A former Liverpool Council cabinet member will be appointed as assistant mayor and will focus on financial issues at the troubled authority.
Cllr Paul Brant, a former deputy mayor who has previously held key cabinet positions for finance and health at the council, will be brought in as a new assistant mayor who will take on the finance brief, the ECHO understands. A meeting of the Liverpool Labour group last night heard the news confirmed by the mayor.
It is understood that Cllr Brant will not technically be part of the council's cabinet and will not receive a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) for his work. The move is expected to be confirmed at Wednesday's Annual General Meeting of the council.
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The change comes after the council's Deputy Mayor Jane Corbett was relieved of the finance brief in the wake of the council's disastrous handling of an energy contract that could cost the city as much as £16 million. Cllr Corbett has remained as Deputy Mayor but is now focussing on fairness and the council's response to the cost of living crisis.
That energy contract crisis and the series of mistakes and miscommunications leading up to it are the subject of an ongoing, independent investigation by accountants, who are expected to report back in the next few weeks with their results. Mayor Anderson has said she is looking for 'full accountability' for the mistakes made.
Initially, Mayor Anderson had said she would take on the finance role, supported by a new political adviser. It is understood this will not now happen, with Cllr Brant taking on the crucial brief at a critical time.
It is an appointment likely to be widely welcomed across an often fractured and fractious Labour group. Cllr Brant is a well respected barrister with a wealth of cabinet experience who is known to be happy to work with everyone. He left the cabinet in 2013 after receiving a caution for drug possession, but has since restored his reputation and was a key figure for the city as health lead during the pandemic.
The Labour group also agreed that its councillors will not be accepting a suggested 1.75% pay uplift for elected members at Wednesday's full council meeting. The meeting, which will begin from 5pm in the town hall, will also see Cllr Roy Gladden sworn in as Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
