The Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel, chaired by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, has set out its vision to reboot the city’s economy. The Business Desk reports that the panel was set up in 2022 to address issues raised in the review of the City Council.
The panel has received £31m of government funding to help get various paused regeneration projects back on their feet. As well as supporting regeneration, the new long-term strategy aims to reform public services so they are fit for purpose, and boost the blossoming knowledge and innovation economy in Liverpool.
Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter (KQ) has been a success story of recent years, which encompasses Liverpool Science Park and the Bioinnovation Centre, as well as university campuses, laboratories, office space, and medical research centres. There are already world-class facilities for life sciences, materials chemistry, and AI technology.
Steve Rotheram said: “This report is a culmination of nearly two years of hard work and collaboration. While we engaged with people from a range of experience and backgrounds, we were united in a common mission: ensuring that the city we love has a long term plan for success.
“Crucially, our work has not just focused on the city centre – we wanted to come up with a plan that will enable the whole of the city to succeed, particularly areas in North Liverpool that, for far too long, have been held back by a lack of ambition backed by funding.
“Our plan sets out a roadmap to accelerate growth, create jobs for local people and get the entire city’s economy back on track.”
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, added: “Unlocking the potential of cities like Liverpool is essential to driving productivity and levelling up.”
A new Regeneration Partnership will be established to oversee the plans and identify new opportunities within the city.