Liverpool City Council is a laughing stock. But this is no joke.

Senior officers, property developers – even the Mayor – have been arrested. The law will take its course. But whatever happens, Liverpool’s reputation has been badly damaged.

And the party in charge of the City is tearing itself apart.

Incredible.

We desperately need real leadership – the kind that reaches out and brings people together. Times are tough. Austerity and Covid-19 have both taken a heavy toll on our City. More struggles lie ahead.

Liverpool needs unity, now more than ever.

But you can’t have unity without trust. And trust in our City leaders has been shattered.

I want to restore that trust.

I have been struck over the last few weeks by the number of people calling for an Independent Mayor, and I believe an Independent would be in a much stronger position to bring people and parties together to help the city recover from this desperately serious situation.

Everyone who loves Liverpool is depressed and saddened by what has been happening over recent weeks and months. We know we can do better that this, but it will need radical change, fresh ideas and people from outside the existing City Council to fix what’s clearly broken. Sometimes, when things have gone completely wrong, what you really need to do is hit the reset button.

That’s what I’m trying to do now.

By running as an Independent candidate for Mayor of Liverpool, I want to give the people of our City the chance to hit the RESET button.

With my friends and colleagues in the voluntary sector, I’ve seen how by working together we can give disadvantaged young people and their families, life-changing opportunities and a chance to shine.

I see the job of Mayor as an extension of that work and mission, to bring hope, opportunity and positive change to all our communities.

I want to be your INDEPENDENT Mayor, putting people first instead of any political party.

I want a Liverpool where every child has a decent home, a good school, clean air and the freedom to live their best life.

I want a Liverpool that welcomes proper investment but shows cowboys and chancers the door.

I want a Liverpool that meets the highest standards of public service, with a public “oath” for officers and councilors and independent support for Council whistle-blowers.

The clean-up of the Council must start NOW.

I’ll be sharing my vision for Liverpool with you over the next few weeks. I’ll be listening and learning, because I know I don’t have all the answers.

Liverpool works best when Liverpool people work together.

As our Mayor I shall abide by that principle every single day.

You can trust me on that.

This is a critical moment in the history of our city, and the outcome of this election will determine how, or even if, we can rebuild trust in our local democracy.

My appeal to the people of the City will be, however you have voted in the past, or whether you have ever voted before,

Vote this time, and

Vote for Liverpool!