Deputy Mayor removed from finance role after council energy bill ‘disaster’

The Deputy Mayor of Liverpool is to be removed from her chief finance role after an energy bill ‘disaster’ that could cost the city £16 million.

Mayor Joanne Anderson will take responsibility for the council’s finance brief, with her deputy, Cllr Jane Corbett, now focussing on ‘fairness’. The decision was announced at a Labour group meeting last night.

Cllr Corbett has come in for criticism after it was revealed that a series of calamitous mistakes regarding Liverpool Council’s electricity contract will cost the cash-strapped authority nearly £5m directly, with huge additional costs expected for the city’s schools and fire service.

READ MORE:Accountants appointed to investigate Liverpool Council’s £16 million energy contract ‘disaster’

But a Labour group spokesperson said Mayor Anderson and Cllr Corbett had already agreed after the passing of the budget, Cllr Corbett would step away from her finance brief, due to ‘further work needed’ to build on member engagement in the budget process. Cllr Corbett will continue as deputy mayor for the next year.

Mayor Anderson will also now seek to appoint an external political advisor with ‘extensive experience in finance and budgeting’ to support her and the council in setting next year’s budget.

The shocking litany of mistakes concerning the energy contract, first reported by the ECHO, included council officers failing to inform the mayor or cabinet members that the energy supplier it was agreeing to extend its contract with,…