A conference is taking place at the Merseyside Maritime Museum today to discuss a new report aimed at driving Liverpool’s economic growth.
The conference is to discuss the plans laid out in the report, with key Merseyside figures in attendance including Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.
It is being hosted by the University of Liverpool, and Vice Chancellor Tim Jones is also attending the event at the Royal Albert Dock.
The report recommends initial proposals to transform the following areas:
- establishing a regeneration partnership to kickstart stalled projects and rejuvenate regeneration in the city,
- piloting an integrated and data-led approach to service delivery, and
- ensuring the region capitalises on its strengths in life sciences.
The panel believes these priorities form the basis of Liverpool’s economic strategy in the coming decade, and the potential outcomes will be set out in the panel’s final report.
Steve Rotheram said: “This report is a culmination of months of engagement and evidence gathering with the people who know our area best.
“Those discussions gave us a much clearer picture of the direction local people believe the city is going in, and the areas where we need to steer the ship to keep things heading in the right direction.
“The report doesn’t claim to have all the answers.”
He added: “Liverpool has all the ingredients of a fantastic, truly global city. Through the panel’s work, we want to help the city seize the major opportunities that lie ahead and and ensuring that all our residents can share in the benefits this will bring.”
However, issues remain. Productivity lags behind the national average, earnings are lower, and there is an over-reliance on low productivity sectors. By adding productivity levels to the UK average, it is estimated that £4.5bn could be added to Liverpool’s economy per annum.
Mayor Rotheram is joined on the panel by two major local government figures, Baroness Judith Blake and Sir Howard Bernstein.
Watch our video report by the MerseyNewsLive reporting team Lana Ogley, George Morris and Abigail Ford:
Featured image (c) Lana Ogley
