Leahy and Heseltine draw up blueprint for Liverpool’s growth

THE GOVERNMENT has welcomed a report from Lord Heseltine and former Tesco chief Sir Terry Leahy which has drawn up a blueprint to assist growth in Liverpool’s city-region.

The report, Rebalancing Britain: Policy or Slogan?, looks at leadership issues, how changes can be implemented and spells out a number of development opportunities around the city’s port, the Mersey river and its transport network.

It argues that the government should offer practical support for the huge Atlantic Gateway scheme, which should include “senior level engagement and co-investment”.

It also said the government should ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place to support Liverpool’s renaissance as a post-Panamax European port, which would involve construction of a new £300m facility at Peel’s Seaforth port, the expansion of Stobart’s Mersey Mulitmodal Gateway at Widnes and the development of the Mersey Gateway port at Port Weston.

Furthermore, it recommends the city adopts its own directly-elected mayor, presses the case for a direct connection to Liverpool from the new High Speed 2 rail link, investment in Network Rail’s Northern Hub and for expansion of the city’s John Lennon airport.

The report will now be assessed by the city-region’s Local Enterprise Partnership, the local authorities and cities minister Greg Clark, who will work on plans for adopting some of the recommendations.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “This report is all about securing jobs and lasting growth for Liverpool. I’ve always said the secret to our economic success is people – businesses, inventors and creators.

“This hugely impressive report shows a real way forward – demonstrating how we can give the people and leaders of Liverpool the opportunity to attract new investment, start new businesses and become world leaders in industry for years to come.

“It sets a template for our other great cities to follow – and I want to thank Lord Heseltine and Sir Terry Leahy for all their hard work.”

Lord Heseltine said: “We do not skirt the serious problems that face the city but the issues of unemployment and patches of unacceptable deprivation are relevant in a national context rather than particular to Liverpool itself.

“Looking ahead a quarter of a century this is a report of optimism and potential. It could not have been written in such a spirit thirty years ago.”

Sir Terry Leahy said: “Lord Heseltine and I wanted to identify how the strengths of the city and its surrounding areas could be built on to ensure success, and help those parts that need extra support.

“We support the government’s quest to create a culture of enterprise, and we firmly believe Liverpool can play a central role to delivering that vision.”

Other proposals include setting up a task force to re-investigate the potential for a Mersey Barrage scheme, programmes to tackle the city’s worklessness problems and the adoption of a new housing strategy to reinvigorate the city’s stock.