LIVERPOOL council leader Warren Bradley last night found himself at the heart of a “dirty tricks” row that has divided the city’s ruling Liberal Democrat group.

Cllr Bradley confirmed he recently obtained a document, copies of which later formed part of a dossier circulated within his group in an apparent attempt to discredit his leadership opponent Cllr Richard Kemp.

Last night Cllr Bradley strenuously denied having any part in the process of distributing the document.

He explained he had requested a copy from city chief executive Colin Hilton in order to prepare for potential attacks on the party from the opposition Labour group. Cllr Bradley won Monday night’s leadership vote with an overall majority, hours after the document and a second private briefing note were delivered to group members.

Both related to Cllr Kemp’s involvement in the city’s Boot Estate fiasco in 2001.

Cllr Bradley immediately condemned the distribution of the dossier as “crass to say the least”.

The package sent to Lib-Dems contained two council reports into the failure to regenerate the Boot estate in the Norris Green district over which Cllr Kemp eventually resigned more than six years ago.

Last night Cllr Bradley said he had requested the Boot estate reports, which are available on the council’s website, because he thought the opposition were going to raise the matter in the leadership contest.

A copy of one of the reports in the anonymous dossier had been supplied to Cllr Bradley under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act late last week.

The other report in the package was a briefing note written for the then chief executive Sir David Henshaw in 2001, which Cllr Bradley said he had never seen before.

Last night Cllr Bradley said: “I did not circulate any report to Liberal Democrat members before our meeting on Monday.

“Following my re-election as Leader, I told my party colleagues that we must all concentrate on the issues that really matter for the residents of the city. I intend to do just that.”

Earlier this week he described the attempt to discredit Cllr Kemp as “crass to say the least”.

Cllr Kemp last night said Cllr Bradley “should not” have requested the reports.

“Warren should not have been doing things like this (requesting the reports) whether he sent it out or not.

“I find this whole thing very sad. I have been trying to deal with policies and programmes on the future of Liverpool and here we are mired in low-level grubby politics.

“I think every member of the council needs to reflect on how they behave.”

The controversy comes just five days after Cllr Bradley won the leadership election and to many shows that there are deep divisions among the ruling Lib-Dem administration.

A senior Lib-Dem party source last night said: “We need to start preparing for opposition.”

Cllr Bradley was challenged for the leadership by Cllr Kemp and former education supremo Paul Clein following this month’s elections.

The party had clung on to power with a majority of just one following the midnight defection of ex-Labour councilor Nadia Stewart.

Last night Labour leader Joe Anderson said: “The skullduggery and back-stabbing taking place is of a real concern for the city.

“This clearly signals that the Lib-Dems are at civil war.”

Late last week Cllr Bradley made a FOI request to Mr Hilton for reports relating to the Boot estate. He received two reports: an executive board report and scrutiny panel report.

On Monday morning, the day of the leadership election, Lib-Dem councillors received anonymously, a copy of the executive board report plus a copy of a private briefing note dated December 2001, which had not been requested by Cllr Bradley.

On Monday evening Lib-Dems voted 26 in favour of Cllr Bradley, 13 for Cllr Kemp, and seven for Cllr Clein.

Following the vote Cllr Bradley said the Lib-Dems needed to get “back to basics”.

Earlier this week Cllr Kemp said he was under no doubt the mailshot had come from within the Lib-Dems to undermine his challenge, as the labels used were virtually identical to those usually used by the party.

Last night Cllr Bradley said: “I asked the chief executive to provide me with council reports concerning the Boot estate.

“I had been reliably informed opposition councillors were inclined to raise this issue during the Lib-Dem Leadership contest.

“The two reports I received from the chief executive, an executive board report and scrutiny panel report, were both public documents which are freely available to anyone and can also be downloaded from the city council’s website.

“It is very likely many other people had copies of these reports.

“I and other Lib-Dem councillors received at home, anonymously, a copy of the executive board report plus a copy of a private briefing note dated December 2001 prepared for the former chief executive on the subject of the Boot estate. I had never seen this note prior to this.

“I did not circulate any report to Liberal Democrat members before our meeting on Monday.

“Following my re-election as Leader, I told my party colleagues that we must all concentrate on the issues that really matter for the residents of the city. I intend to do just that.”

A council spokesman confirmed that Cllr Bradley requested and was provided with two published public reports dating back to 2002 in relation to the Boot Estate. He said the leader was provided with no other information.

davidbartlett