Liverpool FC blasted by local councillor in rapidly deleted social media post

Liverpool City Councillor Ellie Byrne hit out at the club after they said they would like to keep a portion of Anfield Road permanently shut outside the famous stadium

Liverpool FC have been accused of "trying to dictate how the area looks and operates" by a city councillor - after the club expressed its desire to keep part of a road outside their famous stadium permanently closed.

Councillor Ellie Byrne, representing Everton East ward, revealed she has penned a "lengthy and strong email" to the club regarding the matter. The club have sent out letters to local residents, informing them about a consultation period for several proposals that could impact the neighbourhood. This includes plans to keep a small section of Anfield Road closed even after the completion of the Anfield Road expansion project.

The particular stretch of road runs adjacent to the stadium and has been closed for three years due to ongoing construction work. The club has raised concerns over the road's accessibility if it were to be fully reopened, suggesting that pedestrianisation would be more beneficial.

Additionally, the club is seeking locals' opinions on potential changes to the timeframe for summer concerts at Anfield. Currently, an agreement with Liverpool City Council allows only six live events outside of the football season to take place at the stadium.

In recent times, Anfield has hosted performances from stars like Taylor Swift, Pink and Elton John, with Dua Lipa scheduled to bring her global tour to the stadium next summer. Currently, an agreement with local residents ensures a 31-day respite period during which no live events are held at Anfield, typically spanning the month of July.

The club has proposed that while maintaining the 31-day break, it could be shifted to between mid-July and mid-August to accommodate early July concerts. Cllr Byrne expressed her dissatisfaction with these plans on social media platform X yesterday. She stated: "Yesterday evening Everton and Anfield councillors received an email to inform us that LFC are planning to put a planning application in to 'pedestrianise parts of Anfield road'. Proving once again LFC are trying to dictate how our area looks and operates like, on the basis of their match days and tourism."

In a now-deleted post, she further added: "Let me be clear a resident and local councillor, I will completely and utterly fight against this planning application and oppose it wholeheartedly." She accused the club of shirking "no responsibility" for the area's appearance, stating: "A corporation that is making millions of pounds of profit out of our area should have social responsibility to the area and residents. I know other football clubs do. Stop treating our area with contempt."

Cllr Byrne has raised concerns that the ongoing pedestrianisation of Anfield Road could be seen as a broken promise by the club, given that residents were expecting it to reopen fully. She warned: "We know what the original promise was, via Anfield Road so are you now not keeping it? I can ensure you residents will be angry at even the suggestion of it."

During a visit to the area, the Liverpool Echo found that local residents are indeed worried about the potential plans. However, LFC has clarified that these are just proposals at this stage and the consultation is aimed at gathering feedback from locals.

Lifelong resident Sue Humphreys expressed her frustration, saying: "I don't think anybody who doesn't actually live here realises the impact it has on the houses and family life. I don't know why they're saying they're just keeping that little bit [of Anfield Road] closed.

"They may as well close the whole bloody lot because you can't go anywhere. I'm cross about that. I mean, they told us at the beginning when they started the consultations, that was one of the major things that people spoke about, having that road reopened, and they said 'oh, yes, it will be reopened'."

Some locals are actually welcoming the buzz of the concerts. Iain King, 71, said: "We've been here since 2013. To be truthful, the concerts aren't bad at all, you get things like that everywhere and it allows people to enjoy themselves. They come, they go, and there's no problem.

"You have to think of the area, they come and bring their money here. Without them half the shops wouldn't be here, the pubs, the lot." LFC has reached out to residents for their thoughts on proposals to keep Anfield Road closed, adjust the break period between the season and concerts, and potentially host a major event at Anfield stadium in early July 2025.