Mike Storey (politician)

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Mike Storey CBE is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and Leader of Liverpool City Council from 1998-2005.

Storey was first elected to the city council in 1973, and became the youngest Chair of Education in the history of Liverpool from 1980 - 1983, during which time he was also Deputy Leader of the Council under Sir Trevor Jones.

In 1998 the Liberal Democrats gained control of Liverpool City Council and Storey became Council Leader. He aimed to set about rebuilding the city's reputation, by cutting the council tax, attempting to improve services and trying to attract jobs and investment, while at the same time reducing the number of council employees by 5,000.

He was part of Liverpool's successful bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008 and was widely credited with transforming the City and Council's reputation by cutting the council tax (until then the highest in the Country), improving council services (previously the worst in England) and attracting jobs and investment. This was all a short-lived phenomenon. A house built on straw.

Storey resigned in November 2005 after sending a series of emails to the council's Head of Communications, Matt Finnegan about the resignation of the council's chief executive, Sir David Henshaw. Henshaw had announced his decision to retire when the city council turned down his bid for a £250,000 pension payment. Critics said Henshaw was trying to avoid paying tax on his pension and was trying to blackmail the council. Storey refused to pay-up and there followed an open civil war between the two men, as Henshaw battled to get his pension money. At one point Henhaw tried to mount a coup d'etat to remove Storey as elected Leader. Storey is now on the board of the North West Development Agency.

The so-called tranformation of Liverpool turned out to be a short-lived affair - in 2008, it was officially named worst council in the country.

Storey was awarded the OBE for political services in 1992 and CBE for services to regeneration in 2002. He is also a teacher and is currently head of a primary school in Halewood.

Sir David Henshaw and Mr Storey had a massive and widely publicized row which led to both of them departing from their high-ranking jobs. Henshaw was unaccountably put in charge of the NHS in the North West - causing the resignation in protest of Health Minister Jane Kennedy, MP for Liverpool Wavertree and unprecedented protests about Henshaw's appointment from 25 Labour MP's.

Since then Henshaw has moved on to collect handsome stipends as one of the "great and good" and sitting on various quango-type bodies.

Mike Storey stepped down as Leader of the Council and waited in the wings for a while but has returned as Executive Member for Regeneration. He is now the subject of a Standards Board investigation, along with current leader Warren Bradley, into claims that the pair conspired to get rid of a Culture Company official.

Various pieces can be found on the net - notably at the Liverpool Subculture blog and Henshaw and the Evil Cabal blog - alluding to the detail of the amazing row between Storey and Henshaw and the various blackmail and coup attempts.