The chief executive of Liverpool City Council, Tony Reeves, has dramatically resigned from his position.
Mr Reeves announced his resignation after four years in post as the council's most senior officer. He was appointed in July 2018 having previously worked in the Cunard administration as a consultant.
Today Mayor Joanne Anderson confirmed in an email to staff that Mr Reeves has stepped down from his role as chief executive with immediate effect. The email, seen by the ECHO, confirmed his immediate resignation, adding: "I would like to thank Tony Reeves for his service as chief executive of Liverpool City Council."
She added: "Over the past four years, Tony's leadership steered the city through some of the most challenging times in Liverpool's recent history. I wish Tony every success in the next stage of his career. I believe that it is the right time for the cabinet and I to work with new leadership to ensure that the council continues its improvement journey and delivers for the people of Liverpool."
The mayor added that the council's corporate management team will lead the organisation with 'the full confidence of the mayor and cabinet', whilst an interim chief executive is appointed."
The Welshman has been under intense pressure in recent months after revelations surfaced about a catalogue of council mistakes that could add an extra £16 million onto the city's electricity bill. Last month Mr Reeves faced down a meeting of angry councillors, with several calling for him to step down.
In recent days, speculation had been mounting that Mr Reeves would announce his departure. This came after he was not present at some key meetings. Today the city council confirmed he is leaving.
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The energy contract debacle was followed by the resignation of Mr Reeves' deputy and finance director Mel Creighton. She was a key ally of his and the pair were seen by many as a partnership in trying to turn things around at the troubled council.
Sources have also suggested that the relationship between the council's top officer and the team of government commissioners, installed to oversee key departments at the council a year ago, has become increasingly fractious. Those commissioners are due to submit their second report into their findings at the council imminently and it is widely expected they will be issued with further powers that would have been likely to seriously undermine Mr Reeves' position at the top of the authority.
There is a feeling within the council that the chief executive may have jumped before he was pushed out by the same commissioners he helped to bring in. It was after all Mr Reeves getting the ball rolling in exposing some of the issues at the council that would lead to the devastating Max Caller government inspection report, which led directly to the commissioners arriving in Liverpool last June.
In fact, the chief executive was the only real person to be picked out for praise when then Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick stood up in Parliament last March to read out some of the shocking findings of Max Caller's findings following his four month investigation of the Cunard Building.
That investigation was launched following the arrests of former city mayor Joe Anderson and ex-council regeneration director Nick Kavanagh as part of Merseyside Police's Operation Aloft, which is investigating building and development contracts in Liverpool. Both men deny wrongdoing and neither have been charged.
Mr Reeves first arrived at the council after an earlier set of arrests linked to the council. His predecessor Ged Fitzgerald was arrested in 2017 as part of Lancashire Police's Operation Sheridan. He later resigned from his position. Mr Fitzgerald also denies wrongdoing and has not been charged.
While last year's Caller Report lifted the lid on a litany of failings, mistakes and wasted millions within Liverpool Council's regeneration, highways and property management departments, the chief executive was cited as the man trying to turn it all around. A tweet from Mr Jenrick at the time described him as 'an excellent public servant."
But just over a year later and the former Bradford Council chief exec is leaving Liverpool. The city once again finds itself in a chaotic, unpredictable and potentially dangerous moment. With the inevitably damaging commissioners report still to come, Liverpool is once again on the brink.
Speaking about his resignation, Mr Reeves said: “I’m sad to be leaving Liverpool City Council but I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me over the past four years, in what has been exceptional times for the council and the city.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to have been Chief Executive of an organisation that does so much tremendous work for such a fantastic city and its amazing people.
“I’m immensely proud of the progress that has been made in Liverpool since I arrived – from reorganising the council and setting out its improvement plan – to the city’s tackling of Covid-19, when we led the country in community testing and piloting events, to establishing the world’s first pandemic institute.
“Throughout this time Liverpool showed its true spirit of togetherness and its ability to innovate and overcome immense difficulties and the city is so much stronger for that experience.
He added: “Huge challenges still remain, not least economically, but the foundations for growth are well placed from the Knowledge Quarter and our thriving life sciences sector, to our creative industries and booming TV and Film offer. The redevelopments at our two famous football clubs also present a unique opportunity for the north of the city, to create thriving new communities and I look forward to seeing them establish and flourish.
“The people of Liverpool deserve a council that delivers great services. That is a difficult and complex journey but it has begun and those with the honour of leading the next chapter have a great opportunity to make some long-lasting improvements, and I wish them all the success in the world. Yes, there will be setbacks, but I’m confident a solid platform is now in place to ensure the council can support the ambition for Liverpool to realise its full potential.”
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