Joe Anderson - The Interview

Tell us about your background.

One of six brothers and sisters, I grew up in a tenement in the city centre, called Kent Gardens, which has since been demolished. I’m not ashamed to say that I was brought up in poverty, my father was unemployed as a consequence of being an alcoholic, the family struggled to make ends meet and we relied heavily on help from social services. Sadly domestic violence was a frequent occurrence within our family from an early age. I remember having numerous paper rounds as a way to help my mum put food on the table. Looking back at these times still shakes me but I’m pleased to have persevered through and it’s helped me tackle poverty head on for the people of Liverpool.

I attended St. Martins secondary school and left with no qualifications whatsoever. With such an uninhabited cv one of the few options was to join the Merchant Navy so I signed up to see the world at the age of sixteen. During this time I witnessed a lot, when in Poland I saw the people overthrow the military as a result of solidarity and in South Africa witnessed apartheid first hand. These experiences coupled with reading endless biographies taught me a great deal about the relationship between the people and governments.

After coming out of the Navy I worked on Belfast ferries for 8 years which is where I met my wife. A friend of mine told me she fancied me, so after plucking up the courage I eventually asked her out and I’m proud to say I’ve been married to Marg for 39 years.

I then decided upon a complete change in direction and ran a pub for 5 years whilst studying Labour History part time. Upon leaving the pub game I followed my passion and studied Social Work at Liverpool John Moores University which gave me a great foundation for moving forward as a fully qualified social worker for Sefton Council.

During that time, I was elected to the Council in 1998, became leader of the Labour Group in 2004, Leader of the Council in 2010 and eventually became the first elected Mayor of Liverpool in 2012. Needless to say that was an incredibly proud moment in my life, I love my city and its people and I’m not ashamed of being emotional about it. Every day I feel so proud that the people have bestowed this honour onto me and I do my best to serve them well.

My mantra is that the best days for Liverpool lie ahead.

Some people forget that the council operates as a business, and our customers are the people, the basis of every decision made is to drive Liverpool forward, protect our most vulnerable and allow our most ambitious to prosper.

Guilty Pleasure

Watching Everton and spending time with the family. After exhausting 13 hour days it’s a pleasure coming home to my wife, she really is my rock. Without her I simply couldn’t do what I do, she’s really trying to make me give up chocolate but it’s proving rather hard!

Being with the grandkids brings me so much happiness, I love watching them grow up and develop as people.

First Job

My 2 paper rounds.

Best book you’ve read.

When I was a social worker I would be working with children with some real problems and would encourage them to read To Kill A Mockingbird, it’s about hope, standing up to racism and its got principles enshrined in it, all the things I believe in.

Pinch yourself moment?

I’ve been fortunate enough to have met The Queen about ten times, she once sat next to me we had lunch in the town hall.

Actually there was a funny moment looking back, we were in that yellow duck bus on the Albert Dock with The Queen and Prince Phillip… The following week it sank!

Biggest misconception about you?

Things like the ‘brown envelope’ comments and some of the vile comments across social media aren’t fair or accurate. I live in a terrace house in Old Swan, 3 of my children live in Old Swan and it’s our home. I’m a scouser that wants the best for his people.

What’s the biggest thing holding Liverpool back?

Government investment. If we had the money we’ve lost, which is over £400 million, imagine what we could do for the city with that? Although we don’t want to go to the government cap-in-hand because Liverpool is a city that has always stood on its own two feet.

However, with 1 in 3 children living in poverty within Liverpool we can’t do it all ourselves. Unfortunately there’s a lot of unequal funding that happens but we will never give up the fight. The challenge for me moving forward is to talk to the new government and cement a solid relationship with them on behalf of the city. We have already invited Boris to Liverpool and he will come soon enough. Liverpool is a diverse city and we’re great at adapting to any situation put in front of us.

Liverpool remained a Labour stronghold during the general election, do you see that changing over the coming 12 months?

No, Liverpool understands the problems it faces and will work hard to overcome these hurdles. What I believe is sensible socialism, an ethical public sector working alongside the private sector.

We’ve seen a real surge of new residential developments come to Liverpool, can this continue?

Yes, absolutely. We not only want accommodation for people who live in the city but we want people to come and enjoy what Liverpool has to offer and then return.

We all want the city to grow in every way and it’s important we capitalise on the opportunities in front of us and project Liverpool onto the global stage.

When you do step down as Liverpool Mayor, what legacy do you want to leave behind/be best known for?

Just that we sowed the seeds and the city will flourish, want to be seen as someone who laid the foundations for a global city. We’re moving in the right direction. Things like The Giants, football, the continued rise in tourism and the new developments. We have the ingredients to make this city a player on the world stage.

How do you switch off?

Time with the family

What makes you a Trailblazer?

Gordon Brown once said to me I’m the most authentic politician and the strongest voice for the North. Im a working class lad who’s become mayor of one of best cities in the world. I don’t give up, anything is possible.

Thanks to Joe for sparing some time out of his day to sit with us.