A blow for the Eldonians: ‘They rubber-stamped the very system they said was broken’

Dear readers — only three sleeps to go before the big day! It’s Abi here wishing you all a great Christmas — thank you for your support throughout 2025. As many of you know, The Post is a miniscule operation: it’s me and my colleague Laurence running things for the most part, and while he’s been off on paternity leave I’ve been sailing the ship alone, fuelled on black coffee, cigarettes and a growing sense of panic. 

It’s safe to say I’m looking forward to his return in the New Year. But it’s been a joy publishing some brilliant investigations and cultural reads over the last four weeks. And I think it’s a testament to what The Post can achieve with such a tiny team. 

I wanted to ask for a small gift from you all before I log off for my Christmas break. I’m desperately hoping to hit 2,000 paid subscribers before 2025 is over. Currently we’re about 40 members off that goal. There’s even a snazzy tracker on our website, ticking upwards. So, can you help us hit our target and secure the future of independent journalism in Merseyside?

The big story: ‘They rubber-stamped the very system they said was broken’

Top line: Despite concerns over “serious governance failings” and “potential conflicts of interest”, last week the government’s Regulator of Social Housing abruptly announced they’d be closing their investigation into the Eldonian Community Based Housing Association (ECBHA) — one of the organisations central to the Eldonian Village saga. 

The decision has left residents reeling, with one telling The Post: “If this is what the regulator calls independence,  they’re not listening to Eldonian residents.”

Context: The Eldonian Village grew out of one of the most remarkable regeneration movements in the country. In the mid-1980s, Liverpool residents—led by campaigner Tony McGann—came together to transform derelict land in Vauxhall into a new community of affordable homes. 

Housing associations, cooperatives and community bodies were formed to deliver the vision, including what is now known as the ECBHA. The ECBHA was responsible for managing the homes in the Eldonian Village, and ensuring the community remained at the heart of decision-making. 

However, over time residents felt its governance weakened and oversight diminished. Instead of broad community representation, influence increasingly concentrated among a small circle of individuals involved in various Eldonian-linked organisations. 

These individuals included ECBHA chairman Lee Gwynn — a former nightclub doorman and associate of Tony McGann’s son, Anthony McGann Jr — and operations officer Michael Wood, a business partner of both Gwynn and McGann Jr.

The Regulator of Social Housing opened an inquiry into the ECBHA in 2021, publicly identifying “serious governance failings” and issues concerning “potential conflicts of interest” in relation to its board members.

“Deeply distressing”: Residents hoped the investigation would lead to practical reform, however last week the case was closed without any changes made to the ECBHA’s board. Lord Rennard MBE, the chair of the Eldonian Community Trust, told The Post: “The people of Eldonian Village have the right to expect transparent, accountable housing governance. That expectation has not been met by this decision.” 

In the days since the announcement, Lord Rennard has also submitted a written Parliamentary Question to the government, asking what safeguards exist to prevent individuals with governance concerns from leading social housing providers – and whether those have been applied in this case.

The Regulator of Social Housing will also not be publishing a final report explaining their decision due to the ECBHA having less than 1,000 homes — despite the fact over 75% of registered housing providers have less than 1,000 homes.

“It is so deeply distressing to see the regulator close its case without resolving the very issues that caused residents so much fear in the first place,” Maureen Price, a long-time resident of the Eldonian Village, says. “The people of this village deserve transparency, fairness and honesty from the organisations that make decisions about their lives.”

In response to the announcement, chairman Lee Gwynn published a statement on the ECBHA’s website, thanking the Regulator of Social Housing for their decision. “This achievement symbolises our sustained and renewed commitment to transparency, strong financial controls, excellent governance… and clear accountability,” he wrote.

Bottom line: Over the weekend residents told The Post they feel upset by the decision. “The regulator didn’t regulate. They rubber-stamped the very system they said was broken,” William Little, whose father was a founding member of the village, says. “If the regulator had spent time listening to residents, this decision would look very different. We won’t stop speaking up.”

Catch up on our investigations into the Eldonian Village here.

Your festive reading recommendations:

• Over the weekend, David Lloyd published a fascinating deep dive into how Liverpool invented Christmas – kind of. Every ingredient that made the Victorian Christmas table special – the raisins, the exotic spices, the candied peel, the sugar, the brandy and rum – comes from other countries.  And in the 1840s, almost all of it was unloaded right here on Liverpool’s docks. 

How Liverpool invented Christmas

Every Christmas pudding tells a story of Liverpool’s innovation, enterprise and ambition — with a large helping of exploitation too. Did our modern Christmas start in our docks?

The PostDavid Lloyd

• On the topic of brilliant Christmas pieces by David, back in 2022 he wrote a lovely dispatch on London Road, looking back at fond childhood memories of TJ’s. For those of you who weren’t Post subscribers back then, make sure you read that gorgeous piece of writing here. 

• And who could forget Laurence’s heart-breaking piece about the Whitechapel centre from last year? The homelessness charity was robbed right before Christmas in 2024, and Laurence paid them a visit to find out how the lack of emergency accommodation in the city is affecting our most vulnerable. Read that here.

Your Post briefing

A must read piece by the BBC on the Liverpool parade attacker: “To his close friends and family, Paul Doyle was a "diamond". A dependable, generous and successful father-of-three. To his 134 victims — the babies, children and adults mown down at the Liverpool FC victory parade on 26 May — he represents sheer terror”, writes Jonny Humphries. In the piece, he reveals that Doyle (who was jailed for 21 years earlier this month) had racked up a series of convictions including for serious violence. This included a 12-month prison sentence for causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) without intent, after a drunken fight in a Lancashire pub ended with Doyle biting the ear off a sailor. He had also been convicted of another GBH offence over a drunken nightclub brawl.

The festive figures are in: Liverpool city council issued more than 25,000 parking fines during December between 2022 and 2024, generating close to £1 million in revenue for the council during the festive period. The data — part of a national study by Marshall Motor — shows that December parking fines in Liverpool have risen sharply year on year, with 25,507 issued over the last three Christmas periods. The statistics are as follows:

• 2022: 6,330 fines
• 2023: 9,460 fines
• 2024: 9,717 fines

Across the three years, this equates to over £960,000 in parking fine revenue for the council. The data also revealed the locations where drivers were most likely to receive a parking fine during December. Duke Street consistently emerged at the top of the list, along with Seel Street, Stanley Street, North John Street and Gilman Street. 

And Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet has appeared in a music video alongside anonymous Merseyside rapper EsDeeKid. Rumours have long been circling that Chalamet is the person behind the mask, however that theory has now well and truly been squashed. EsDeeKid was named one of the year's breakout stars in 2024 by Pitchfork Magazine following the release of his single "Bally", and he released his debut album, Rebel, in June this year. While he raps in a Scouse accent, EsDeeKid's real identity remains unknown — he covers his face with a balaclava and keeps all his personal information a secret. 

Poem of the week

Snow fell the night before

so now the floor is white,

wooden poles line a path,

damp and cracked.

It’s two feet deep,

a perfect sheet.

Grey trees clad with cold

show this season’s weight,

an ephemeral scene,

short but lived.

It’s two feet deep,

a perfect sheet.

Proof that winter will arrive.

Proof that autumn always dies.

The earth asks:

“Where is spring?”

Crisp and clean

it waits beneath the snow.

— Snow by Ryan Murphy

Ryan Murphy is a singer-songwriter and painter currently based in Chester. His poems and short fiction have been published by the Singapore-based blog, Eunoia Review, as well as Liverpool’s Bido Lito! Magazine and Urbanista Magazine.

Ryan’s paintings can be viewed on Instagram (@ryanmurphytube), and his lyrics can be heard by searching for his band, Hooton Tennis Club.