A Liverpool Councillor criticised for continuing to live in Spain has resigned from his position.
Malcolm Kennedy, who has represented Kirkdale (previously the Vauxhall ward) since 1998, has been living in Spain since March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic began and has been attending meetings online.
Cllr Kennedy, a former cabinet member for regeneration and former Lord Mayor of Liverpool, was criticised by political rivals and some residents over his decision to stay living in Spain and today he resigned as a councillor.
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An email sent from Labour group chief whip Ruth Bennett to councillors confirmed the news.
It said: "I know you will all join with me in thanking Malcolm for his many years of service to the Labour Party and to the Liverpool Labour Group. Malcolm was first elected in 1998 and has served the Labour Group during those 23 years as Deputy Leader under Gideon Ben-Tovim, a Cabinet member between 2010 – 2017 and also as Lord Mayor from 2017-2018."
It is understood that Cllr Kennedy would have been required to attend a council meeting in person this month to remain a serving councillor under local authority rules.
Cllr Kennedy was a long-standing and influential figure in the party and had been involved in key projects including Project Jennifer in the Great Homer area during his time as the council's regeneration lead.
The ECHO has also seen an email sent by Labour to party members in the city announcing that there will be a by-election for his Kirkdale seat.
The email to members, seen by the ECHO, said the party is now looking for candidates to fight forthcoming by-elections in three wards - Kirkdale, Anfield and Cluboor.
The seats in Anfield and Clubmoor have become available following the sad deaths of Ros Groves and Tim Jeeves, while Cllr Kennedy's departure will trigger the Kirkdale vote.
In May this year, Cllr Kennedy told the ECHO he was considering his position on the city council due to the changing situation with virtual meetings and his continued residence in Madrid.
At that time, he said: "Clearly time has moved on.
"With the end of virtual meetings and presuming these won’t be reintroduced I am consulting with local colleagues how we proceed.
"In so doing I have to take into account the local party’s ability to put forward a candidate and this is normally achieved by the opening of a panel of candidates in the city."
Following the fallout from the government inspection of Liverpool Council earlier this year and Labour's own damning review of the Liverpool group, the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) will be taking charge of the selection process for these seats.
The email to members states that applications for potential candidates must be submitted by this Thursday (October 7) and that the NEC will longlist for the positions and will then shortlist on Tuesday October 12.
Local ward members will then select from the approved NEC shortlist.
The ECHO has attempted to reach Cllr Kennedy for a response.
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