Liverpool to open London ’embassy’

THE CITY of Liverpool is to open an embassy in London next year in a bid to to attract more inward investment.

The embassy is part of council leader Joe Anderson’s plans to promote Liverpool as a business-friendly city to prevent the city’s economy shrinking as a result of planned public sector cutbacks.

It has appointed private sector networking and lobbying group Downtown Liverpool in Business (DLIB) as the lead business partner in the initiative.

“Liverpool has taken great strides over the last 10 years, particularly with improvements to infrastructure, but we need to capitalise on developments and we must secure greater private investment to do so,” said Anderson.

“I’m confident the Liverpool embassy initiative will help us do this and while DLIB is the lead partner, we welcome input from the whole business community, to move this project forward.”

DLIB chairman Frank McKenna said: “I am really pleased to see the council driving the embassy forward. I think this is a further demonstration of Joe Anderson’s, and the new administration’s determination to engage effectively with the city’s private sector.

“The idea of a Liverpool presence in London is something that DLIB and our membership have been fully supportive of. Liverpool needs to get out there and express itself in the right way. It needs to capitalise on the cost benefits of being a provincial city.”