THE new leader of Liverpool City Council implied jobs could be axed at the council and took civil servants to task in a meeting designed to reassure business leaders.

Cllr Joe Anderson also railed against red tape slowing investment opportunities.

Speaking at the Hilton, at an event organised by Downtown In Liverpool, the city’s first full-time leader was quizzed by business lobbyist Frank McKenna.

Cllr Anderson began by praising the city centre regeneration over the past 10 years.

He said: “I never get tired of reminding people of the amount of investment that has taken place, but today we still don’t have a city that has reached its full potential. Other cities would kill for the opportunities Liverpool has.

“The challenge is that we build on that.”

He said instilling a “can do” culture in the council was key to securing investment.

He said: “I passionately believe that this council can be one that can do so much more to support businesses and the private sector.

“It’s a genuine commitment of mine in terms of the planning process we need to be more professional and quicker to respond.

“This council is dogged by processes.”

He said businesses should expect to see a planning officer within one week of a pre-planning application, rather than six or seven weeks, and cited an example of an unnamed company bringing 120 jobs to the city as a result of streamlining. He said a sort of “star chamber” would be set up to oversee council expenditure, which was already £9m over budget in the first three months of the financial year.

“Who are these highly paid managers that didn’t notice this?”