Devolution Bid For Merseyside
Business leaders and politicians in Liverpool have put forward a bid to get Merseyside more power away from central government over things like health, finances and the transport network. A letter is being submitted this Friday ahead of the Chancellor's Spending Review in November. The Federation of Small Businesses has released the key principles to us: "Urging local representatives to ensure ongoing communication and engagement with the wider private sector, and embrace an evidence-based approach in negotiations with government to provide assurance and due diligence over the powers being negotiated, several key principles inform the joint submission:
- The creation of an appropriate direct investment mechanism for creating or scaling businesses that is reflective of a business-friendly culture designed to attract and retain enterprises in the city region.
- Improved local coordination and simplification of business support that eliminates silos and bureaucracy, enabling businesses to access bespoke expertise and have consistency of service.
- Greater coordination and adaptability of the delivery of local education and adult skills to enable the existing and future working population to be suitably prepared for jobs in our economy.
- Delivering critical improvements to transport connectivity including freight access to the Port of Liverpool via rail and road, improved passenger connectivity to Liverpool John Lennon airport and better connectivity to other city regions in the UK, particularly those comprising the Northern Powerhouse and M62 corridor.
- Having an outstanding digital infrastructure that recognises the critical role of technology in business and the associated competitive advantage the relevant equipment, expertise and applications provide to our city region in an increasingly competitive and globalised market.
Leveraging the power of the River Mersey to form a critical element of an energy strategy that enables our city region to be resilient and, ultimately, self-sufficient.
Chris Burgess, Chairman of the Merseyside, West Cheshire and Wigan region of the Federation of Small Businesses
“We are being presented with a rare opportunity to take control of our own destiny so it is important that we get our submission right.
“It is essential that the views of the private sector, the region’s wealth creators, are made central to the Combined Authority’s proposals so that the powers and form of governance we end up with become a catalyst to making Liverpool City Region the best place to start and grow a business.
“I am delighted that the region’s leading business organisations have come together to present a united front on devolution. Now it is up to the Combined Authority, and indeed the Government, to make it happen.”
Frank McKenna, Chief Executive of Downtown in Business Liverpool
“There is a genuine appetite among the business community to see a devolution deal agreed with government. In particular, we see this as an opportunity to utilise increasingly reduced resources more effectively; streamline what is an overly bureaucratic and confusing governance landscape that exists in the city region; and hopefully provide the private sector with a bigger voice in how we can grow the regions’ economy in the future.”