• Archive

 

As the dust settles on another campaign, I think we’ve got a lot to be proud of from the 2012 elections.

 

I can’t tell you how proud I am to have been elected Mayor of Liverpool – and with such a tremendous mandate. Nearly 60% of voters backed our plan for 12 new schools, 5,000 new homes, and 20,000 new jobs. It shows that we were successful in getting our message out right across the city.

 

I’m under no illusions: we are setting the bar high. These goals aren’t going to be easy to reach. But, as your Mayor, I will fight every day to reach them, and by harnessing the massive potential of this city of ours, I know we will be successful.

 

We said all along that our best days lie ahead. It will be with pride, passion and dedication that together we will lead Liverpool forward into a better, brighter future.

 

In the local elections, the people of Liverpool elected and re-elected 72 Labour councillors, some in wards that have never had Labour representation before. That stunning success is down to you, the members and volunteers, who banged on doors, delivered tonnes of leaflets, rang up voters, and braved the dogs and weather to make our campaign a success

 

Thank you for all your hard work and support. It will be a privilege for me to serve you as Liverpool’s Labour Mayor.

 

 

 

It was another terrible night for Lib Dems in Liverpool.

 

To think that this was a party that, just three years ago, had over 50 councillors is incredible. Once again Nick Clegg’s party have taken an absolute kicking at the ballot box in Liverpool. They have just 10 council seats left.

 

Look at some of the facts and figures, and it gets worse and worse. The Lib Dem leader lost her seat in Cressington. For the first time ever, we beat the Lib Dems in Woolton, electing Mark Norris as Woolton’s first ever Labour councillor.

 

And the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor was beaten into third place by an independent. Across the city, he registered just 6% of the vote.

 

Liverpool used to be the Lib Dem’s flagship council. The ten Lib Dem councillors who are left must be reaching for the lifeboats! People are backing the Labour Party, because we have a strong record, we keep our promises, and because we conduct ourselves with integrity.

 

None of which can be said for the Lib Dems – and the electorate know it!

 

 

I always said Liverpool’s profile would be raised by having a city Mayor. Already we are seeing a boost to our international profile.

 

On Monday, international city mayors will meet in Paris, at the New Cities Summit. I will be there to champion Liverpool, and to speak to other mayors about what they’ve done to make their cities great.

 

City mayors from Minneapolis, Boston, Mexico City, Budapest, Tel Aviv, Emaar and Amsterdam will be at this summit. That Liverpool is finally punching its weight with these major international cities speaks volumes.

 

I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

I remember back in my days leading Labour in opposition, when I learned about the demise of the old Neptune Theatre.

 

I was so sad to learn that this iconic city centre building had shut its doors. I still remember going there when I was young, and I know a lot of Labour’s councillors in Liverpool share those fond memories.

 

Well, we made a promise: when elected, we’d reopen the Neptune.

 

And this week – after two years of refurbishment work and under its new name, The Epstein – I was proud that one of my first engagements as Mayor was to reopen this fantastic facility.

 

The opening took place in a new bar and performance space inside the Epstein, called Brian’s Bar. The theatre is being operated by the guys at Liverpool Sound City, in partnership with Cains Brewery.

 

It is Liverpool through and through, and I know it will take a special place in people’s hearts once again.

 

 

A few months ago, Cllr Jake Morrison – who was then the youngest Labour councillor in the country – came to me with the story of Oliver King.

 

Oliver was a student at King David High School, in Jake’s Wavertree ward.

 

Oliver was a fit and healthy young lad. And yet, at the age of just 12, he died during a sports lesson at school from the medical condition Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).

 

SADS claims 12 lives a week. Ever since Oliver’s death, his father Mark has worked with Jake at the front of a brilliant campaign to raise awareness of the condition, and to take steps to prevent it claiming more lives.

 

We have been proud to support the OK Foundation. Now, every 14 to 16 year old in the city is being offered the chance to enrol on an emergency first aid training course. And fundraising for the Foundation is continuing.

 

There are two things you can do to help. First, you can donate to the OK Foundation by visiting www.theoliverkingfoundation.co.uk

 

And second, you can sign their petition calling for defibrillators to be installed in all public buildings by visiting http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29399

 

I also want to thank Jake for his hard work in promoting the campaign.

 

 

As part of my Mayoral election campaign, I finally took a step many had been urging me to take for a long time: I joined Twitter!

 

I was thrilled with the speed at which my Tweeting took off. In just 8 weeks, I gained over 1,600 followers.

 

I was planning to just use Twitter for my election campaign to keep people up to speed on what we were doing. But, given the staggering response I’ve had, I’ve decided to continue to use it to tell you what I’m up too as Mayor.

 

You can follow me @joeforliverpool