Topic: Liverpool City Council

[CraigDS]

But isn't that the nature of the beast. They all do , to greater or lesser margins.  Nobody uses soley their own money.

They do, but then Signature Livings has fucked over plenty of people. He's far from squeaky clean.

[So… Howard Philips]

They do, but then Signature Livings has fucked over plenty of people. He's far from squeaky clean.

c

I don't recall the detail but I do recall some allegations of financial shenanigans involving Signature.

[gazzalfc]

c

I don't recall the detail but I do recall some allegations of financial shenanigans involving Signature.

Much worse than that. His last place in Belfast went up in flames

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/signature-living-building-goes-up-18341647

[So… Howard Philips]

Much worse than that. His last place in Belfast went up in flames

Aah yes, Crumlin Road Court House - although there'll be plenty of those on both sides of the sectarian divide who would have willingly supplied the matches, accelerant and firelighters.

[gazzalfc]

Aah yes, Crumlin Road Court House - although there'll be plenty of those on both sides of the sectarian divide who would have willingly supplied the matches, accelerant and firelighters.

Once his insurance was in place and when he was suddenly needing to pay the costs of his Liverpool (and Cardiff) premises.

(allegedly)

[FlashingBlade]

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-council-director-regeneration-nick-20227506

[GoldenGloves25]

Kenwright and Anderson are just as crooked as each other. If Anderson is throwing council money at that c*nt then he deserves all the prison shower bummings under the sun.

[Red Beret]

Kenwright and Anderson are just as crooked as each other. If Anderson is throwing council money at that c*nt then he deserves all the prison shower bummings under the sun.

Thanks for the mental image of Joe Anderson naked in the shower.

[Indomitable_Carp]

Yep Kenwright and Signature Living are far from squeaky clean.

[GoldenGloves25]

Yep Kenwright and Signature Living are far from squeaky clean.

Creators of the tackiest beak-riddled shitholes in the city.

[Indomitable_Carp]

I knew that the development that replaced the Kazimier (and Cream) was shite, and that losing the Kazimier was a grave injustice and irreplacable loss of the cities social capital (easily one of the best venues in the country, and stated as such by nearly every international band and artist that played there, and accompanied by a priceless local independent/creative/music scene).

But I just double checked which of our cities wanderful developers was the cause of it being aboloshed - and it was of course the Elliot Group.

c*nts of the highest order.

[Red Beret]

How the Kazimier's interior wasn't listed I will never understand. Was unique in the city.

[Pistolero]

Scathing report into Liverpool City Council cites 'secret cabal' as it highlights shocking failures

Damning inspection report lifts lid on serious problems and a 'dysfuntional and intimidating' culture at troubled authority


 The brutal inspection report from Max Caller has just been published by the government after Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick ordered commissioners to intervene in part of the running of the rocking council.

Mr Jenrick said that Mr Caller's report, which has been put together over the past three months, revealed a 'deeply worrying' picture of a council with a 'dysfunctional culture of intimidation' and evidence of records being destroyed or thrown away.

In the report's executive summary, Mr Caller is scathing about the council.

He stated: "The city council has many hard-working, long serving, committed and dedicated officers delivering key services in difficult circumstances.

"The council itself, has councillors of all parties who encapsulate the best traditions of local democracy, working for their residents and striving to deliver the best possible outcomes for people and place


"This Inspection report risks devaluing all the good work that is done, as it focuses on serious failings that have been evidenced in both governance and practice in those areas of the council subject to this Inspection, and the corporate blindness that failed to pick this up and remedy the position.

"Indeed, the position documented by the Inspection provides the best empirical evidence of Conquest’s Third Law of Politics ‘The behaviour of any bureaucratic organisation can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies."

He added: "To remedy these failings will require changes to introduce and embed good practice right across the Council, politically and managerially, building on the start that has been made by the Council’s current Chief Executive. These recommended changes will involve revising electoral arrangements,strengthening personal accountability for both Members and Officers, and introducing best local government practice together with cultural change.

"The evidence and events over the Inspection period leads to the conclusion that there can be no confidence that the council will be able to take and implement all the required decisions in a sensible timescale.

"As a consequence, the imposition of commissioners, supported by directions is recommended to stand behind the council and ensure that the right decisions are taken at the right time.

"The road to recovery will be hard, as it is inevitable that more bad things will emerge through the process.

"The outcome will be a Council with transparent decision taking that can legitimately withstand challenge and can be proud of what it delivers."

Terrified inspection witnesses granted anonymity over safety fears

Whistleblowers who came forward to help an investigation into Liverpool Council feared for their safety, the inspection revealed.

In a letter accompanying the inspection's conclusions Max Caller, the lead investigator, set out the troubling environment discovered within the authority.

Writing to Local Government secretary Robert Jenrick he described how he was approached by a number of people keen to support the investigation but terrified for their safety.

Their bravery - and the documents they were able to supply in a regime that struggled to comply with record keeping guidelines - proved crucial to his team's work.

And because their words could be backed up by evidence Mr Caller said they would remain anonymous.

He wrote: "The presence of the team on site has acted as a ‘lightening rod’ resulting in people coming forward to speak to us that we could not have identified from the outside.

"It would be my normal practice to include in the report a complete list of people to whom we spoke or received documentation from.

"However, the number of individuals who spoke to us as ‘whistle-blowers’ or who did not want to be identified, because of concerns about their safety, but who provided information that could be separately verified meant that I concluded that it was safer to not include this information at all."

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/scathing-report-liverpool-city-council-20244881

[Red Beret]

I guess I'm relieved that the report strives to emphasise that there are a lot of good people working within the council trying to hold things together, and that Caller doesn't want to paint the city as a whole in a bad light.

Will be interesting to see Anderson try to blag and bluster his way out of this one.

[redbyrdz]

There is definitively something odd going on, the amount of buildings that get demolished and ugly, unfitting new builds approved is astonishing. And nobody ever seems to be able to do anything against it.

[Red Beret]

There is definitively something odd going on, the amount of buildings that get demolished and ugly, unfitting new builds approved is astonishing. And nobody ever seems to be able to do anything against it.

If you look at The Welsh Streets, or the facades retained during the construction of Liverpool One, you have to say, when the money and the will is available, heritage can be retained.

Too much of what we've seen these past 10 years seems to come with a "can't be arsed" attitude, and no small amount of hand wringing.

[Only Me]

There is definitively something odd going on, the amount of buildings that get demolished and ugly, unfitting new builds approved is astonishing. And nobody ever seems to be able to do anything against it.

It’s what happens when people vote blindly for the same party time after time, no matter what.

Labour are no better than the Tories in this because it comes down to human nature. If you know you’ll win an election just because of the colour of the rosette you wear, there’s absolutely no benefit to you in being arsed.

Might as well do what you like and take the easy route.

That’s why expense scandals, house flipping, dodgy property deals happen - the people in power get greedy, arrogant and they start to take power and it’s trappings for granted.

Because dickheads still vote for them, no matter what.

Floating voter and proud of it.

[GoldenGloves25]

Its like in Italy, when the mafia basically bully the government into using their contractors to do construction work and then just leave the place in an unfinished mess.

[So… Howard Philips]

I knew that the development that replaced the Kazimier (and Cream) was shite, and that losing the Kazimier was a grave injustice and irreplacable loss of the cities social capital (easily one of the best venues in the country, and stated as such by nearly every international band and artist that played there, and accompanied by a priceless local independent/creative/music scene).

But I just double checked which of our cities wanderful developers was the cause of it being aboloshed - and it was of course the Elliot Group.

c*nts of the highest order.

The Elliott Group that features in one of the case studies highlighted in the report?

Surely not!

[GoldenGloves25]

The Elliott Group that features in one of the case studies highlighted in the report?

Surely not!

I'm sure Elliot Lawless is the reason the city is in this entire mess.

[CornerFlag]

I just want to throw out there, if he's found guilty, I want the Echo headline to be "Backhanderson".

[AlphaDelta]

That Joe Anderson has got some front (literally). For years he's been biting back to people on Twitter, giving it the big bollocks, whilst all the long shafting this city.

As said above, I am interested to see what he comes out with, if anything, to justify everything that's gone on.

[Red Beret]

That Joe Anderson has got some front (literally). For years he's been biting back to people on Twitter, giving it the big bollocks, and writing to the police complaining about Everton transfers being rip offs whilst all the long shafting this city.

As said above, I am interested to see what he comes out with, if anything, to justify everything that's gone on.

ftfy

What really annoys me at the moment is that, now with the councillor numbers about to be gutted and the government appointing advisors to run key areas of the authority, this cnut is still trying to plead innocence and bully the police with lawsuits. He was the fucking mayor.  Either he knew what was going on, which makes him complicit, or he was ignorant of it, which makes him incompetent.

Either way, instead of showing some remorse and acknowledging a role in bringing shame to the whole city and - once again - reducing us to a media punching bag - he goes Full Trump and thinks only of his own considerably stretched skin.

[GoldenGloves25]

Not sure if my previous post highlighting the churchill flyovers had been deleted.

But here ya go, it all comes out in the wash.

https://twitter.com/LiamThorpECHO/status/1375071700132491275?s=20

[Red Beret]

Not sure if my previous post highlighting the churchill flyovers had been deleted.

But here ya go, it all comes out in the wash.

https://twitter.com/LiamThorpECHO/status/1375071700132491275?s=20

Bloody hell.

Next thing we'll hear is that the flyovers didn't actually need to be demolished at all.

[Snail]

Not sure if my previous post highlighting the churchill flyovers had been deleted.

But here ya go, it all comes out in the wash.

https://twitter.com/LiamThorpECHO/status/1375071700132491275?s=20

Fucking grim.

[GoldenGloves25]

Bloody hell.

Next thing we'll hear is that the flyovers didn't actually need to be demolished at all.

Been saying this for ages, those flyovers had another 20 years left in them.

[Red Beret]

Been saying this for ages, those flyovers had another 20 years left in them.

Not if you go by the report published in the Echo Pravda.

[AndyMuller]

Fat baldy chippy tits.

[Pistolero]

Major Liverpool flyover contract given to firm linked to Joe Anderson's son

Damning council inspection report says awarding health and safety job to Safety Support Consultants 'exposed the site teams to considerable risk'

The damning government inspection report into Liverpool Council raises questions about why a company linked to Mayor Joe Anderson's son was appointed on a major council construction project as work was starting.

Max Caller's devastating report into problems at the council points out issues raised concerning the dismantling of the Churchill Way Flyovers in the city centre in 2019.

The report states that the Highways team at the council did not know what the health and safety plan for the project was before the major works began.

At the point of work starting, the report states, an 'urgent appointment of safety consultants, Safety Support Consultants (SSC), was instructed.

The report adds: "SSC had no previous relationship with the council or the Highways team or their professional technical consultants.

 "Not only was this in contravention of the Construction Design Management regulation but also this action exposed the site teams to considerable Health and Safety risk.

"It also increased the commercial risk to the council of budget over run and additional compensation event claims."

SSC is a private limited company incorporated in July 2016.

According to Companies House, one of the company's directors is David Anderson, the son of Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson.

The Companies House records state that David Anderson has been a director of the company since its inception in 2016 and is the only current serving director.

Speaking about the company's appointment to the flyover job, the Caller report states: "As noted above, it has never undertaken any work directly for LCC and is not on any approved list.

"For LCC to use its services, unless it was below the exemption limit, would require a waiver of Contract Standing Orders."

The report goes on to state that in mid-2019, council officers in the Highways department requested construction firm Amey, who at that stage were providing a range of services to the council, to appoint SSC to provide client-side Health and Safety support.

The report states: "Amey asked why LCC would not procure the service direct and why SSC? as they had no published highways experience."It would also have been possible for Amey, given notice, to deploy their in-house resource or use consultants already known to them.

"The files record the assistance given by officers to SSC to enable rates to be set for the task on the basis that this information should not be disclosed to 3rd parties. Amey were given a direct instruction to appoint."

The report details how from the outset there were 'relationship difficulties on site' and 'issues relating to perceived over resourcing with claims to match.'

It adds: "From the evidence available on file, the quality and content of the output provided to the client-side did not justify the scale of contract payments."

"Although the arrangement was announced as lasting only 4-6 weeks, the engagement came to an end after 4 months with expenditure of the order of £250,000."

The report adds: "This episode is an example of the approach taken by officers to circumvent the control systems."

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/major-liverpool-flyover-contract-given-20253260



fuck me...and typically the cheeky, incompetent, bullyboy bastard still had the nerve to fart out this load of arrogant shite yesterday....

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/joe-anderson-claims-success-brings-20249835

[John C]

Been saying this for ages, those flyovers had another 20 years left in them.

Nothing has been deleted from this thread mate.
The report highlights a huge risk of an absence of a health & safety plan and presence, not that the flyovers didn't need dismantling.

[Medellin]

Shits gonna explode soon..there will be many take downs & a lot of deals struck to cut sentences.
When the can of worms is opened we'll find a load of snakes inside.

[zadoktBeast]

This is really, really interesting.

Been reading through the reports today, and it seems that the Eye of Sauron is now well and truly pointed in LCC's direction. Big Joe's corrupt dealings have, unfortunately for him, incurred its ornery wrath. I miss the flyover, so if it's true that it didn't really need to go, then I'm annoyed at Big Joe for conjuring up the demo job (and making money for his son in a dodgy deal besides).

That said......my spidey-sense is tingling.
This is a 100% Tin-foil hat theory (*disclaimer*), but I just get the feeling there's something more to this story. It just seems odd to me that the Tory Eye of Sauron gives such a massive fuck about what's going on in Liverpool City Council - Big Joe is corrupt, true; and pretty much all building contracts involve backhanders, true; but realistically, this kind of thing is miniscule potatoes to Jenrick et al. As a general rule, we all know that Sauron doesn't give a fuck about Liverpool.

What if...what if.....(bear with me)...this is a long-term power move, linked to the recent news about Liverpool potentially becoming a Freeport. Commercially and economically, the city has largely been viewed as an appendix, a vestigial limb of sorts, since the war (most of the Atlantic Trade dried up). With the UK decoupling from Brussels, they are allowed to establish freeports (Liverpool among the propositions). Major trade deals with the USA and Canada have also been mooted in the recent past.

With all of that in mind, perhaps the Conservatives are now laying some groundwork, knowing that the establishment of a freeport will go much more smoothly if any local Labour resistance in the council can be eradicated. This would be seen as paramount considering the recent tradtion of the local politics being Labour-entrenched and largely leaning pro-EU.

Whatever the truth, it's possible that Big Joe is a pawn in someone else's game here. although I for one won't forgive him too easily for the flyover. Did I mention I miss the flyover?

[Red Beret]

This is really, really interesting.

Been reading through the reports today, and it seems that the Eye of Sauron is now well and truly pointed in LCC's direction. Big Joe's corrupt dealings have, unfortunately for him, incurred its ornery wrath. I miss the flyover, so if it's true that it didn't really need to go, then I'm annoyed at Big Joe for conjuring up the demo job (and making money for his son in a dodgy deal besides).

That said......my spidey-sense is tingling.
This is a 100% Tin-foil hat theory (*disclaimer*), but I just get the feeling there's something more to this story. It just seems odd to me that the Tory Eye of Sauron gives such a massive fuck about what's going on in Liverpool City Council - Big Joe is corrupt, true; and pretty much all building contracts involve backhanders, true; but realistically, this kind of thing is miniscule potatoes to Jenrick et al. As a general rule, we all know that Sauron doesn't give a fuck about Liverpool.

What if...what if.....(bear with me)...this is a long-term power move, linked to the recent news about Liverpool potentially becoming a Freeport. Commercially and economically, the city has largely been viewed as an appendix, a vestigial limb of sorts, since the war (most of the Atlantic Trade dried up). With the UK decoupling from Brussels, they are allowed to establish freeports (Liverpool among the propositions). Major trade deals with the USA and Canada have also been mooted in the recent past.

With all of that in mind, perhaps the Conservatives are now laying some groundwork, knowing that the establishment of a freeport will go much more smoothly if any local Labour resistance in the council can be eradicated. This would be seen as paramount considering the recent tradtion of the local politics being Labour-entrenched and largely leaning pro-EU.

Whatever the truth, it's possible that Big Joe is a pawn in someone else's game here. although I for one won't forgive him too easily for the flyover. Did I mention I miss the flyover?

Not sure where you're coming from?  As I understand it, Liverpool is still one of the biggest ports in the country - Peel built Liverpool Two for that very purpose as the existing freight terminal couldn't handle the load.   As far as I know, we've been a freeport for any number of years already.

Not that I'm discounting that there are ulterior motives at work here.  My guess is a mixture of political and personal reasons.  After Johnson mouthed off about Ken Bigley in 2004 in the Spectator, he was bounced into an apology by Michael Howard and forced to visit the city.  I bet he's not forgotten that.

After breaking "the Red Wall" at the last election, some of his strategists might see this as a much needed step to try and make further inroads, or at least try and secure what they've already gained.  Anderson has, sadly, by his (alleged) actions, put Liverpool in the firing line of a Tory government who will only be too happy to settle an old grudge with a city that has often proved to be a thorn in its side. And they can do it perfectly legally too.

As for the flyover, I remember the Echo article where they showed photos from inside the structure, saying that the concrete had busted the molds, the wood and interior structure was rotting, and that whilst in no danger of collapse it could no longer be used for anything, so need to come down.  There's no longer any way to prove that this information was correct, or had not been doctored, as the evidence has been removed. 

So unless some paperwork crops up where it's agreed to make the wear and tear look worse than it was I doubt we'll ever know the truth. And that might go for any number of other buildings in the city where it was claimed they were too far gone to save.

[zadoktBeast]

Not sure where you're coming from?  As I understand it, Liverpool is still one of the biggest ports in the country - Peel built Liverpool Two for that very purpose as the existing freight terminal couldn't handle the load.   As far as I know, we've been a freeport for any number of years already.

Just a silly conspiracy theory about political war-games really.

I think the freeport thing comes down to classification - the EU are super strict on what constitutes a freeport, so if the UK government aren't bound to those rules they can introduce what they consider 'true' freeports, with next to no import tax or customs, thus encouraging a big increase in private shipping.

On a side note about Johnson, sadly you're 100% right that he may well have a grudge against the city, since even his 'apology' at the time was a second insult.

[redbyrdz]

Too much conspiracy. I do think bringing the regulators in has happened quicker for us than it would for any other city, but it's due to long running mistrust of Liverpool City (and its one-time militant council), but I don't think there are any underlying motives.

[Fromola]

This is really, really interesting.

Been reading through the reports today, and it seems that the Eye of Sauron is now well and truly pointed in LCC's direction. Big Joe's corrupt dealings have, unfortunately for him, incurred its ornery wrath. I miss the flyover, so if it's true that it didn't really need to go, then I'm annoyed at Big Joe for conjuring up the demo job (and making money for his son in a dodgy deal besides).

That said......my spidey-sense is tingling.
This is a 100% Tin-foil hat theory (*disclaimer*), but I just get the feeling there's something more to this story. It just seems odd to me that the Tory Eye of Sauron gives such a massive fuck about what's going on in Liverpool City Council - Big Joe is corrupt, true; and pretty much all building contracts involve backhanders, true; but realistically, this kind of thing is miniscule potatoes to Jenrick et al. As a general rule, we all know that Sauron doesn't give a fuck about Liverpool.

What if...what if.....(bear with me)...this is a long-term power move, linked to the recent news about Liverpool potentially becoming a Freeport. Commercially and economically, the city has largely been viewed as an appendix, a vestigial limb of sorts, since the war (most of the Atlantic Trade dried up). With the UK decoupling from Brussels, they are allowed to establish freeports (Liverpool among the propositions). Major trade deals with the USA and Canada have also been mooted in the recent past.

With all of that in mind, perhaps the Conservatives are now laying some groundwork, knowing that the establishment of a freeport will go much more smoothly if any local Labour resistance in the council can be eradicated. This would be seen as paramount considering the recent tradtion of the local politics being Labour-entrenched and largely leaning pro-EU.

Whatever the truth, it's possible that Big Joe is a pawn in someone else's game here. although I for one won't forgive him too easily for the flyover. Did I mention I miss the flyover?

Or it's the city's paranoia of  the Tory bogeyman that allows the likes of Joe Anderson and his Liverpool Labour acolytes to govern disgracefully in plain sight because we don't hold our own leaders to account in our one party state.

[Indomitable_Carp]

Yeah I mean that is the crux of the issue here. Sure the Tories probably jumped at the chance. But the Tories were not the ones who ordered the police investigations into the councils dodgy dealings.

When the mayor is being arrested along with a load of key development figures in the city, there wasn´t really much choice left unfortunately.

Successive national Tory governments have been terrible for this city - and their name is rightly mud as it should be everywhere else in the country. Unfortunately successive local Labour administrations have played their part too. The fact that they are supposed to be "our own" possibly makes it even worse...because at least we know what to expect from Tories. To have local Labour figures fucking over their own city like this is unforgivable.

[gazzam1963]

I think you will find all the accusations and certainly the case studies in the report have been spoken about for a number of years , given the anonymity given to whistleblowers in the council a good investigative journalist could have pieced all these things together and exposed it for questions to be asked but alas locally such journalists don’t seem to exist

[Indomitable_Carp]

I think you will find all the accusations and certainly the case studies in the report have been spoken about for a number of years , given the anonymity given to whistleblowers in the council a good investigative journalist could have pieced all these things together and exposed it for questions to be asked but alas locally such journalists don’t seem to exist

If only! Instead we have had the Echo acting as a mouth piece for Joe and all these dodgy developers. Absolute tragedy that that Rag is this cities last remaining source of local news