The Cabinet

Paul Brant

Deputy Leader of the Council, and Finance and Resources

I am Paul Brant, Councillor for Riverside Ward and spokesperson for Finance and Europe.

The Council will face unprecedented challenges over the next few years, after we have had our funding cut by the Government. Following the Torie's and Lib Dem's decisions to cut Liverpool's budget, we need to make cuts of £91million in 2011/12, and £49million in 2012/13. Ths totals £140million, and represents 22% of the council's budget. This will impact heavily on the services the council is able to deliver.

Protecting front line services serving our communities will be our priority during these difficult years to come. I am committed to ensuring that we do not return to the high unemployment of the Tory years, and capitalising on our assets, such as the wonderful educational, cultural and visitor institutions in the City to foster growth and regeneration of our communities.

I will work hard to draw private investment into the City and maximise Government and European grants to the City and to minimise levels of Council Tax in the City. Over the next few years we must build a thriving and environmentally sustainable City which combines economic growth with environmental sustainability tackling climate change.

Roz Gladden

Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care

My name is Roz Gladden and I am a Councillor for Clubmoor ward. I am also the Cabinet member for Health and Adult Social Care.

My vision for Liverpool is to see our citizens access the best services to help them to live happy, healthy, independent lives.

To do this we must ensure that both the PCT and the City Council have good quality, accessible health care and care packages which will enable our service users and family care-givers to live longer within their own home and community before needing critical, long term residential care.

I also want to enable older people to live healthier lives by ensuring there are excellent quality services available within the community which they can access easily.

But Liverpool has been hit hard by the Government's cuts. We have suffered a savage cut to our Supporting People Grant - that's the money we use to deliver services to the most vulnerable people in our communities. I will do what I can to protect front line services and to try and mitigate the impact of the cuts on people's lives. But with the Government giving us such a huge cut in funding, we face some very difficult decisions.

I will do what I can to make sure Liverpool continues to offer the services its people needs, and I will fight the make sure the Government know what impact their cuts are having on local communities.

Jane Corbett

Cabinet Member for Education and Children's Services

I’m Jane Corbett, councillor for Everton and Labour Cabinet Member for Education and Children's Services.

My ward of Everton has the highest rates of worklessness in the city, the worst death rates, and the lowest income levels. 89% of the Everton ward is in the UKs top 1% most disadvantaged communities. I want to fight to tackle the causes of this. We cannot continue to have such a divided city, with great affluence side by side with such desperate poverty.

Under the Lib Dems, Liverpool has become the most divided authority in the whole of England, between the haves and the have nots.

We are fighting some of the harshest Government cuts since our city has ever known. The Government have cut deeply into the funding for Children's Services, and they have slashed 26 project to rebuild Liverpool's schools, a cut of £350million.

But I want to see the talents and creativities of my community recognised and allowed to flourish and benefit the whole of the city. As part of a Labour council, fighting social injustice and tackling inequality will be my number one priority.

Malcolm Kennedy

Cabinet Member for Regeneration

I’m Malcolm Kennedy, Councillor for Kirkdale Ward and Cabinet Member for Regeneration.

Thanks to a record level of investment since 1997, the Labour Government has kick started a revival in Liverpool’s development. However, so much remains to be done to bring the benefits of that regeneration to the districts and neighbourhoods of Liverpool, particularly in the north end of the city.

The City Centre has benefited from private sector investment. But the fact remains: drive just 5 minutes out of the city centre, in any direction, and you will hit the most extreme poverty anywhere in the UK.

Since the Lib Dems and Tories have formed the Coalition Government, Liverpool's funds to regenerate housing in the city have been cut. £180million has been cut from Labour's Housing Market Reneweal programme, which would have fired the city's regeneration. We need to fight back against this cut, and call on the Government to think again.

The Labour council here in Liverpool will work with the private, public and Third Sectors to develop, implement and manage regeneration across the city. We will work closely with Merseytravel to ensure that transport strategies and policies for the city deliver the best possible transport links for the entire city and that transport delivers our social inclusion objectives.

Tim Moore

Member for Environment and Climate Change

I’m Tim Moore, Councillor for Princes Park, and Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change.

My priority is a cleaner, greener, Liverpool that leads on tackling climate change, supports the Green Economy, and puts frontline services first.

Residents demand and deserve top quality environmental services, on their doorsteps, on our streets, and in our neighbourhoods.

I also believe in being ambitious, effective and fair in our fight against climate change. We must promote greener ways to live, work, and travel, support our historic parks and open spaces, and invest in green jobs and skills to develop Liverpool’s future.

However, as with every council department, we are being hit by the Government's cuts to local authority funding. We face some incredibly difficult decisions, but are working with partners from across the City Region to find ways to make the savings the Government are demanding.

We all have a role to play in delivering a cleaner, greener Liverpool.

Under Labour, the Council will lead from the front – whilst supporting our partners and our people, to play their part too.

Steve Munby

Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods

I’m Steve Munby, Councillor for Riverside ward and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods.

I want to see no part of our city left behind. Under the Liberal Democrats, millions was spent on empty flats in the city centre while other parts of Liverpool have been left to rot. I want to see more homes for the 23,000 people on the housing waiting list, a crack down on the problems caused by private landlords and a housing service fit for all our residents.

The previous Lib Dem council admitted to turning parts of Liverpool into 'war zones' - their words, not mine. I want to help Liverpool's communities and neighbourhoods come together to do what they can to drive Liverpool forward towards a bright future.

The Lib Dem / Tory Government has already admitted that pooer people will 'bear the brunt' of paying off the deficit. Their cuts threaten to have a devestating impact on the people of our city, and especially those in the poorest communtieis who rely on services the council provides. I want to make sure that, in the face of these cuts, the community cohesion which has been painstaking built up over many years isn't shattered.

Wendy Simon

Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism

I'm Wendy Simon, Councillor for Kensington and Fairfied, and Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism.

Liverpool is a city with a proud cultural heritage. Of course, we were Capital of Culture in 2008, which was great for the city, for its international reputation and for its people.

But we're closer to 2012 than we are to 2008. What's next for Liverpool? I look forward to Liverpool continuing an ambitious cultural programme in the years to come, including driving forward spectacular events highlighting out maritime heritage, such as 'On the Waterfront' and the Liverpool Boat Show.

However, we need to be realistic about what we can deliver. The Government cuts have hit Liverpool hard, and we're faced with immense challenges to find massive savings from cultural budgets. Liverpool has a long and proud record of providing libraries and leisure centres for its people. But those things cost money, and it is money the Government is trying to take away from us.

We simply won't be able to continue to provide the same level of provision in these areas that we have in years gone by. I want to fight to make sure the services we do provide continue to offer our residents a service they can be proud of. We face some incredibly difficult decisions in the months to come. I want people to join with me in making our voices hear loud and clear to the Government about what their cuts mean for real people in our communities.

Nick Small

Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills

I’m Nick Small, councillor for Central Ward in Liverpool city centre and Kensington fields. I'm also the Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills.

Education and training needs to be central to everything we do. Under the previous Labour government, educational standards rocketed: GCSE and A Level results are better than ever, and class sizes fell.

But the Government's cuts will have a huge impact on the city. All three of Liverpool's Universities have suffered savage cuts to their teaching grants. This is coupled with the Lib Dem and Tories' decision to raise tuition fees, in some cases trebling them to £9,000 a year.

This Government is making it harder for people to go to University. This Government is making it harder for people to afford a good education. And if students are put off in years to come, the result will be a work force which is less well equipped than others in Europe to drive our economy forwards.

However, the Labour council is doing that it can to fight back. Labour was elected in Liverpool with a promise to create 100 apprenticeships. We are aiming now not only to hit that target, but to far surpass it.

I want the people of Liverpool, no matter what their age, to be given the opportunity to learn new skills and to access education, regardless of their wealth or background. Regardless of the Government's cuts, this will remain my top priority.

Ann O'Byrne

Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety

I'm Ann O'Byrne, councillor for Warbreck Ward, and Cabinet member for Community Safety.

Under the previous Labour Government, crime fell to record low levels across Liverpool. This was for a number of reasons - more people in work, and more people earning a decent wage, enabled people to become more affluent and in many cases to fight their way out of poverty. Young people had the Educational Maintenance Allowance as an incentive to attend school or college. And as more people gained better qualifications, their life chances improved.

However, Labour also invested heavily in front line police, and introduced Police Community Enforcement Officers to help the police carry out their duties. Labour fought against domestic violence and took a strong approach to anti-social behaviour. All of these things contributed to the lowest crime rate Liverpool has ever seen.

However, those achievements are under threat. The Lib Dem / Tory government are slashing funding for the public sector. This will also lead to job losses in the wider economy. Police funding has been slashed - despite Lib Dem promises of an extra 3,000 police on our streets, Merseyside Police are having to make £44million of cuts.

As Cabinet member, I will do whatever I can to make sure our communities remain safe and secure, and that hard working families lives aren't made a misery from anti-social behaviour. We face huge challenges in the year to come. My job is to make your voice heard, loud and clear, to the Government about what their cuts will mean for you.