Liverpool defers $729,500 library funding while carrying over $21.95m in works

Liverpool City Council has deferred a proposed $729,500 allocation for Libraries and Museum Services while approving the transfer of $21,951,275 in unspent capital-works funding into 2026-27.

The library and museum allocation comprises $658,500 from the General Fund and $71,000 from the s.7.11 Reserve. Councillors voted unanimously on 26 August to defer the proposal to the next Governance Committee meeting, where its effect on cash reserves and the long-term financial plan will be considered.

The alternate motion was moved by Cr Harte and seconded by Mayor Mannoun. It noted that the council report described the allocation as having no financial implications and directed further modelling before the funding is reconsidered.

The separate capital-works resolution transfers the remaining budgets from the 2025-26 program year to 2026-27 for the works and services listed in Attachment 1.

The alternate motion also directed the chief executive officer to report on controls to prevent major errors or omissions in future budget processes and to implement zero-based budgeting for future budget processes.

The additional library and museum funding has not been approved. A report on the cash-reserve and long-term-financial-plan impacts is due at the next Governance Committee meeting.

The capital-works carryover was one of several infrastructure decisions made by the council, but the two funding questions had different outcomes: the $21.95 million transfer was approved, while the extra Libraries and Museum Services allocation remains unresolved.