Fury as Liverpool Council ‘reluctantly’ agrees taxpayer-funded pay hike for govt commissioners

In June 20201 government commissioners were instructed to oversee parts of Liverpool council after a damning inspection report

The decision of the Government to intervene in the running of the Labour authority was first announced in March that year after a local government inspector, Max Caller.

He was asked to carry out an inspection after then-mayor Joe Anderson was among a number of people arrested as part of a Merseyside Police fraud investigation.

Mr Anderson’s successor, Joanne Anderson, who is no relation, said the authority was “committed” to ensuring the improvements set out in response to the report.

Pay Hike

Now Liverpool City Council has ‘reluctantly’ approved a hugely controversial 50% pay hike for the government commissioners, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Liverpool residents will pick up the bill to fund the total of £675,000 that will be paid each year to the four government-appointed staffers, who will be working in the city for three years.

Lead commissioner Mike Cunningham’s daily pay rate will rise from £800 to £1200.

His supporting team fee will increase from £700 to £1100.

This rate will be backdated to June 2021, when the commissioners first arrived.

Deputy Mayor Jane Corbett read out a statement from Mayor Joanne Anderson saying “We are all appalled that we are being forced to meet this extreme rise in costs, they are very hard to justify at a time when the council must make cuts of £34m to our budget and when many people in this city are facing a cost of living crisis.

“We are committed to our improvement journey and the government need to support us in this by meeting these costs.”