Lib Dems call out Liverpool Labour’s SOS fund.
The Liberal Democrat opposition in Liverpool is accusing the Labour-controlled council of excluding some of the most deprived communities in the city in a desperate effort to "Save Our Seats."
Group leader Cllr Carl Cashman is questioning the methodology of Labour's new £5.4 million Community Renewal Fund, saying it excludes many of the city's deprived communities.
Cllr Cashman is highlighting that communities like Wavertree Village face greater overall deprivation than other wards in the city, which are on the list to receive funds.
The breakdown of funds would see the Leader of the Council’s ward get around £330,000 over three years. A stark contrast can be found between Old Swan West ward, which is set to receive over £136,000 over three years, and neighbouring Wavertree Village, which receives nothing.
Opposition Leader Cllr Carl Cashman said:
“It’s great that we finally have the cash to put back into the city’s most deprived communities - this is something that Lib Dems have been calling for for a long time. But I’d rather we focus it on what residents want - after all, this is taxpayers' money.
“The process isn’t open and isn’t transparent - it’s another closed shop designed for Labour councillors to save their seats at the next election.
“If we had a meaningful set of area committees based on the existing neighbourhood model, as many other city councils already do, then we would have a great body for making these decisions with officer oversight, council input and public engagement. The current arrangement will see councillors working behind closed doors to decide how to spend the money, rather than in open, accountable forums.
“A cynical view might be that with less than 12 months from what will be a difficult set of elections for Labour, is this really a community renewal fund, or rather Labour’s ‘save our seats’ fund?”
Wavertree Village councillor Laurence Sidorczuk said:
"I'm shocked that Wavertree Village isn't included, but the neighbouring ward, Wavertree Garden Suburb, is. My residents face similar levels of deprivation as Smithdown, Edge Hill and Old Swan - the only difference is they have a Lib Dem Councillor.
“It feels like a complete snub to the residents in my ward who are really struggling. Every year, I have to think carefully about using my local neighbourhood fund, which is allocated based on deprivation and need within a ward. I get more than Wavertree Garden Suburb and Old Swan East because my residents have greater needs, but they’re set to get nearly £56,000 extra over three years
“It seems that a fairer and more sensible approach would have been to treat this as a top-up to the local neighbourhood fund, which would have seen the amount still targeted to the most deprived areas but also shared more equally.”