From May 2023 the city of Liverpool will no longer be led by a directly elected mayor.
The mayoralty, which was brought in from 2012 onwards, will cease to exist after a vote by city councillors in the town hall last week. It will be replaced by the leader and cabinet model that was in place in Liverpool before the switch to a directly elected mayor a decade ago.
That was a controversial choice, voted through by the city's majority Labour group of councillors, despite the leader and cabinet model coming bottom of the pile in a recent public consultation on how the city should be run.
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The leader and cabinet style of governance means that the political party with the largest number of elected councillors is in charge. That group will vote among itself to select a group leader who will then become the leader of the council and select a cabinet. This is different to a mayor who is directly voted for by the residents of the city.
The change to leader and cabinet will come into force from next May's elections, when current Mayor Joanne Anderson will cease being the mayor as the position will be abolished. It is understood she has not sought a council seat for after 2023 and is likely to leave the local authority altogether.
This means attention will start to turn to who may consider putting themselves forward to be the next leader of the Labour group and potentially the next leader of Liverpool City Council. It is not a foregone conclusion Labour will be the biggest party on the council after next year's elections, but it will take a huge effort from the opposition to overturn the majority they currently hold.
With that in mind, we thought we would take an early look at who could consider putting themselves forward as a candidate to lead the Labour group - and the council - from next May. Its worth saying this is speculative at this stage and no one has publicly declared any intention to stand for leadership.
Paul Brant
The Fazakerley councillor has held a number of cabinet positions including deputy mayor and was the council's health lead throughout the pandemic. He was recently brought back into the fold as an assistant mayor for finance after the council's recent energy contract difficulties.
Widely respected and with a reputation for intelligence, he would be seen as a sensible candidate by many. The big question is whether he would fancy it as he is also a successful barrister.
Barry Kushner
A former cabinet member and current chair of the council's finance committee, Cllr Kushner is likely to fancy a shot at the leadership if Labour retain control next year. Perceived by many as ambitious, he has put himself forward for MP positions previously. Previously held cabinet member positions for children's services and regeneration.
Harry Doyle
One of the youngest councillors around, Cllr Harry Doyle has risen quickly to become the current cabinet member for culture and an assistant mayor to Joanne Anderson. A high profile and vocal figure, he made an impassioned attack on the city's opposition parties during last week's crunch council meeting.
Sarah Doyle
While no relation to her fellow cabinet member, Sarah Doyle has had a similarly rapid rise in politics. First elected in 2019, she was promoted to the key cabinet role for development and economy by Mayor Anderson when she was elected last year. Cllr Doyle has been a visible member of the cabinet and has led on some key areas during her time in office.
Ann O'Byrne
Former deputy mayor Ann O'Byrne was a candidate to be the next elected mayor of Liverpool in 2021. However, her name and those of the other two shortlisted female councillors were removed in a hugely controversial move by the Labour Party. It was at this point that Mayor Joanne Anderson put her name forward and was selected.
Cllr O'Byrne previously challenged her former boss Joe Anderson and has long harboured leadership ambitions, but whether she will want to put herself forward again after what happened last year remains to be seen. She must also focus on retaining her Warbreck seat after a trigger vote this week opened her up to a challenge for the Labour nomination.
Wendy Simon
Cllr Wendy Simon was deputy mayor under Joe Anderson and when her boss was arrested and stepped away from the role in 2020, she stepped in as acting mayor of the city. Mr Anderson has not been charged and denies wrongdoing.
Like Cllr O'Byrne, Cllr Simon was one of the shortlisted names to be Labour's mayoral candidate in May 2021 that was dramatically removed from the contest by Labour HQ. It is thought she may not want to put herself in that position again, but could potentially command the support of the group if she did.
Ruth Bennett
Cllr Bennett has been in a senior group position as chief whip for some years now. In that role she has been responsible for discipline within a famously fractious group. Some may feel that could give her the grounding for a run at the leadership.
Nick Small
Nick Small is one of the most high profile councillors in the Labour group. A city centre representative, he is vocal about issues and often gets into spirited debates on twitter. He was famously sacked as assistant mayor by Joe Anderson and supported Ann O'Byrne's attempts to dethrone the former mayor. Having been on the back benches for a few years he will certainly be eyeing a return to the frontline and would possibly consider a leadership bid.
Hetty Wood
Cllr Wood may not be as high profile in the media, but she has been developing her reputation in the Labour group. Seen as a strong chair of at times difficult committees, reports suggest some members are trying to talk her into a leadership bid.
It's worth re-iterating that these suggestions are speculative at this point and include names that are being thrown around in Labour circles. There is still a way to go before next May's elections and it is highly likely that the list of potential contenders will change before then.
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