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PA

Tories set to run Liverpool as Government sends in inspectors

The city could be only the fourth local authority in 25 years to be run by commissioners following a corruption probe.

TORIES COULD BE running Liverpool for the first time since the 1960s next week with reports the Conservative government is likely to send in commissioners to take over the city council following corruption allegations.

An investigation by Max Caller, a local government inspector, is expected to be made public next week.

Inspectors were sent in by Robert Jenrick, the Local Government Secretary, in December following the arrest of five men including the city’s elected mayor, Labour’s Joe Anderson, who was held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.

None of those arrested have been charged, with a Merseyside Police investigation into building and development contracts in the city, ongoing.

Mr Anderson, 63, denies any wrongdoing.

It is only the fourth time commissioners have been sent in to run a local authority and never before on the scale of taking over a city the size of Liverpool.

But Whitehall commissioners could now be set to run the city’s day-to-day operations, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

Liverpool has become a by­word for anti­-Tory sentiment, the city’s last Conservative MP was 38 years ago and the last Conservative councillor lost his seat 23 years ago.

Councillor Richard Kemp, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council, said: “It’s ironic that the Tories may end up remotely running Liverpool 25 years after the last Tory left the Council.”

Writing on Twitter he added: “The end of a decade of an uncontrolled and dogmatic left wing council will certainly be greater control over our affairs by a Tory Government.” 

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    Mute Daragh Bogan
    Favourite Daragh Bogan
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    May 10th 2014, 8:08 AM

    I was adopted in the early 70′s by a brilliant family and my parents were always very open about my adoption. I started the process of trying to find my birth mother in the early 90′s but the archaic system in Ireland meant it did not really lead to anything for almost twenty years. Unfortunately mine was one of the stories where my birth parents did not want to proceed with a reunion. They married and have a full family so I have full-blood brothers and sisters who know nothing of me and probably never will. They blamed the shame as their reason not to progress with the reunion i.e. the shame it would bring on their family’s standing in the community.

    My adoption was not by the book in that my parents were married at the time I was placed for adoption but my birth mother signed an affidavit saying she didn’t know who my father was. I have always wondered whether other parties were involved in this.

    I have the full details of my birth family through some research I did on the Internet and have seen the Facebook pages of many of my siblings. So I watch their weddings, births etc from afar. It might sound a little stalkerish but it’s my only angle into their lives.

    I think this change in legislation is long overdue. It won’t lead to happy endings for everyone but will hopefully make adoption less of a stigma, both for the children and for the birth parents involved. It will give adopted children a greater sense of identity.

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    Mute MarMacRua
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    May 10th 2014, 9:38 AM

    I was adopted too in the 70s and brought up in a loving family who were very open that I was adopted. Being open about it meant i never felt different as a child as it was always the norm for me.
    Ive heard many horror stories where the adoptees were not told until their late teens which turned their lives upside down.
    Funny enough, I’ve spent my whole carrier working in animal genetic research. In my humble opinion, a child’s environment and the people in it have by far the majority influence on who that person becomes than any inherited factor.
    Personally the only real concern I have is no medical history for genetic disease and an open access to this could be useful. Instead, I had my genes tested for predisposition to any well known genetic disease.
    I think adoption is one of the most beautiful acts of love for a child from both surrogate family and adopted family. It still brings a tear to my parents eyes when i tell them that it is easy to reproduce but it is a much much more special act of love to adopt a child and make it your own! We are all 99.99% genetically identical, adopted or not! Personally, Ive no interest in searching for long lost blood relatives…but I fully respect the choice of those who do!

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    Mute Mary Lalor
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    May 10th 2014, 11:32 AM

    That’s sad

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    Mute Mary Lalor
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    May 10th 2014, 11:34 AM

    That’s sad.

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    Mute Phil Prendergast
    Favourite Phil Prendergast
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    May 10th 2014, 7:39 AM

    Well done to Anne for bringing this bill forward. She deserves great credit.

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    Mute Eileen Beattie
    Favourite Eileen Beattie
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    May 10th 2014, 8:25 AM

    Good to see something like this happening. As an adopted child I searched for my mother when I was 17/18 only to be given a death cert for her a few years later. Id love to find out if I have half brothers or sisters …. Or even just a medical history for my own kids! But I don’t know if that’s even possible for me now. At least future generations won’t have this worry and that’s alright in my books!!

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    Mute Marie
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    May 10th 2014, 8:48 AM

    This is long overdue for everyone involved in adoption! As a birth parent I know the pain of living without your child and that was with contact through the adoption agency. Now twenty eight years later we are reunited and have a fantastic relationship. His parents are amazing wonderful people who see me as extended family as I see them and love and admire them for doing what I couldn’t at a very difficult time. We are very lucky and are moving forward in our new relationships with the adoptee in mind! Every person in this situation should be afforded the same respect and openness as secrecy causes such horrific pain and trauma in various guises otherwise. Good woman Anne!

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    Mute Chris Mackey
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    May 10th 2014, 8:36 AM

    some girls didn’t have a choice in their decisions to give up their babies for adoption. I know of a friend who would love to have contact with their baby 35 yrs later, but the man was not interested as had never told his wife he was adopted. There are 2 sides to the coin.

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    Mute Louise Gallagher
    Favourite Louise Gallagher
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    May 11th 2014, 9:17 AM

    This legislation is long overdue. But it’s too little too late for all those girls that were forced to relinquish their babies for decades. What can be done to help them out? When you consider the number going forward for adoption these days, (a tiny figure, if any!) how many is this legislation actually going to help in reality??

    3
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