Liverpool Vision beats targets

LIVERPOOL Vision, the city’s economic development arm, has beaten its job creation and business start-up targets for the year to March.

In its annual review it said it helped to create 615 jobs against a target of 531 and “generated” 135 businesses, ahead of a target of 120.

It also said it attracted £30m of investment during the period.

Chief executive Max Steinberg said his organisation had attracted a further £15m of investment since March and created more than 500 jobs. Mayor Joe Anderson has now set out new targets for 2013-16 which are: the creation of 5,400 jobs, 540 new businesses, and inward investment of £500m.

Liverpool Vision has also been working on the International Festival for Business, a 60-day event which will be held in Liverpool and elsewhere in the region next summer.

This, together with a pre-cursor event called Accelerate in June and last year’s Global Enterpreneurship Congress are all part of a plan to raise the city’s profile internationally and set out its stall as a business-friendly location of investment.

Liverpool Vision’s chief executive Max Steinberg said: “This is a clear message that as the Mayor’s economic development company we are doing our day-to-day work very effectively. We have managed this despite the very difficult economic environment and at a time when cites are under pressure to perform and lead the way.  We achieved this by being very clear about our priorities, top of which is helping the private sector to create jobs and to attract investment.

“We know that there is still much to be done to improve the quality of Liverpool’s physical and business environment, to help emerging high value sectors realise their potential, to promote innovation and competitiveness and support business in creating jobs and wealth, as well as to continue the progress being made in the North and South of the city.

“Accordingly our success has given us the confidence to aim for even more ambitious targets for the next three years. We have already made a good start with early indications in quarter one showing we have attracted £15m of investment and helped to create more than 500 jobs. We will build on this in the year ahead.”

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