Tensions continue to grow in the Liverpool Labour party after six councillors were suspended ahead of a crunch budget vote tomorrow.
Last night, the ECHO revealed that Cllrs Alan Gibbons, Lindsay Melia, Rona Heron, Joanne Calvert, Alison Clarke and Alfie Hincks had all been suspended by Labour after announcing their intentions to vote against the group's budget plan tomorrow evening.
They did this through a statement released to the ECHO, which said the six councillors 'will not vote for cuts' as the Labour leadership moves to pass a budget with £25m of savings.
READ MORE: Labour suspends six Liverpool councillors who plan to vote against budget
That budget includes a new £40 annual green bin charge, a maximum 2.99% Council Tax rise for residents and cuts to the social care budget.
It was confirmed last night that the six rebels had been administratively suspended by Labour.
A note sent to councillors explained that the move means the group are not allowed to attend party or group meetings, but at this point they have not lost the Labour group whip.
If, as they have announced, the group go ahead and vote against the Labour budget tomorrow, it seems likely that they will lose the party whip and have to sit as independent councillors.
This opens up the possibility of a new political group forming on the council, that could move towards being the official opposition.
The six rebels could group with three ex-Labour councillors, Sam Gorst, Sarah Moreton and Anna Rothery - with other current Labour councillors thought to be considering their options.
While unconfirmed, there has been a suggestion that the new group could form under the title of the Liverpool Community Party - but would be unlikely to have a whipping procedure like other parties.
All eyes will be on the budget meeting tomorrow night, to see if any other councillors break ranks and join the rebels in voting against their party's plans.
If the six rebels joined with the three current independents, they would need four more members to overtake the Liberal Democrats and become the city's official opposition to Labour.
The ECHO understands that Labour councillors have been told that if they do not turn up for the meeting and have not provided a valid excuse to the group whip, they are likely to be suspended as well.
Today, Warbreck Councillor Alan Gibbons, the first to publicly announce his intention to break the whip, took to twitter to explain more about his decision.
He made reference to a group of government commissioners, currently installed at the council following the devastating Max Caller inspection report that lifted the lid of a huge range of failures at the city council.
The ECHO recently revealed that the four-strong commissioner team have been awarded a backdated 50% pay increase as well as continued expenses, paid for by Liverpool taxpayers.
Cllr Gibbons said: "The reason there are government-appointed commissioners in this city, costing the City Council millions, is the Caller Report which revealed deep problems in running three departments. So far, we still await any significant accountability for those failings.
"Six Labour councillors, including myself, have made the decision to vote against the cuts in this year’s budget. Part of our decision relates to cuts to citizens’ services while the Commissioners receive a 50% pay increase, which is backdated.
"Their presence is a drain on the city’s scant resources and it is far from clear whether the people of Liverpool are getting value for money. The very least we should expect is transparency about what has gone wrong and the actions being taken to put it right."
In another post about his voting decision, he added: "Liverpool’s communities are at breaking point.
"As a matter of conscience, I am not prepared to vote for cuts that will make life harder for the people I represent. It is regrettable that my party sees this position as something to crack down on."
Another issue raised by the rebels is the fact that the budget plans seeks to add a further £10m to its reserves, which they feel is unnecessary at a time when many in the city are struggling.
But Mayor Joanne Anderson hit back on this point, tweeting: "We must increase our reserves in order to be financially prudent.
"So let’s be clear on the reasons our Labour budget will increase reserves:
"We await to see the economic impact of covid, we haven’t felt the full effects of Brexit, we may need to use reserves to cover hikes in energy costs, we will support refugees displaced by war.
"We have already set aside a fund to support those from Ukraine."
The crunch budget meeting will take place from 5pm inside Liverpool Town Hall tomorrow (Wednesday) - and the ECHO will be across all the action.
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