A FAIRER,
STRONGER,
CLEANER
CITY REGION

WHERE NO ONE
IS LEFT BEHIND.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Corporate Plan 2021-2024

Introduction

This plan is set in the context of new beginnings.

The re-election of Steve Rotheram as the City Region’s Metro Mayor commences a new Mayoral term with a clear mandate, and an ambitious Manifesto to deliver on.

We also welcome a new Chief Executive who will build on the achievements of the last four years to deliver the step change we now need to deliver in an increasingly challenging external environment.

Together, we are all adapting – in some way – to the changes brought about by a global pandemic. As an organisation, we must embrace the challenge and opportunity that change will bring as we continue to deliver for the 1.6m people who we serve.

Liverpool City Region is made up of six local authorities and is home to 1.6 million residents. We are a diverse and welcoming region, proud of our cultural vibrancy, internationally recognised brand and the significant economic progress of the previous decade.

The City Region has emerged as an internationally popular visitor destination and developed unique strengths in ground-breaking areas of material science, infectious disease control, and high-performance computing.

Long-standing roots in social innovation have flourished into a thriving social economy with a persistent focus on improving society and the City Region is positioning itself at the forefront of clean growth with ambitious plans for a net-zero carbon economy.

We must nurture these strengths as they will be so important to moving us towards our vision for the City Region.

We recognise that we cannot achieve this vision alone, but by working collaboratively, by listening to the businesses and communities we serve, and by convening the strength of our partners to deliver on our shared ambitions. This will be fundamental to our success as a Combined Authority.

Together, we can achieve our Vision: for a fairer, stronger, cleaner City Region where nobody is left behind

Foreword: Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram

I am enormously proud to have been re-elected as Metro Mayor for the best place in the world, the Liverpool City Region. After a tumultuous year, we have an enormous task ahead of us, arguably the biggest since post-war reconstruction, in rebuilding and reshaping our economy.

Working alongside the leaders of our local authorities, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the authors of the next chapter in our region’s long and storied history. It is an honour that very few people get, and we are determined that the Combined Authority will do it justice.

Based on five manifesto pledges – COVID recovery; London-style transport; Green Industrial Revolution; Young Person’s Guarantee and a Digitally Connected City Region – this plan embodies the best of our past and reflects the scale of our future ambitions.

It is our roadmap to building a region that is fairer, stronger, and cleaner – with no one left behind.

Steve Rotheram
Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region

Foreword: Deputy Metro Mayor

As leaders of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, we know there is a lot to do over the next three years to deliver even more for our residents. We are all very proud of the places we lead, and the extraordinary efforts we have all made responding to such unprecedented times.

People here have seen that devolution can really deliver and improve people’s lives, and so we must continue to work to do just that. This plan sets out what we can achieve by working together and I want us to continue to work with and listen to our communities and empower them to play an important role in its delivery.

Recovering from the pandemic, tackling inequality and dealing with the climate emergency are important to all of us. As a team, we will work together to address these issues and deliver for the 1.6million people we serve.

Cllr Janette Williamson
Deputy Metro Mayor

Foreword: LEP Chair

I’m very pleased to welcome the Combined Authority’s new three-year Corporate Plan.

This important document sets out a clear roadmap for how, between now and 2024, the Combined Authority will drive progress towards a clear vision for a fairer, stronger, cleaner Liverpool City Region, where no-one is left behind.

The City Region has made a huge amount of progress since 2017, when the Mayoral Combined Authority was established. Our economy has grown, and we have strongly increased our levels of productivity by working in partnership.

I know that by continuing to work together, we will come back stronger – and the business community has a key role to play in that.
The Local Enterprise Partnership and the Growth Platform will continue to play a key role in driving our City Region forward and achieving the ambitions set out in this Corporate Plan.

Asif Hamid MBE
Chair, Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership

Our first four years…
and beyond

We have achieved great things in our first four years as a Combined Authority and have solid foundations to build on in the future.

The City Region is an internationally popular visitor destination and has unique strengths in ground-breaking areas of material science, infectious disease control, and high-performance computing which are world-leading.

Long-standing roots in social innovation have flourished into a thriving social economy with a persistent focus on improving society. The City Region is positioning itself at the forefront of clean growth with ambitious plans for a net-zero carbon economy.

We will nurture these strengths as we move towards our vision for the City Region – a vision for a fairer, stronger, cleaner City Region where nobody is left behind.

Priority Areas

We will be recognised as a leader in social innovation and one of the most inclusive economies in the world. We will have taken proactive action to tackle inequality and provide more opportunities for all of our residents

We will be recognised on the international stage as a hub of good business and innovation. We will have secured investment to continue to develop our unique specialisms and be known for our expertise in science and innovation. There will be significantly more businesses providing good quality jobs for our residents.

We will be recognised as a pioneer in sustainable approaches to living, travel and doing business. With a relentless focus on addressing the climate emergency we will place ourselves at the forefront of the Green Industrial Revolution. We will become a UK leader in clean energy, generating power from tidal, offshore wind, and hydrogen.

We will connect all our communities to opportunity, physically and digitally. Our public transport system will be reformed, fully integrated, and provide a genuine alternative to the car and we will be the most digitally connected City Region in the UK.

We will be a great place to live, visit, work and invest. We will continue to invest in our international brand and developing a world-leading cultural offer. Our City and town centres will be creatively reimagined, providing opportunities for businesses and supporting the wellbeing of all communities

Alongside these areas, the three most pressing challenges we face are recovering from the pandemic, tackling the stark inequalities that the pandemic has not only exposed, but in many cases widened, and addressing the climate emergency.

These issues are also at the heart of the plans of each of our constituent Local Authorities, and it will take all of our co-ordinated efforts to address them.

They run through our Corporate Plan as three cross-cutting themes; recovery, equality and sustainability.

Across all five priorities, we will continue to lobby national government for further devolution, and develop compelling funding bids to secure more funding for the City Region.

This will be supported by a new Plan for Prosperity which will provide a long-term economic and place-based vision for the City Region over the next decade and beyond.

Our Corporate Plan

The Corporate Plan sets out the long-term vision for the Liverpool City Region and what the Combined Authority will do to deliver it in the next three years.

Read the Corporate Plan