26/01/12 : BREAKING NEWS... REFERENDUM AT RISK, MAYOR POLL "AS SOON AS MAY"...... The Leader of Liverpool City Council has revealed he plans to ditch the mayoral referendum promised for May 3rd. Instead an election for Mayor would be held that day. Ten other big cities WILL consult their citizens in referendums as planned. Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty called it a "cynical power grab." Said Liam: "The message is clear. If you live in Manchester or Birmingham you'll have your say, but in Liverpool you'll have what Joe says. It's unacceptable and cynical. People elsewhere get ballots. We get backroom deals. That's Liverpool politics for you." The "dash for a mayor" needs 2/3rd of councillors to approve it at a special Council meeting. Liam added: "This isn't about "extra powers" for a Liverpool Mayor. This is about fast-tracking the council leader towards a "coronation" on May 3rd. Cllr Anderson's unseemly rush to an election on his terms is yet another example of old politics, Liverpool-style." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to amayorforliverpool.org On May 3rd 2012 the people of Liverpool are due to be asked in a referendum if we want a directly-elected MAYOR to lead our City. Too often politics in Liverpool means: - plots and pay-offs - infighting and incompetence - low election turnouts - low expectations
Liverpool needs: - real vision - accountable leadership - a fresh start.
Liverpool needs a directly-elected Mayor. That's why we're campaigning for a YES vote.
NEWS FROM LIVERPOOL 16/01/12 FOGARTY: " I WILL RUN FOR MAYOR" The Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty has confirmed he WILL run to be Liverpool's first elected Mayor if there's a YES vote in the mayoral referendum. He's promising a positive, independent campaign with ambitious ideas for the city. Liam says: "Campaigning for an elected Mayor I'm constantly being asked if I'd stand for the office myself. It's only fair to make things clear ahead of May's referendum. Yes, I'd love the job."
Liam Fogarty Liam added: "Liverpool's a big city with big challenges. We need big ideas so we can "raise our game" as a city. I have plenty of them. I'd love the chance to share them and put them into action as Mayor. But our first job is to help secure a YES vote on May 3rd. Then it'll be up to the people of Liverpool to choose who should speak for our city. And that's the way it should be." 06/01/12 CITY MAYOR "GOOD FOR MERSEYSIDE" The idea of a "Mersy Mayor" to lead the Liverpool City Region has its supporters. But it's not on the table after some local politicians blocked the idea. In an article for the Liverpool Echo, Liam Fogarty insists that an elected Liverpool Mayor can have a positive effect on the whole of Merseyside. More HERE 09/12/11 A PEOPLE'S POLL: THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE The Government has confirmed that Liverpool will stage a referendum on having an elected Mayor in May 2012. Voters will be asked the following : Q. How would you like Liverpool City Council to be run? By a leader who is an elected councillor chosen by a vote of the other elected councillors. This is how the council is run now. OR By a mayor who is elected by voters. This would be change from how the council is run now. We say: At last, a real choice - the same old failing politics ? Or a fresh start with a city leader chosen by - and answerable to - the people of Liverpool. Roll on May 3rd, 2012 ! 11/11/11 CITY MAYOR IS THE WAY AHEAD : HESELTINE Plans for a "Merseyside Mayor" - as supported by Sir Terry Leahy and Lord Heseltine in their recent report - seem to have run into political quicksand. Opposition from some local council leaders is being blamed. But Lord Heseltine says a Liverpool-only Mayor can be a "stepping stone" to more effective leadership across the City Region. More details HERE 07/11/11 "LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK," SAYS DAILY POST The Liverpool Daily Post has finally come out in favour of having a local referendum on an elected Mayor for Liverpool. The paper's preference is for a Mayor for the Liverpool City Region, but reports that Wirral and St Helens Councils are fiercely opposed to the idea. 25/10/11 WANTED: PROPER LEADERSHIP You couldn't make it up. Just days after welcoming the Leahy-Heseltine report into new leadership for Liverpool, senior councillors are found trading insults in an unseemly exchange of emails. The Daily Post's David Bartlett reveals all on his Dale Street Blues blog HERE 20/10/11 "LIVERPOOL NEEDS A 'BORIS' " That's according to former Tesco chief Sir Terry Leahy and Lord Heseltine. In a report submitted to the Prime Minister, they say Liverpool and its city-region need a London-style Mayor to ensure Merseyside prospers over the next 20-30 years. They say a Mayor is needed "to cajole, co-ordinate, lead and lobby" for the city. Says Leahy: "Ask who's in charge in Liverpool, and the answer is - nobody." We say: the Leahy-Heseltine report is positive about Liverpool but highly critical of the way the city's been led. The arguments A Mayor For Liverpool has been making are now mainstream. Accountable and transparent city leadership is the key. 09/09/11 JUST LET US VOTE, WILL YA ! Ministers have been asked to consider postponing Liverpool's mayoral referendum until 2013. Director of the Institute for Government, Lord Adonis, says the city should be given time to work out if a "Merseyside Mayor" might be a better option. But voters in Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol WOULD get to vote in a referendum next May. Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty urged the Government to stick to its timetable and have a Liverpool referendum in May 2012: " Liverpool people have waited long enough to have their say on how their city should be led. There is a clear appetite for change and it should be tested at the ballot box without further delay. Waiting for Merseyside's local politicians to cobble together some arrangement for a city-region Mayor before Liverpool can vote is a recipe for even more stone-walling and in-fighting. If a May referendum is good enough for Brummies and Bristolians, it's good enough for Liverpudlians."
15/08/11 RIOTS POST-MORTEM: A ROLE FOR MAYORS? Former cabinet minister Michael Heseltine is backing Elected Mayors to be part of the nation's response to the recent rioting. He told BBC Radio that local communities - not Whitehall - should have more powers to improve local conditions. Town and city mayors would boost accountability and focus regeneration efforts, he said. The Prime Minister David Cameron has also renewed his support for Elected Mayors: "We want (mayors) to provide strong leadership and to make a real difference in creating a sense of belonging." 05/08/11 "THE POOREST CITY IN ENGLAND" The scale of the economic challenges facing our city is laid bare in a report in the Liverpool Daily Post. It reveals that 22 of the 100 poorest neighbourhoods in England are actually in Liverpool. The city's population is growing, but at a much slower rate than other comparable cities. Senior Lib Dem councillor Richard Kemp told the paper: "It is clear that we have had the wrong policies for the last 30 years. Some radical thinking is needed to turn around the situation.” We couldn't agree more. 20/06/11 SHADOWS OFF A CLIFF! The Government has finally DROPPED its plan to create a "shadow mayor" for Liverpool ahead of next year's referendum. The current Council leader was to have been appointed as a Mayor by Ministers "so voters could get used to the idea." This proposal bit the dust in the Hose of Lords today and it won't be coming back. We say: "shadow mayors" were always an absurd and undemocratic idea. Now next year's city referendum can be a straightforward choice between the status quo and real change for Liverpool. 14/06/11 MAYORS CAN BOOST CITY GROWTH A new report says elected mayors can make a positive difference to city economies like Liverpool's. Mayors, it says, can take big decisions, promote investment and give strategic leadership. It also makes the case for "metro mayors" providing accountable leadership for the Liverpool City Region. Read what the Centre for Cities/Institute for Government report says HERE 02/06/11 MERGED SERVICES: WHO'S IN CHARGE? Liverpool and its neighbouring councils are keen to share some services to save money. Gritting and leisure services are among those pencilled in for merger. But new Merseyside-wide services must be truly accountable to the people who pay for and use them - us. "Leaders panels," area agreements" and "local enterprise partnerships" aren't good enough. The Daily Post's Political Editor calls for a London-style Elected Mayor for "Greater Liverpool" HERE
17/05/11 WHY WE NEED A MAYOR Ex-MP Sion Simon has made the case for having a Mayor in his home city of Birmingham. Like Liverpool, Brum suffers from a lack of real leadership and badly needs the boost only a Mayor with a mandate can deliver. Simon says: "One of the key jobs of an elected Mayor is to speak for the city. To be the voice of the citizen. To lead the discussion on who we are, what we stand for, what makes us special. Then we need to tell the world. That process needs a leader. Which means a mayor." We couldn't have put it any better ! 06/05/11 LIB DEM MELTDOWN Labour has tightened its grip on Liverpool City Council. It now holds 62 out of 90 seats. 11 Lib Dem councillors lost their seats and another quit the next day to sit as an Independent. In other news... Leicester has its first directly-elected Mayor. He's former MP Sir Peter Soulsby. Liverpudlians deserve the same chance to choose who should lead their city. 11/04/11 POWERLESS The Government is to flog off vital strategic sites - like Wavertree Technology Park - currently owned by the North West Development Agency. The money raised will disappear into the Treasury coffers. The City Council isn't being let near these assets which WE paid for. But in London such sites are being given to the Greater London Authority. The difference is that London has a powerful elected Mayor who has stood up to the Government. Liverpool needs a leader who can stand up to Westminster. 24/03/11 ALPHABET SOUP Liverpool now has an EZ to go with its LEP. A Government-backed Enterprise Zone ( dominated by Peel Holdings) is at the heart of the new Local Enterprise Partnership for our city region. Yet again big economic decisions are being left to unelected quangos and obscure boards. We can't leave city leadership to people we don't know and can't vote for. 09/02/11 FACT-FINDING VISIT Respected think- tank The Institute of Government is in Liverpool today to ask what having an Elected Mayor might do for our city. Former Cabinet minister Lord Adonis will meet A Mayor For Liverpool as well as local politicians and business representatives. It's part of a nationwide fact-finding tour taking in the 12 cities due to stage mayoral referendums in May 2012. More details HERE 11/01/11 "MAYORS REALLY WORK" SAYS THINK-TANK England's elected Mayors have delivered better services and re-engaged local voters. So says the respected Institute for Public Policy Research. Find out what the IPPR has to say : http://bit.ly/ehrFY9 12/12/10 CITY TO HOLD MAYOR VOTE It's confirmed: people in Liverpool and 11 other cities will be voting on having Elected Mayors. The new Localism Bill points to local referendums in May 2012. Controversially, it could see local council leaders - including Liverpool's Joe Anderson - being APPOINTED by Whitheall as powerful "shadow" mayors before a vote is held. We say: A Liverpool Mayor, chosen by Liverpool people, is a big step closer. That's great news. But the "shadow mayors" idea is an affront to local democracy. Councillors agree. They can avoid this by using existing powers to hold Liverpool's referendum as soon as possible. 03/12/10 "MAYOR WOULD BOOST CITY" SAYS HEZZA Lord Heseltine has told Liverpool business leaders the city needs an Elected Mayor to battle for investment. He said Liverpool needed to elect its own version of London's Boris Johnson or Scotland's Alex Salmond to represent the city. More on this HERE 28/09/10 "AN ALMIGHTY, MONSTROUS & DISGRACEFUL MESS..." ...is how the Liverpool Echo describes the way Liverpool Direct Ltd (LDL) has fleeced city taxpayers to the tune of £10m A YEAR by overcharging the Council for its services. Poor leadership and a lack of transparency helped create the monster which LDL has become. Read the Echo's expose HERE: http://bit.ly/bnjJ4T And weep... 08/09/10 DEMOCRACY VS. QUANGOCRACY Merseyside councils and business leaders want the Government to approve plans for a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to serve Liverpool and its neighbours. They're seeking powers over investment, transport, skills, tourism, housing and much more. Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy heads the list of potential LEP board members. Indeed business figures out-number local authority leaders on the "shadow board" by 10 to 6. Big issues and big money are at stake here. Merseysiders have a huge stake in the LEP. We deserve a say in how it's led. Democracy trumps "quangocracy" every time. 26/08/10 A MAYOR FOR MERSEYSIDE? Major powers - and millions of pounds - will soon be handed to a new Local Enterprise Partnership for the Liverpool City Region. This "LEP" wil replace the doomed North West Development Agency. It's vital the new body is accountable to local people. What we don't need is another cosy - and opaque - arrangement between district councillors and self-appointed business leaders. A Mayor for Liverpool chair Liam Fogarty makes the case for a directly-elected city region "Mayor" in the latest edition of the Daily Post Business magazine. Read Liam's article HERE 31/07/10 COMING SOON - A TOWN HALL REVOLUTION The Daily Post reports that Liverpool may be voting for its first mayor and for a Police Commissioner on the same day in May 2012. Ministers haven't ruled out the possibility of electing a Mayor for Liverpool without staging a referendum first. Whatever the final picture, it's clear that soon WE - the people of Liverpool - will be able to choose who should lead and represent our city. And not before time... 02/07/10 CUTS - WHO'S TO BLAME? There are bleak times ahead for every council and for everyone who relies on council services. Liverpool has been ordered to find £10m in savings in THIS year's budget - a foretaste of far deeper cuts to come. But years of mismanagement left the city with a home-grown deficit of £120m, and in poor shape to weather the approaching storm. And don't forget that both the Lib Dems and Labour in Liverpool pledged to freeze council tax in May's local election, putting cheap populism over prudence. At least the new Council is getting to grips with the whopping bonuses paid to senior staff. More details HERE 14/05/10 Liverpool voters will finally be asked if they want an “executive mayor” in a referendum. The new coalition government has pledged to instal elected mayors in each of England’s 12 biggest cities. The Daily Post says the new mayors would have “hands-on powers” to hire and fire staff, decide how the council is run and direct spending. Find out more HERE
At last ! Liverpool has been crying out for "a new politics" for years. We welcome the Government's promise to let the people of Liverpool decide how their city should be run. Our campaign will make the case for change but it will be the people's choice. That's all we've ever asked for... 06/05/10 LABOUR TAKES TOWN HALL The Liberal Democrats' 12 year hold on Liverpool City Council is over. Labour now holds 48 of the 90 City Council seats following the municipal elections. The General Election boosted turnout to 56%, more than double the usual figure for city elections. THE MONEY PIT 22/11/09 YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP (part 94)... The Council's cosy - and costly - deal with BT is a farce. It costs us £78m a year but generates NO profit for the City. Now we learn that FOUR THOUSAND of the council's computers - supplied by the BT/City Council joint venture outfit LDL - are woefully out-of-date. The Daily Post reports that confidential data is at risk because many Council laptops haven't been properly encrypted. The Post hits out at this incompetence HERE We say: How much proof do we need that these people can't run a bath, let alone a city ? The Council's monster deficit - and crass mismanagement like this - is damaging services and helping to put hundreds of council workers' jobs at risk. 11/11/09 BIG WIN IN MAYOR CONSULTATION ! Three-quarters of those who took part in the City's formal consultation on an Elected Mayor have said YES to the idea. Out of almost 500 responses, 74% favoured Liverpudlians choosing their own city leader. 26% would leave the choice up to councillors. Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty says: "Every time Liverpool people are surveyed about having an Elected Mayor they endorse the concept. The Council did little to publicise this consultation. It's time to ask the people properly in a city-wide referendum." The Liverpool Daily Post says an Elected Mayor is getting closer. More HERE14/10/09 ONE CLICK TO 'RE-BOOT' LOCAL DEMOCRACY The City Council is - finally - consulting Liverpudlians on whether to have an Elected Mayor. The process has been imposed on a reluctant council by the Government. It's not ideal: publicity for the consultation exercise has been minimal, and the result won't be binding. But we'd urge you to take part NOW by logging onto the City Council website: www.liverpool.gov.uk and completing their quick online survey. You can also respond by post. You can stick with the status quo, or opt for real change and real accountability with a Mayor YOU get to choose. 02/10/09 TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS - AGAIN The continuing LDL scandal - highlighted today by the Daily Post - shows how our city leaders keep throwing good money after bad. The joint City Council/BT venture has yielded precisely NO income for the City after 8 years. Amazing. It's also emerged that taxpayers shelled out £225,000 for consultants on what to do next. And that LDL's well-heeled boss is still on the Council payroll. With its poor financial management and utter lack of transparency, LDL truly is a chip off the old City Council block. 17/08/09 STARING INTO THE ABYSS Prominent Lib Dem Cllr Richard Kemp has called on the council's two largest parties to join forces to tackle a looming financial crisis. The city's finance chief warns the Council will is facing a £120m "black hole" in its budget. Cllr Kemp's cross-party plea was rejected by his group leader. The Daily Post has more HERE And Liverpool's population is set to stagnate, while Manchester's is projected to rise by 32%. 10/07/09 MINISTERS PONDER "MAYOR FOR MERSEYSIDE" Communities Secretary John Denham is raising the prospect of directly-elected Mayors to run key services in "city regions." More details HERE We say: Liverpool's destiny is tied up with its neighbours'. And there's merit in the idea of having a high-profile elected person dealing with "city region" issues like transport, waste and planning. Anonymous committees and quangos aren't the answer. 17/02/09 Says Mr Cameron: " London shows how having a single accountable mayor is a huge boost to democratic engagement, and we want other cities to benefit too." We couldn't agree more. More on those Tory plans HERE
02/02/09 We learn that local taxpayers are shelling out £1.5m a year to meet the costs of the new Wavertree sports centre - that's a £10 subsidy for every swimmer and gym-user. And there's the outrageous plan to extend on-street parking fees up to 8pm. It's effectively a tax on eating out, late-night shopping and concert and theatre-going. But at least they found £500,000 to pay off their former Director of Finance...
03/12/08 Mr Hurst was fined £500 for breaking election law. The leaflet - designed to look like it came from another party - smeared a rival candidate and her family. The disgraced councillor has quit his council Cabinet post, but NOT his seat on the council. The Daily Post has MORE
Once again City Council rhetoric parts company with reality... Liverpool has slipped from 9th to 11th place in a survey of business leaders which rated 15 UK cities' ability to do business. The report by consultants Cushman & Wakefield looks at factors including transport links, local skills and quality of life. More details HERE Earlier this year Mr Halsall, 50, had to defend the council's shambolic budget management (rated by the Audit Commission as the worst in the country) as his bosses went to ground. The Daily Post has more: HERE You can hear Liam in a lively debate with former Newcastle council leader Sir Jeremy Beecham and local government analyst Judi Billing on this podcast HERE 09/07/08 The Government is to make it easier for cities to opt for Elected Mayors. In a White Paper unveiled today, Secretary of State Hazel Blears says Mayors provide clear leadership and get people interested in politics again. She's proposing to let campaigns like ours petition ONLINE for a city-wide referendum on having a Mayor. And she may lower the threshold for triggering a poll from 5% of the Liverpool electorate to as low as 2%. In the meantime, we'll carry on collecting signatures face-to-face to give Liverpudlians the chance to decide how our city is led. More details HERE: We say: In November 2006 accountants KPMG made 37 recommendations to tighten up the way the Council did business with LDL. City Chief Executive Colin Hilton said: " It's the clean slate I wanted." Council leader Warren Bradley told the Daily Post, " This is the clarity I wanted. We will be keeping a close eye on this." Now, eighteen months later, we have ANOTHER report into LDL, even more scathing than the last. What is WRONG with these people ?! It was part of a hunt for the source of a Town Hall "mole" who revealed the true cost to local taxpayers of the McCartney concert. The Daily Post has more HERE:
12/05/08 Liverpool's Council Leader clings to office thanks to a deal with a maverick councillor and the support of two dozen fellow Lib Dems in a private leadership contest. One of these men can speak with authority for his city and has a real mandate to lead it. The other is the embodiment of a system which shoves voters to one side and puts party politics first.
Guess which is which... WE SAY: What a shoddy, sad way to decide who should run our city. No wonder Liverpudlians are giving up on politics. This pantomime sums up everything that's wrong with politics Liverpool-style. This is a political "mugging" which flies in the face of the voters' wishes. Turnout was down as almost three-out-of-four Liverpudlians eligible to vote stayed at home. Turnout in Central ward was an abysmal 9.6%. Liam Fogarty comments: 30/04/08 "Councillors aren't powerful enough or well-known enough to give that sense of leadership that great
You can hear the interview HERE
23/04/08 IPPR says Mayors have been a big success where they've been introduced. But it says opposition from local councillors, and the need to organise local referendums, 29/03/08 27/03/08 We say: There's now civil war inside the ruling council group . But the real casualties are Liverpool's reputation and the interests of its people.The Council's culture of in-fighting and petty point-scoring is holding Liverpool back. We need a new form of leadership that puts City above Party. We need a leader chosen by the people of the city, not by a few warring councillors. 10/03/08 We say: Mr Clegg should start by telling his LibDem colleagues in Liverpool to put power back in the hands of the people of the City, and away from its hapless and discredited City Council. Enough's enough. We need a fresh start. Cllr Fraenkel said the Council is failing the city and damaging its reputation and the potential for investment. Her defection comes as Labour gears up to take on the LibDems at the local elections in May. The watchdog condemns the way they behave, saying some are too frightened to speak in council meetings. Members and officials don't trust each other. And there's too little long-term planning. The Commission says the way Liverpool is governed is undermining the city's regeneration. The Daily Post weighs in HERE: 07/02/08 The Daily Post describes the rating as "humiliating." More HERE 30/01/08 His departure follows the Mathew Street fiasco, and his falling out with the council leadership. The payment comes as the Council faces a £60m budget deficit. The Liverpool Echo calls it " a slap in the face" for city taxpayers. More HERE The spending watchdog gives the Council a pathetic ONE STAR rating (out of four) for budgetary management. It's the worst rating for any major city in the country. 09/01/08 19/12/07
We say: Liverpool's 800th birthday year is ending in disgrace and disarray. The Mathew Street fiasco triggered yet another round of infighting. A scrapped festival, a whitewash report and kitchen-sink conspiracies have destroyed this Council's credibility. As 2008 looms, it's time to re-invent the way this great city is led. Our hapless, hopeless "leaders" should get out of the way. It's time for an Elected Mayor. 14/12/07 We say: The Commission confirms what every Liverpudlian already knows - our leaders aren't up to the job. In two key areas - budgeting and behaviour - the Council is actually going backwards. Its culture of failure and in-fighting has held Liverpool back for years. Now it's dragging us down. 13/12/07 We say: Our campaign is not about targetting individuals or parties. It's about getting rid of a broken system. But the current Leader's erratic behaviour and inconsistent statements are making him - and us - a laughing stock. This administration's authority and credibility are shot to bits. 11/12/08 CITY GREENS BACK REFERENDUM The Liverpool Green Party is backing our referendum campaign! The Greens have voted to support a city-wide People's Poll on having an Elected Mayor, saying Liverpool's local government needs revitalisation. Green Party Cllr John Coyne said the current system was "broken."
Green Party Cllr John Coyne supports the call for a People's Poll.
03/12/07 A QUESTION OF TRUST The position of City Council leader Warren Bradley is under renewed scrutiny. He faces an enquiry by the local government watchdog,The Standards Board. And council Chief Executive Colin Hilton has failed to back up Cllr Bradley's claim that he told Mr Hilton about the mystery meeting with ex-events manager Lee Forde. More HERE
We say: A breakdown of trust between Leader and Chief Executive proved disastrous in 2005, when the Storey/Henshaw rift damaged Liverpool. Now - for the second time in a few weeks - their successors' versions of events don't add up. And councillors have utterly lost confidence in Culture Company chief Jason Harborow. If our so-called "leaders" don't trust each other, why should Liverpool trust them ?
17/11/07
We say: The council's flawed report into Mathew Street was supposed to be the last word on that sorry tale. Instead it's exposed damaging rifts at the top. Liverpool cannot stomach another dose of in fighting and paralysis. 16/11/07 Chair of A Mayor For Liverpool, Liam Fogarty, says: 22/10/07 Brighton & Hove came top, prompting an extraordinary outburst from Liverpool's executive member for Environment. Cllr Bernie Turner told the Daily Post: "How can you compare a yuppie paradise valley like Brighton and Hove with Liverpool? It does not have the issues with deprivation like Liverpool." We say: When Liverpool's "leaders" get a dose of the truth, they lash out in all directions. Cllr Turner slags off Brighton, a city of 200,000 people with a host of social problems and a decaying Victorian infrastructure, in an embarrassing display of ill-informed chippiness. Cities like Hull, Bradford, Bristol and Manchester also rate more highly than Liverpool.
Yes, Liverpool is deprived - deprived of genuine civic leadership! 19/10/07 "I requested the independent, internal investigation and was therefore entitled to see it first." With these words Cllr Warren Bradley tells us all we need to know about the lack of accountable leadership. An internal report can never be independent. Even Cllr Bradley's predecessor, Mike Storey, now admits that an objective enquiry by outsiders should have been ordered. The Echo reports on delays and claims of a "cover up" HERE
We say: Mathew Street needed someone to take the reins to make it happen, or to take the rap when it didn't. Instead the dodging and diving goes on. The Council is happy to spend £350,000 on outside PR consultants to promote Liverpool'08, but prefers a cosy "inside job" when picking over the debris of its biggest public relations disaster.
Meanwhile, the Culture Company's operations director has quit, and there's speculation that LCC chief 03/10/07 CAMERON TELLS PARTY "I'M BACKING MAYORS" We Say: Mr Cameron could not have made his support for Elected Mayors any clearer. Like us, he wants to see strong, accountable civic leadership, and that's what Mayors provide. Liverpool’s discredited system of local government is living on borrowed time. 02/10/07 WE FOOT THE BILL FOR CULTURE CHAOS 14/09/07
Read coverage of the debate HERE 12/09/07
We say: A slimmed-down board with clear objectives has a chance to repair some of the damage done in four years of dithering, delays and dodgy appointments. Now, what about that £22 million culture budget shortfall...?
06/09/07 More HERE. Meanwhile former Liverpool'08 Events Organiser Lee Forde has broken his silence to reveal that budget cuts, poor organisation and indecision were to blame. Read what he told local website Liverpool Confidential HERE 31/08/07 Organised by the Bluecoat, and supported by the Echo and BBC Radio Merseyside, it will address voter apathy and ask, "Has traditional politics failed?". Liam Fogarty will debate with Liberal Democrat peer Lord (Bill) Rogers. Echo readers - and the audience on the night - will vote. Tickets are free. More details of the event HERE SECOND MEMBER BACKS CALL TO SCRAP 08 BOARD. Following Phil Redmond's call for the board of the Liverpool Culture Company to be scrapped a second Board Member, Louise Ellman MP, has echoed his demand. More details HERE 25/08/07 We say: Liverpool's so-called leaders have lost the plot. No one was is in charge as the Mathew Street outdoor festival unravelled. And no one is in charge now. Phil Redmond has put his finger on the lack of competent and accountable leadership that risks damaging Liverpool '08. 22/08/07 14/08/07 10/08/07 ANTHONY H. WILSON RIP Listen to Liam HERE 10/08/07 More evidence that this lot couldn't run a bath, let alone a city, is beginning to emerge, as the Daily Post reports HERE 04//08/07 Campaigners distributed flyers and petition forms to 35 premises in the City Centre, and another 15 in the Allerton Road/ Penny Lane area. 02/08/07
We say: Another week, another Council-inspired calamity. Unelected officers made the announcement, with council leaders nowhere to be seen. Councillors who are supposed to scrutinise these matters were kept in the dark. So too were members of the Culture Company board. Someone in these organisations should take responsibility, do the decent thing and resign. This fiasco is a reminder that Liverpool needs a new form of local leadership. It needs an Elected Mayor.
25/07/07 " At the end of the day, it is important Everton FC have a new stadium somewhere within the city region. If it happens to be in Knowsley, the benefits will be shared among all of us. " 16/07/07 LIVERPOOL'TWIN' GETS ELECTED MAYOR The Irish Government has announced that Dublin is to get its own directly-elected Mayor. The new city leader should be in post by 2011. The Irish Local Government Minister said: "A city of Dublin's status needs a mayor who can act as the voice of the city. That can best be achieved by a directly elected mayor, with real powers, and with the certainty of a reasonable term in office." Read more details HERE: We say: Successful cities all over the world have visible, accountable Mayors with powers to make things happen. Of Liverpool's "twin cities", Cologne and New York are run by high-profile Mayors elected by the people. With Dublin soon to follow suit, it means the only other "twin" in Liverpool's unhappy position is...Shanghai. 'Nuff said. 06/07/07 Mr Cameron told his audience at St George's Hall that a mayor like London's Ken Livingstone "has the power and authority to make things happen." Read more HERE: The former "Minister for Merseyside" says Mayors bring clear leadership and accountability. "Hezza" says Mayors are needed to take charge of regeneration. At present, he says, "no-one is in charge," and there is inertia and inactivity. The Taskforce says US-style Mayors with extra powers can spearhead an urban renaissance and a revival of local politics. More HERE 12/06/07 Council leader Warren Bradley has today accused Liverpool businesses of not doing enough to make 2008 a success. He suggested local firms should "chip in £100" into a kitty to pay for banners and posters. Meanwhile, council opposition leader Joe Anderson has resigned from the Liverpool Culture Company board slamming the City's inadequate preparations for 2008.
Cllr Anderson said communities and artists had been ignored, finances mismanaged and little done to create a lasting legacy beyond '08. Read more HERE: If 2008 does flop it won’t be because of a lack of bunting. We'll know who to blame - and it won't be Liverpool's business community!
06/06/07 CULTURE CHAOS: CITY TAXPAYERS "MUGGED" WE SAY: "The mismanagement of Capital of Culture sums up everything that's wrong with the way Liverpool is run. Poor leadership, a lack of accountability and an addiction to spin mean preparations for 2008 are in serious jeopardy. The Council has had four years to sort this out. They're now begging and borrowing to balance the books. Time and again Liverpool's politicians, officials and appointees go missing when they should be taking responsibility. Liverpool desperately needs accountable and visible city leadership, the sort only an elected Mayor can provide." 22/05/07 ELECTED MAYORS - CHAMPIONS FOR EXCELLENCE Soaring towers are stunted at birth. Would-be skyscrapers get top-sliced. And prime sites end up with third-rate schemes. Welcome to urban planning, Liverpool-style.
Mayors like Chicago's Richard Daley and Paris's Mayor Delanoue are champions for excellence as they rebuild their cities. They get the brightest thinkers and designers and let them get on with it. Echo columnist Joe Riley brilliantly sums up Liverpool's approach to urban design. He describes the Council's Planning Committee as "a small huddle of seven tepid burghers, nose-led by unimaginative town hall pen-pushers, and haunted by silk-hatted conservationists."
The Planning Committee called plans for a new Mersey Ferry terminal "an eyesore" – and voted it through regardless. The new cruise liner "facility" (not an actual terminal) resembles what Riley calls "a £19 million bus stop." And the bland off-the-peg buildings erected north of Pier Head are a disgrace to a city claiming World Heritage status. Read more HERE 05/05/07 "BETRAYED" BLUES SLAM HAPLESS COUNCIL The Liverpool Echo's Everton Correspondent, Dominic King, offers a scathing appraisal of the Council and its current leader HERE We say: Electing a Mayor for Liverpool would revive interest, attract quality candidates, spark a real debate and give us the clear, accountable leadership our city needs. Today Independent Mayors in Middlesbrough, Mansfield and Bedford were all re-elected. Voters were able to see how they'd led their communities and pass judgement directly at the ballot box. It's called democracy. We should try it some time...
22/04/07 17/04/07 AS (UN)HAPPY AS LARRY Everyone wants Liverpool'08 to be success. But some of us aren't prepared to simply "shut up and party." Drawing attention to the City Council's many shortcomings is not - to paraphrase Senator Joseph McCarthy - an "unLiverpudlian activity." 16/04//07 SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT Alex Corina - who's publicly endorsed our referendum campaign - is standing as an independent in Cressington ward. Alex is focussing on how Liverpool'08 is passing local communities by. He's also highlighting the fiascos, botched appointments and budget crises that have dogged the 2008 preparations.
Alex was the creator of the iconic Mona Lennon image that was successfully used to promote the Capital of Culture - back when we were all filled with hope and enthusiasm. As part of his campaign Alex has created a companion piece to his earlier work, it's called The Liverpool Scream and it represents the frustration that many of us feel about the way 2008 is being mismanaged. You can see the piece HERE. Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty says: 04/04/07 Eight months to go until 2008, and Liverpool City Council still hasn't told us how it's going to pay for Capital of Culture. The Council had pledged to chip in £22m. But it actually faces an overall budget shortfall of almost £30m, and has until June to sort it out. Local Labour MPs claim they've been kept in the dark - the Lib Dems accuse the MPs of "playing politics." The Liverpool Daily Post outlines the scale of the looming cash crisis HERE: We Say: The Council has had almost FOUR YEARS to sort this out. Years of dithering and poor leadership means we're now relying on a "fire sale" of civic assets, and as-yet-unidentified corporate sponsors, to stop Liverpool's big year from being an embarrassment. 06/03/07 The people who brought us Robyn Archer, the Summer Pops fiasco, the closure of the Central Library, the Pier Head Festival of Building Work and a series of bungled announcements and appointments should be ashamed of themselves. We say: the unfortunate citizens of Springfield were conned into building a doomed monorail system. The last thing North Liverpool needs is another flashy, pie-in-the-sky proposal which will do nothing to improve our poorest areas. Someone at the Council should show some leadership and come up with a proper Masterplan to address the real needs of the North End. But don't hold your breath... 28/02/07 22/02/07 Rival cities Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle all get 3-star ratings. Sheffield is awarded 4 stars. Our neighbours Knowsley and St Helens also receive a top 4-star rating. The Commission also rates individual local services. Liverpool's troubled council housing service is given a miserable 1-star rating. We Say: Yet again the gulf between council hype and council performance is laid bare by an independent watchdog. Liverpool people are being let down each and every day. 18/02/07 Support for having an Elected Mayor in Birmingham is gathering momentum. The city's main newspaper is backing a referendum and staged a public debate on the issue. Speakers included Middlesbrough Mayor Ray "RoboCop" Mallon. More details HERE: Birmingham's opposition Labour group has swung around in favour of a city-wide vote. There is business backing from the Chief Executive of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. And former CBI Chief Sir Digby Jones is also giving his support. We Say: The great city of Birmingham pioneered council reforms in the 19th century. Today it's realising that dynamic, accountable and imaginative leadership from a Mayor is the way forward for a progressive city. The main obstacle to the idea in Birmingham is the ruling Conservative council group, which is being accused of failing to provide proper leadership. Sound familiar...? 16/02/07 10/02/07 Business leaders say the decision is another "own goal" for the city . We Say: Liverpool shoots itself in the foot yet again.The loss of this major attraction sends out a negative message, and will cost local businesses an estimated £4.5m. Ask yourself if Newcastle/Gateshead or Manchester would have got itself into such a tangle. The loss of the Pops, the Mersey River Festival and access to the Pier Head in Liverpool's Charter Year is an extraordinary "triple-whammy" which bodes ill for 2008.
08/02/07 On the popular Toffeeweb website fan David Hughes condemns "the Council's pitiful excuses." Tony Wardale describes the present council as " hand-wringers." Steve Guy sums it up: "The City Council - despite their halfhearted protests - can hardly be said to be doing everything within their power to keep Everton." For the latest on the proposed Everton move out of Liverpool click HERE: We say: As Knowsley bends over backwards to accomodate Everton, our Council's response to the imminent loss of a cornerstone of Liverpool life and culture can be summed up in (almost) two words: " Er, whatever..." The Council's lack of leadership,creativity and political will over this vital issue is likely to haunt most Evertonians all the way to Kirkby.
05/02/07 The Chair of amayorforliverpool.org, Liam Fogarty says this is another damaging blow to the Council's credibility: " This is a depressing throwback to the bad old days of the 1980s and 90s. The Government may be partly to blame - councils everywhere are having their grants reduced after years of relatively generous settlements. But these days councils are given three-years notice of what they're likely to be able to spend. Town Hall ructions and an obsession with spin mean the City Council's taken its eye off the ball, leaving the rest of us to pick up the bill." Council sources indicate the ruling Lib Dems may postpone the most damaging decisions until 2008. 03/02/07 It's emerged that our world-famous Pier Head will effectively be out of bounds to Liverpudlians and others until well into 2008 as major building work takes place behind schedule. We Say: If an Elected Mayor was in charge of this city she/he would be facing the consequences of such dithering and delay. Instead we get the usual game of pass-the-buck. 27/01/07
17/01/07 02/01/07 In recent weeks council bosses spent £17,000 on a shelter to protect their free parking spaces from bird droppings. We also learnt they spend £1,000 a week on taxi bills. It's time for a new way of doing politics in Liverpool. It's time for an Elected Mayor.
14/12/06 WE SAY: Democracy and Delivery: that is what this campaign for a Mayor for Liverpool is all about. London is showing how more visible, accountable and far-sighted local leadership by an elected Mayor can make a real difference.
30/11/06 22/11/06 Campaign Chair Liam Fogarty says: Watch the advert HERE 15/11/06 A Bill unveiled in the Queen's Speech gives Ken Livingstone responsibility for skills training, affordable housing and dealing with climate change in the capital. Mayor Livingstone's new powers are currently held by unelected quangoes and civil servants. More details HERE. 10/11/06 Huge failures in the way the Council pays contractors for key services have been uncovered. Deals worth half-a-billion pounds were examined by accountants KPMG, who've recommended extensive changes that could save local taxpayers millions. Opposition councillors say it's "a scandal." The Daily Post broke the story HERE:
The Council is refusing to publish KPMG's investigation, citing "commercial confidentiality." WE SAY: Liverpool people need to know the full facts behind this shocking waste of their money.Council leaders have practically admitted the City was being fleeced and procedures were deeply flawed. The councillors and officers responsible for scrutinising these massive contracts weren't doing their job properly.
Publishing a list of recommendations isn't good enough. What KPMG have uncovered now needs to be officially investigated by the District Auditor. The council claims we now have a 'clean slate.' But without full disclosure, another whitewash is on the cards. 30/10/06 Local Government Correspondent John Andrew heard from both sides in the debate, including a Liverpool cabbie who says the city is "light years" behind others and lacks vision. "The proposals that we set out today...will put in place strong, visible local leadership everywhere so people know who is taking decisions, they are able to take tough decisions, they are able to make long-term strategic decisions about the future of an area."
WE SAY: Part-time ward councillors and unelected officials cannot give Liverpool the dynamic leadership it needs. The system is broken. It's time to fix it. Accountable, visible local leadership is at the heart of this White Paper. It will inevitably lead to more directly elected Mayors. Liverpool people don't have to wait for the Government to act. They can simply join our campaign for a referendum on the issue right now.
Liam was a guest on BBC Radio 5 Live's Simon Mayo show to discuss the new White Paper. Click HERE to listen to the show. 20/10/06 ARCHER FINALLY BITES BACK. Former Artistic Director of Liverpool'08 Robin Archer has finally broken her silence for the first time since she left the post in July. Ms Archer told an audience in Cardiff that "bureacracy" and "structural problems" had hampered preparations for 2008. The Daily Post reports that Ms Archer criticised the link between the City Council and the Liverpool Culture Company. "The Culture Company...is basically a part of the Council. So the CEO of the Culture Company is the CEO of nothing," she claimed. It looks like Ms Archer will not be replaced, though there will be a new "Cultural Adviser" and a slimmed-down Culture Company Board. WE SAY: The Culture Company is promising "a renewed focus" and "more efficient decision-making." Let's hope so.
03/10/06 CAMPAIGN APPLIES "PIER PRESSURE" Our campaign took a trip to the seaside this week at the invitation of the Electoral Commission. The Commission had organized a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth and invited Liam as a featured speaker. Liam was joined at the meeting by fellow panellists Theresa May MP, Justine Greening MP and writer-comedian Armando Iannucci. The meeting - which, explored radical ways of raising voter turnout and connecting with citizens - was told that Elected Mayors would revive city politics. Liam said: "Europe's Capital of Culture is the UK's Capital of Low Turnouts. Liverpool people don't believe their vote can make a difference. They're confronted by an over-complicated system dominated by people they've never heard of and can never vote for. Having an Elected Mayor would change all that."
Liam & Armando Iannucci at the fringe meeting.
19/09/06 RISING STAR TELLS LIBDEMS "EMBRACE MAYORS" Liberal Democrat MP Nick Clegg - widely tipped as his party's next leader - has told colleagues they ignore the idea of Elected Mayors "at their peril." At a conference fringe meeting in Brighton Mr Clegg, the LibDems' Home Affairs Spokesman,said mayors could re-engage ordinary people in politics. He also praised the work of London Mayor Ken Livingstone. (more details HERE)
WE SAY: The Labour Government, the Tories' David Cameron and now another top Lib Dem all recognise that Elected Mayors can revive local politics and re-connect with absent voters. We urge Mr Clegg to persuade Liverpool's ruling Liberal Democrats to drop their self-interested opposition to a local referendum.
18/09/06 DIMINISHING CAPITAL
Many key projects promised as part of Liverpool's Capital of Culture bid will be late for 2008 or never built at all, according to a survey in the Liverpool Daily Post. Click HERE for a full list. WE SAY: Abandoned schemes, bungled appointments and a lack of leadership has undermined confidence in the entire Capital of Culture project. People realise some building work can fall behind schedule. But it's Liverpool's unstable edifice of hype and pumped-up expectations which is in danger of collapse. Newcastle-Gateshead, Birmingham and other cities could be forgiven for seeing Liverpool's 2008 bid document as a "dodgy dossier."
16/09/06 CLLR WARREN BRADLEY – A CLARIFICATION The Leader of Liverpool City Council has contacted amayorforliverpool.org to object to the way we reported his unsuccessful attempt to help resolve the Merseyside fire dispute.
On September 4th we stated, "He (Councillor Bradley) has apologised for being naive."
In fact, the Daily Post article to which we referred (HERE) reported "He (Cllr Bradley) apologised for intervening as leader of the council, but said he 'maybe naively' hoped the strike could be averted."
It is clear from the Daily Post report that Cllr Bradley had apologised for intervening as Council Leader, and that any naïvety on his part referred to his hopes for a settlement of the fire dispute, and not to his own actions. This is a distinction which we are happy to acknowledge.
05/09/06 In February the Leader of Liverpool City Council told the Liverpool Daily Post " I will be fighting to keep Everton FC within the city boundary." In May Cllr Bradley declared he would "fight tooth and nail" to persuade the club not to move to a site in Knowsley. Now it seems his fighting spirit has deserted him. Today he told Daily Post readers: "At the end of the day, it is important Everton FC have a new stadium somewhere within the city region. If it happens to be in Knowsley, the benefits will be shared among all of us."
Tell that to the cafe owners, shopkeepers and publicans of North Liverpool and to many supporters of the city's oldest professional football club.
Everton FC has every right to decide where it plays its football. But the people of Liverpool have every right to expect their civic leaders to defend and advance the City's interests. They'd also appreciate some consistency and leadership. Neither commodity has been much in evidence during this sorry saga. 04/09/06 COUNCIL LEADER ‘STRIKES OUT’ Warren Bradley's clumsy attempt at intervention in the Merseyside fire dispute re-enforces the case for a full-time Elected Mayor. Cllr Bradley offered to help broker a deal - despite being a striking firefighter himself. His offer was scornfully rejected. For full details click HERE.
WE SAY: Liverpool needs dedicated firefighters. But it also needs someone who can devote all their energies to leading our City. Try as he might, Warren Bradley cannot do both jobs.
Humiliated by the Fire Chief and the Fire Authority, Cllr. Bradley's ability to “speak for Liverpool” has been damaged. Liverpool needs a credible, accountable full-time Elected Mayor. Part-time ward councillors cannot give the City the leadership it needs.
22/08/06 She told amayorforliverpool.org that Liverpool's ruling Lib Dems had nothing to fear: “ What I don’t understand from my [Liverpool] colleagues is that they seem not to realise that an Elected Mayor has a solid democratic mandate, a Leader of the Council has not... a Mayor does provide a very visible clear leadership, highly accountable with a legitimate democratic mandate to take decisions.” Listen to her full interview with Liam Fogarty HERE
New policies now include: - Giving local communities greater control over local services. 15/08/06 ‘EVIL CABAL’ BLOG RAISES SERIOUS ISSUES. Throughout the summer, Liverpool’s “mystery blogger” has turned up the heat with allegations of City Council sleaze. The now-famous “Liverpool Evil Cabal” website has been suspended by its anonymous author. But disturbing allegations have been made, and vital questions have been raised about the way our City is run. The claims, which have now been read by tens of thousands of Liverpudlians, must be properly investigated.
The website’s detailed claims of wrongdoing by senior Council officers – past and present – paint an unappealing picture of cronyism, infighting and incompetence. In today’s Liverpool Daily Post I’ve called on the City Council to bring in the District Auditor and the local government Standards Board to get to the truth. Click HERE to read more. The culture at the Town Hall hasn’t changed. The City Council’s first instinct when alerted to the “blog” was to try to squash it. Library users and council workers found access to the site blocked. The result? Everyone went home and logged on instead. The site became the talk of the town. The episode reminds us just how dysfunctional the City Council is. The Council is unable to speak clearly or act decisively when confronted by a challenge. As Chief Executive Colin Hilton was calling on the police to act against the blogger, Council leader Warren Bradley was asking why the site had been censored. The Council “blog ban” became public knowledge on July 28th. Yet it took Cllr Bradley two weeks to publicly disown this act of official censorship. The local press reported that Cllr Bradley was “demanding to know who ordered the ban.” If the Leader of the Council doesn’t know who’s in charge, no wonder the rest of us don’t either…07/08/06 TWENTY TOP NAMES BACK CALL FOR ELECTED MAYOR Our campaign for a mayoral referendum has today won the public backing of more than 20 leading Liverpudlians. In an Open Letter to the local media, they call for a city-wide debate on how Liverpool should be led. They include the Regional Director of Public Health Professor John Ashton, KIND charity founder Stephen Yip, business guru Professor Tom Cannon, community leader Dorothy Kuya and award-winning authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Brian Jacques and Paul du Noyer. For more CLICK HERE WE SAY: “The quality of civic leadership in Liverpool has become the key issue in our city. It’s hugely significant that a wide range of people who contribute to Liverpool life as entrepreneurs, educators, community leaders, writers and artists are prepared to endorse our call for a mayoral referendum. They agree it has to be the People’s Choice.” 20/07/06 For more click HERE
WE SAY: Say what you like about Ken Livingstone, he gets things done. And Ministers are prepared to recognise this by handing over extra powers to London's directly-elected Mayor. And if Ken messes things up, Londoners can get rid of him and choose someone else. It's that simple. What's good enough for London should be good enough for Liverpool.
12/07/06 “A CITY WAITING TO BE LED.”Radio 4’s flagship news show ‘Today’ featured Liverpool’s growing Capital of culture woes this morning. The coverage should leave us in no doubt that the outside world is unconvinced by the ‘business as usual’ spin of the City Council. Robyn Archer’s botched departure - and the chaos that has resulted - is the latest in a long series of wake-up calls. It’s time to address Liverpool’s crisis of leadership.
05/07/06 CAPITAL OF SPIN ''Robyn was the outstanding candidate. She has a global reputation and a proven track record… Liverpool needs someone with the vision and flair who can create a programme like nowhere else on the planet. Robyn fits that bill perfectly." Two years ago Cllr Mike Storey put out the welcome mat for Liverpool’08 artistic director Robyn Archer. Today Cllr Storey told BBC Radio Merseyside listeners Ms Archer had not been his personal choice for the job. Ms Archer’s departure leaves the city’s plans for 2008 in tatters. The national media have leapt on Liverpool (Details HERE) and the city’s name is dragged down yet again. The City Council spin machine has gone into overdrive. Yesterday we were told Robyn Archer had “resigned for personal reasons.” Council leader Warren Bradley said “we shall all miss her drive and enthusiasm.” Yet today’s Liverpool Daily Post reveals Ms. Archer was “ousted.” Unnamed sources told the paper she’d been “a diva” and “difficult to work with.” To read the full Daily Post story, click here
WE SAY: So did she jump or was she pushed? And how much is Robyn Archer’s “Henshaw-style” pay-off? It’s time we had some straight answers to straight questions. As usual instead of sorting out a problem, our “leaders” look for a scapegoat and resort to spin-doctoring. 04/07/06 COUNCIL 100% TO BLAME FOR CULTURE SHAMBLES The news that Robyn Archer has quit as Creative Director for Liverpool Capital of Culture, just four months after she took up the post full-time probably comes as a surprise to absolutely nobody.It’s been an open secret for months that Ms. Archer has been ‘exploring other options’, and that her relations with the Council and the Liverpool Culture Company had been strained. The Council mishandled the appointment of a new Culture Company Chief, and outside lawyers had to be called in to sort of relations between the City and Culture Company. Yet again the people of Liverpool have been failed by a total absence of competent leadership. And yet again the Council is insulting our intelligence with ‘crisis, what crisis?’ spin-doctoring. Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty says: "Liverpool City Council has some serious questions to answer.How much time did Robyn Archer actually spend in Liverpool since her appointment two-and-a-half years ago?How much did we pay her? And what exactly has she done? Liverpool people deserve some straight answers but - as usual - we doubt we’ll get any.Since our campaign for new leadership in Liverpool began, people across the city have been telling us they feared that Capital of Culture would be another Council cock-up. What should be Liverpool’s finest hour threatens to turn into yet another avoidable shambles." 29/06/06 "MAYOR, KEY TO MILLIONS." SAYS GOVERNMENT. A Government Minister has confirmed that Liverpool will miss out on hundreds of millions of pounds unless the city opts for a directly-elected US-style Mayor. But Local Government Minister, Phil Woolas, has told the Liverpool Daily Post that Liverpool isn’t ready to claim the new spending powers. He said the impact of the David Henshaw - Mike Storey bust-up was still being felt. Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty says: "The Minister’s intervention is a stark warning to the City of Liverpool. It’s now clear that the Government is preparing to give both Manchester and Birmingham extra powers worth some £600m each. They’ll be able to decide what’s best for their cities in areas like transport and the economy. But Liverpool will miss out yet again, and the consequences could be disastrous. The Government clearly doesn’t trust Liverpool City Council to deliver. And who could blame them? Liverpool needs real leadership, and it won’t get it until Liverpudlians are given a real choice." To read the full Daily Post story, click here. 26/06/06 WANTED: ACCOUNTABLE CITY LEADERS, SAYS KELLY. Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has told Liverpool and other big cities that strong, directly-elected Mayors should be leading City Regions like Merseyside. Ms Kelly thinks the North West should have “its own Barcelona,” and the Midlands “its own Milan.”Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty says: “`Liverpool does need more accountable and visionary leadership. But we don’t have to wait for a Mayor for Merseyside to get it. We welcome anything that reduces the power of unelected regional quangos.
But there’s no guarantee that Liverpool and Merseyside will benefit from these latest proposals. Better-run cities like Manchester and Birmingham would get priority. They’d get extra powers and extra money while Liverpool would again be left behind. "
15/06/06 CULTURE – THREE WASTED YEARS Liverpool’s plans for 2008 have been undermined by a “turf war” between the City Council and the Culture Company. Liverpool’s newly appointed Chief Executive has revealed that lawyers have been called in to sort things out. Colin Hilton told the Liverpool Daily Post that “independent legal advice” had been sought to draw up “a memorandum of understanding” so there is greater clarity between the council and the Culture Company, to clarify who does what. Mr Hilton also acknowledged there’d been too much secrecy about the plans for 2007 and 2008. Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty says: “Mr Hilton has confirmed what many in the city already knew. It is quite astonishing that - three years after Liverpool was awarded the Capital of Culture title – the duties and responsibilities of those who are supposed to be organising 2008 still haven’t been sorted out.
Everyone wants Liverpool ’08 to succeed. But it won’t unless those responsible show some leadership for a change. I’m afraid the signs aren’t encouraging.”
13/06/06 YOBS 1 - CITY OLiverpool's Big Screen will be showing no more World Cup matches following Saturday's mini-riot in Clayton Square. City Council leader Warren Bradley told the Liverpool Daily Post; "The yobs have won." Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty says: "Clearly the hooligans who spoiled things for everyone else are the prime culprits. But - this being Liverpool - no-one in authority is taking responsibility for allowing such a thing to happen. The police, the City Council, the Culture Company, local stores and pubs and even the BBC have been criticised. Yet this was a public event in a public space with implications for public order. But none of Liverpool's public representatives will hold their hands up. And handing victory to the yobs is a shameful abdication of leadership. " 12/06/06 PARK LIFEAnyone who’s ever flown a kite or taken a stroll at Otterspool Prom will welcome the plan to upgrade facilities there. The Mersey Waterfront partnership to spend £1m+ on new seating and fitness & play areas. The plan goes before councillors this week. Shame about the vast – and still derelict – Garden Festival site next door.
Despite numerous photo opportunities and upbeat press releases, the City Council is no nearer to sorting out this eyesore than it was 20 years ago. It’s time Liverpool had a coherent & inspiring vision for all its open spaces. In 1998 the incoming Liberal Democrat administration promised to “transform” our Victorian parks by setting up a public Trust to run them. Nothing has happened. Instead parks like Newsham, Stanley and Sefton continue to decay. Smaller parks like Larkhill and Springfield suffer too. Other cities have great ideas to make the most of their parks. See how New York’s public, private and voluntary sectors do it CLICK HERE
01/06/06 'PANEL GAMES' MAKE CITY A LAUGHING STOCK Labour councillors have walked out on a panel put together to choose a new Chief Executive for Liverpool City Council. Chair of amayorforliverpool.org Liam Fogarty says:" Here we go again. Another crucial decision for Liverpool has descended into name-calling and confusion. A few weeks ago councillors failed to appoint a Chief Executive to run the Liverpool Culture Company, then made a U-turn by asking one of the losing candidates to do the job anyway. You couldn't make it up. What sort of message is this sending to potential applicants for our top jobs?"
This week the highly-regarded chief executive of St Helens Council, Carole Hudson, withdrew her interest in Liverpool's £200,000 top post. To read the Echo story click HERE
To read more stories from the last few months visit our news archive HERE. |
OTHER VOICES
Watford Mayor, Dorothy Thornhill , tells us why her Lib-Dem colleagues in Liverpool need to embrace the campaign for an elected mayor. Listen HERE
The man behind political satire "The Thick of It" - writer, broadcaster & comedian Armando Iannucci - talks about community engagement, the trouble with politicians and the dangers of washing-up live on a webcam. Listen HERE
Middlesbrough Mayor, Ray Mallon, talks about the dramatic improvements elected Mayors can bring about. Listen HERE
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Liam Fogarty with Lord Heseltine. 
