Liverpool City Council sets out four-year improvement plan

A city council which has been on an "improvement journey" since government-appointed commissioners took over the running of some departments has set out a plan to address its "complex issues".

Commissioners were sent to oversee parts of Liverpool City Council in 2021 after a breakdown of governance.

Council leader Liam Robinson said a new plan was a "commitment to provide better services".

Its objectives include improving public transport and increasing investment.

A representative for the Labour-led council said the "ambitious" plan to create a "fairer, cleaner and stronger city for all" by 2027 was approved at a meeting on Wednesday.

The plan's six objectives also include creating growth in business and jobs, improving the city's infrastructure and providing residents with "high quality and inclusive education".

The representative said the plan also aimed to establish a "modern, sustainable and connected public transport system" and set out policies for affordable homes and tackling homelessness.

They added that there was also a pledge that the council will be "well-run, financially sustainable and resilient" in the future.

In January, lead commissioner Mike Cunningham said he was "optimistic" about the authority's future for the first time since taking up the role.

Mr Robinson said the new plan addressed the "complex, long-term issues facing our city, many of which have deepened following Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis".

He said the authority would need to improve its "engagement with residents, businesses, community organisations and the public sector" to make the proposal "a success", but running through the objectives was "a commitment to provide better services for our residents".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said crowds of protesters gathered outside the council meeting considering the plan as part of an ongoing campaign against a debunked belief around a new model for neighbourhoods in the city.

The council has previously said the subject of their protests had never been an authority policy and would not be one in future.

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