ECONOMIC POWER OF LIVERPOOL CHAMBER MEMBERS “CANNOT

BE OVERSTATED”, SAY POLITICAL LEADERS

Liverpool businesses have an opportunity to lead and amplify the city region’s opportunities for economic growth.

That was the message from Mayor Steve Rotheram and Liverpool City Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson as they met with a group of Liverpool Chamber members, who posed questions of the two senior political leaders on a range of matters including transport, innovation, procurement and planning.

The Executive Network Lunch at Liverpool’s Municipal Hotel began with a message of congratulations and support to Liverpool Chamber on its 175th Anniversary. Cllr Robinson said: “Happy Birthday and heartfelt thanks to Liverpool Chamber, which continues to be the trusted voice of business in this city and has recorded a series of achievements over that time.”

In their opening remarks, both were keen to underscore the city region’s growth opportunities and the importance of a united approach between the public and private sector.

Cllr Robinson said: “We must acknowledge the challenges in the city around relatively lower productivity, imbalanced education outcomes and health disparities which hold back our communities. However, we also have lots of opportunities to get excited about, from more traditional strengths such as maritime or tourism, to digital and creative industries, or health and life sciences, where we have a European scale cluster of significance.

Mayor Rotheram said: “As the former council offices, this building is where my political career began. Throughout that time, I can safely say that this current crop of leaders is the best we have had in the city region. We are all committed to having honest conversations and demonstrating confidence in the future among our communities. It’s really important that we talk up opportunities and job creation, and I would urge businesses to do the same.”

Alison Lobb, chair of Liverpool Chamber and managing partner at Morecrofts Solicitors, began by saying: “As businesses, we each understand the importance of a growth economy. What can we do as a Chamber to work with you and support your ambitions to create that essential growth in the city region?”

Cllr Robinson replied by saying: “We are the usual suspects, the government expects to hear positive things from us. When you consider that the city has more than 14,000 registered businesses, which account for more than 40% of the regional economy, the impact of an organisation such as the Chamber cannot be overstated.”

Mayor Rotheram agreed, saying: “Naturally, I speak to the Cabinet regularly about Liverpool, but it’s so much more powerful when the government hears it from you, the business community. This government is pro-good business but every city will claim it is the best, so it’s vital that we are able to articulate our own points of difference. The voice of business can amplify this.”

The next question came from Matt Breakwell at Kimpton, who asked: “Procurement processes from one public sector organisation to the next can be incredibly varied and uneven. How can we ensure ESG considerations continue to be even more prominent in procurement processes moving forward?”

Mayor Rotheram said: “A key part of my role is to win funding pots from central government that you as businesses can feed into via organisations such as Liverpool Chamber. An example of this is retrofitting, which expanded to a £110m pot - we want to get as much of that into the local supply chain as possible.

“The Fair Employment Charter is important as it requires businesses to undertake a number of obligations including paying the National Living Wage and investing in Apprenticeships. Procurement is very much led by legal considerations, and we clearly cannot just decide who wins a contract simply because they are local. However, we also combine the precept and other funding, and if local businesses want to be a part of that, they must sign up to the Charter.

“We can also give preference to businesses on the basis of social value, even if they are not the lowest cost applicant, so I would encourage businesses to focus on aspects of genuine social value in their bids. This mirrors the Public Sector Procurement Principles.”

Cllr Robinson added: “Let’s make sure we are shouting about good examples and hope that best practice becomes adopted by all local authorities. We have signed up to the Fair Employment Charter without hesitation as we recognise that it’s really effective. I would encourage others to do the same.”

Sue Hine, from Manufacturing Technology Centre, posed the question: “While we clearly have strengths in the city and city region, and there is much to be excited about, do we need to strengthen our supply chain?”

Mayor Rotheram replied: “I really do think we have many strengths within our supply chain, for example in the space industry, but it’s also important that we don’t pretend that we are good at everything. Rather we should focus on our fortes and that approach is helping us to be taken more seriously by Whitehall.

“Health and life sciences, backed by Innovation Zone funding, and AI where we’ve recently secured investment in 1,000 jobs from Kyndryl, are opportunities to make major inroads. The Freeport is another example - not many locations can claim to welcome imports of materials, contribute to the manufacture of products and then export those products, all without any tariffs.

“Let’s really accentuate the positives, create that positive narrative and look toward a brighter economic future for the city region.”

Cllr Robinson added: “It’s also important to remember how strong the Liverpool brand is. The Royal Society Arts published a report last year which showed Liverpool is the 10th most recognised non-capital city in the world. The question should be, how do we leverage that?”

Turning to transport, Nick Smith from Avanti West Coast, asked: “Many businesses rely on roads, rail, buses and other transport. What are your plans to further invest in transport infrastructure in the city and city region?”

Cllr Liam Robinson responded by saying: “There is no doubt that an efficient transport system can support economic growth. Merseyrail is one of the best in the UK, despite its occasional problems, but we know we need to do more on a number of fronts.

“At Liverpool Central, we are exploring improvements to the aesthetic of the site and also how to provide more services and serve more passengers. We are also investigating what’s possible at Moorfields station to create a modern welcome to the Commercial District, and how this is potentially linked to opportunities at Pall Mall.

“Avanti is already increasing the regularity of its services, with a number of half hourly services now in place and more to come.

Much of our infrastructure only deals with existing demand, while decisions around HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail can sap confidence. The proposed LiverpoolManchester Railway Board shows the power of devolved powers to make things happen at a local level. Rather than just asking the government for money, there are other routes, including land value capture. Let’s make long term investments.

“Freight services are also important, especially in a post-Brexit climate, and we need to move more goods. Liverpool is responsible for 45% of imports and exports with the Americas. The port has lots of capacity but we need more land-based capacity. Investment in the roads and rail infrastructure can be a key economic driver.”

Mayor Rotheram added: “We would also like to expand our devolved powers to the control of stations. If a station makes additional money through commercial opportunities such as advertising or using the adjacent land, we can reinvest that profit locally. Under national control, it simply goes back into the wider pot.

“We also need greater connections from Liverpool to Manchester, including Manchester Airport. We could benefit from a redistribution of slots where Manchester becomes more international and Liverpool carries more European traffic. We are always looking at the bigger picture to see where we can improve things here in the Liverpool City Region.”

Paul Cherpeau, chief executive of Liverpool Chamber, completed the session, saying:

“It is great for our members to have the opportunity to ask questions directly and reinforce our shared commitment to working with policymakers on these important issues. The Chamber’s awards focus on innovation, recognising that sectoral opportunity for growth, while our leading role in the Local Skills Improvement Plan offers an opportunity for employers’ voices to be heard.”

He then posed one final question: “How do you envisage further devolution helping to improve our economic picture?”

Cllr Robinson said: “Devolution and the advent of a Metro Mayor means we can get audiences at senior national and international level that a traditional local authority may not realistically be able to command.

“This government wants to be stable and predictable and work with our city. That approach is exemplified in a new pilot on temporary accommodation for homeless people, showing we are at the leading edge of public services.”

Mayor Rotheram added: “While there is lots of room for optimism in the city region, I have also been clear with the government that there needs to be reform to the Green Book to allow substantial improvements in regional investment.

“The River Mersey is extremely powerful, which is helped by its unique shape with a tight mouth and wider basin. Not only could a Mersey tidal barrier boost our economic fortunes, but it could also enhance the UK’s energy security, which remains as relevant as ever given what’s happening around the world.

“We must look at the big ideas for the future of the city region. LCR Connect is an example of this and moreover when you think of the transatlantic cable connecting from Southport into Boston. Where else can boast these types of features? Let’s maximise that.

“While we must recognise that trading conditions are difficult at the moment, there is also plenty to be excited about as a city region and we look forward to working alongside Liverpool Chamber members to make those opportunities a reality.”