert Jenrick told Parliament that a "Best Value inspection" of the council found a "serious breakdown of governance" and "multiple apparent failures".

As a result, he said he was proposing to appoint commissioners to run some aspects at the city council for a minimum of three years.

Ruth Hartnoll, a director of Matchstick Creative agency, said the decision to bring in commissioners was "confusing".

"I don't think there have been good communications explaining what this decision will mean for local people and businesses," she said.

"Liverpool should be run by people who understand it inside out, so for central government to play an active role in that makes me nervous."

"How will they know what's best for us if they're not living here alongside its residents?"

Chairman of Baltic Triangle Area Community Interest Company, Liam Kelly, said the move was a "tale with two sides".

"It is a dark day for Liverpool, with some of what's come to light having directly impacted the Baltic Triangle over the past 10 years," he said.

"On the other hand, it could usher in a new period for the city to grow sustainably, and free from corruption."

He added businesses in the regenerated Baltic Triangle area, on the edge of the city centre, would "welcome a period of stability".

Maggie O'Carroll, who runs The Women's Organisation in the city, said the situation was a "shameful mess".

"Liverpool will come back from this as its people have always been its power and will continue to be," she said.

"Those public servants who are committed to serving the city honestly, collectively, creatively, effectively and with transparency will play an important part in the renewal of the city and its reputation."

She added that she hoped the change would be "rapid, decisive and all encompassing", where local leadership was "not a source of shame, but of pride".

Khashi Shahverdi, who owns a development and investment company in Liverpool, said that "hopefully, anything from now on will be an improvement".

"I'm not saying it is a good thing the city cannot take care of itself, but the changes could be a positive thing," he said.

Dr Jeffery, a lecturer in British Politics at the University of Liverpool, said the news was "massive for the city".

"The whole thing is very frustrating [as the city's] political system is being turned on its head," he said.

"We were given a mayor with no say, a metro mayor with no say, and now we are getting all-out elections and single-member wards, with no say.

"Liverpool is now a plaything for political forces, rather than deciding how we want to be governed ourselves."

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