Mayor of Liverpool

Joe Anderson was born in 1958, the son of a merchant seaman and an office cleaner, in a city centre tenement called Kent Gardens near the Dingle.

One of six children, he attended St Vincent Primary School, where today he serves as a school governor, and St Martins Secondary School.

He left school at 16, and joined the Merchant Navy and later P&O Ferries, spending 12 years at sea.  At 20 he was a steward of the National Union of Seamen and became the youngest ever convener.

It was also in his early 20s that he started to read political biographies, and in his own words, self-educate himself.

He studied for a degree in social work at Liverpool John Moores University, and then went on to become a social worker for Sefton Council in 1992.

He moved into education welfare and was appointed to lead a social inclusion unit for young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties. Joe also studied Labour History at Liverpool University.

Joe was elected to Liverpool City Council for the Abercomby ward (now Riverside) in Liverpool in 1998, became Leader of the Labour Group three years later, and Leader of the Council in 2010.

In May 2012, Joe stood as the Labour Party candidate in the first-ever direct elections for the citywide Mayor of Liverpool. He won on the first ballot with a majority of 50,000 votes, securing almost 60 per cent of all votes cast.

Joe is married to Marg and has four children – Joanne (a councillor), Tony, David, Michael; grandchildren Thomas and Lucy and lives in Old Swan. Joe was awarded the OBE in the Queen's birthday Honours list in 2012.

Joe is hugely ambitious for Liverpool, passionate about the future and devoted to the city’s prospects as a thriving, growing and prosperous city.

He ardently believes Liverpool’s best days lie ahead as a leading world-class city.

In opposition, Anderson had been critical of the joint venture between BT and Liverpool City Council called LDL. However, one of his first moves on becoming Council Leader was to appoint David McElhinney as temporary Chief Executive of the Council for the 6-month period when the Council was renegotiating its contract with BT. David McElhinney was Chief Executive of LDL at the same time. Cherie Booth QC was engaged to provide legal advice regarding the obvious potential for conflict of interest. The LDL contract was extended, although this was subsequently terminated when it came to light that David McElhinney's payments from another council - Lancashire - were under investigation.

Anderson was the subject of press attention in 2015 when it emerged that Liverpool City Council had spent £89,000 on legal fees relating to an employment tribunal case which benefitted Mr Anderson personally.

In December 2015 Joe Anderson was appointed as Leader of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. This was not a conventional election, but a joint decision by council leaders of neighbouring local authorities.






Liverpool

Liverpool, is a major city and metropolitan borough in north west England. In 2014, the city council area had a population of 470,537 and the Liverpool/Birkenhead metropolitan area one of 2,241,000. Liverpool is the principal city within the Liverpool City Region.

Liverpool sits on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary and historically lay within the ancient hundred of West Derby in the south west of the county of Lancashire. It became a borough from 1207 and a city from 1880. The expansion of the city in the Industrial Revolution paralleled its growth as a major port, and participation in the Atlantic slave trade. Liverpool was the port of registry of the ocean liner RMS Titanic, and many other Cunard and White Star ocean liners such as the RMS Lusitania, Queen Mary, and Olympic.

The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007, and it held the European Capital of Culture title together with Stavanger, Norway, in 2008. Several areas of Liverpool city centre were granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. The Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City includes the Pier Head, Albert Dock, and William Brown Street. Tourism forms a significant part of the city's economy. Labelled the "World Capital City of Pop" by Guinness World Records, the popularity of The Beatles and other groups from the Merseybeat era and later contributes to Liverpool's status as a tourist destination. Liverpool is also the home of two Premier League football clubs, Liverpool and Everton, matches between the two being known as the Merseyside derby. The world-famous Grand National horse race takes place annually at Aintree Racecourse on the outskirts of the city.

Liverpool's status as a port city has contributed to its diverse population, which, historically, was drawn from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, particularly those from Ireland and Wales. The city is also home to the oldest Black African community in the country and the oldest Chinese community in Europe. Natives of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians (or less commonly Liverpolitans) and colloquially as "Scousers", a reference to "scouse", a form of stew. The word "Scouse" has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect.