City council sets up Improvement Committee as minister hails progress made since end of best value intervention

This comes after its Improvement and Assurance Board, set up at the end of statutory intervention in June last year and chaired by former Lead Commissioner Mike Cunningham, concluded its work with the council. The board found the authority had made “significant and substantial improvement”.

In a written ministerial statement, published today (17 June), Local Government Minister Jim McMahon said: “I am pleased to hear that the council can now lead its own recovery, continue to drive continuous improvement, and respond to future challenges. I do not underestimate the work it has taken to reach this point and give my thanks to the council’s leadership, staff, and the Improvement and Assurance Board for their efforts.”

He added: “I welcome the council establishing an ongoing Improvement Committee in place of the Board, and I encourage the council to seek some independent, external strategic support. I am now ending the departmental support provided since last June but have asked to stay close to developments, with periodic engagement with the department continuing.”

McMahon also said that as a council which has been through the Best Value process Liverpool “has insights and experience which the department and wider sector would take value from”.

The city council said it welcomed the government’s recognition of its achievements in no longer requiring external oversight and statutory intervention.

Liverpool City Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, said: “I am pleased that the Government recognises the huge progress we have made in Liverpool over the last two years.

“We are now focused on translating the organisational changes we have made into the delivery of improvements for residents.”

He added: “We are determined to become one of the best performing local authorities in the country, delivering quality, value-for-money services and improving the lives of our residents.”