 LIVERPOOL council was today plunged into crisis as relations between the two men responsible for running the city collapsed. Chief executive Sir David Henshaw and council leader Cllr Mike Storey have fallen out over confidential emails exchanged between Cllr Storey and the council's media chief Matt Finnegan, who is currently suspended. It was reported today that Sir David had threatened to report Cllr Storey to a local government watchdog unless he resigns. The ECHO understands that Sir David will strenuously deny delivering such an ulimatum. The Liberal Democrat leader will tonight meet senior colleagues to decide his course of action. He declined to comment today, and it is understood he has been advised not to speak publicly. Lib Dem councillors today rushed to the council leader's support - but asked not to be identified. One said: "Mike is the elected leader of the council, but David Henshaw is a highly-paid bureaucrat and his time has clearly come. "The only person who will be leaving is David. Mike has 100% support from the group and councillors feel they are the only ones who can hire or fire him." Another added: "I do not know of anyone in our group who has a bad word to say about Mike and I consider this to be the chief executive interfering with the political process. "To intercept correspondence between councillors and officers flies in the face of democracy." Cllr Steve Radford, of the Liberal group, said: "If Cllr Storey has acted improperly, it should not be up to the chief executive to give him an ultimatum to go - it would set a horrendous precedent. There must now be independent scrutiny." Cllr Joe Anderson, leader of the Labour opposition, today called on local government minister Phil Woolas to intervene. He said: "I want to meet David Henshaw and be persuaded his course of action is the correct one. "If he convinces me there has been a breach of standards by Cllr Storey, I will support the chief executive in his call for the leader to be reported to the district auditor. "If I do not believe there is a case, I will demand there is an investigation into Sir David's behaviour." | 
News RSS Feed