An ambitious roadmap to support the long-term future of Liverpool has been published by the Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel.
The panel is chaired by the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and has released its initial findings for how the city can change beyond the government’s intervention measures. This plan for reform was developed after six months of stakeholder engagement, with the aim of supporting Liverpool to become stronger and more sustainable.
Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said:
“I am pleased to support this report, which outlines the huge opportunities for Liverpool. Working in partnership with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, other stakeholders, and businesses, we are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to improve our city.
“In recent decades, there have been great strides in making Liverpool a fantastic place to live, work and visit. Now it is time to accelerate our work, moving it to the next level, making sure we deliver for all of our residents.”
Through the roadmap, the board has identified three main priorities for the city over the course of the next decade. These are to reboot the regeneration of Liverpool, reform 21st century public service, and turbocharge the innovation economy. These priorities are accompanied by three recommendations for transformation:
- Ensuring that the region is able to capitalise on its strengths in life sciences, whilst using its Investment Zone status to accelerate growth in the knowledge quarter and widen the spread of benefits.
- Establishing a regeneration partnership, with this kickstarting projects that have stalled, and rejuvenating the city’s regeneration.
- Piloting a data-led approach to service delivery, with a focus on multiple complex needs. This brings the potential to establish an Office for Public Service Innovation, which would be a first of its kind.
As part of the report, an in-depth analysis of Liverpool’s economy has been provided, with strengths being listed that include the appeal of tourism in the city, an increasing student population and developing strengths in life sciences, advanced manufacturing and more. There are still weaknesses that remain, however, with productivity sitting behind the national average, earnings being lower, and an over-reliance on sectors with low productivity.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, also 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.
“This report doesn’t claim to have all the answers, it’s just part of the solution to the puzzle to revitalising Liverpool’s economy. At this stage, our priority is planting the seeds for leadership and supporting sustainable growth for the long term, some of which we have already seen with new leadership at the council.
“Liverpool has all the right 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 ensuring that all our residents can share in the benefits this will bring.
Image credit: iStock
