Liverpool Lib Dems call out Labour’s “waste of time” meeting

The Liberal Democrats have accused the Labour Party of shying away from the difficult questions and challenges around its failure to deliver growth and regeneration in the city.

Ahead of the forthcoming “themed” Full Council meeting, Lib Dem Leader Cllr Carl Cashman says the meeting is “a waste of time” and “does nothing to tackle the challenges facing many of the city’s poorest residents.”

It’s the Council’s third “themed meeting” in as many years. The first themed was centred around the publication of a detailed report on public health in the city, the second on education the third, this year, on the topic of growth.

In these themed meetings, the agenda is stripped back, and the opportunity for opposition councillors to have their say is limited. They are unable to ask questions of the leader and cabinet, to propose their own motion or even submit amendments to the debate.

The Lib Dems have hit out at this, calling it anti-democratic and a waste of time and money. They say the report provides very little information and fails to address many of the serious concerns that residents raise with them regularly.

Cllr Carl Cashman, Leader of the Liverpool Liberal Democrats, said:

“Looking at the Council agenda, you have to wonder if this is worth our time? How does it serve the residents of Liverpool?

“In this meeting, no councillors can question the leader and administration, nor can we put forward an amendment to the report or recommendation.

“These themed meetings are being used by Labour to duck accountability and pat themselves on the back.

“This report tells us nothing new. It glosses over and leaves out Labour’s shortcomings over the last 15 years. The dodgy deals with developers, the failed promise of Liverpool Foundation Homes and the stalled developments across the city.

“The residents of this city deserve a council that listens to them, works hard for them and delivers for them, and Labour is failing on all three counts.”