A pioneering board which will ensure that fairness and social justice inform everything that the Liverpool City Region does, met for the first time on Thursday, 25 January 2018.

The Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board, established by Steve Rotheram, is made up of representatives from across all elements of society, and is the first of its kind in the country.

Whilst other local authorities have established commissions to look into justice, fairness, poverty and related areas, all of these have produced a one-off series of recommendations and then been disbanded.

The Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board will be the first to exist as a permanent body, providing an independent sounding board, to ensure that issues of fairness and social justice are considered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as part of its decision-making and policy development process.

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said:

“Establishing this board was a cornerstone of my manifesto.  My ambition is to drive transformational change for the city region, to create prosperity and opportunities for all, and that has to be underpinned by the principles of justice and fairness.

“I am deeply grateful for all of the people who have agreed to serve on the Board, and to Lynn Collins for agreeing to be its chair.  They genuinely reflect the diversity of the city region and I am relying on them to hold the Combined Authority to account, to act as a critical friend, and to tell me if they feel that we are doing the wrong thing.

“This is a different way of doing business which is why I was insistent that this be a permanent, standing board, rather than a one-off piece of work. I want the board to be deeply embedded in the work of the combined authority to ensure that fairness and justice underpin everything that we do.”

New fairness tsar Lynn Collins said:

“I was really pleased to be asked to take on this role and I am even more excited to be getting started.  I know that Steve shares commitment to ensuring that economic growth benefits everyone in our society and leaves no-one behind.

“Fairness and social justice needs to extend across our entire region in workplaces and throughout our communities. It should mean great jobs and education for all. The advisory board’s role will be to ensure that no-one in the Combined Authority loses sight of that.  The real work starts now.”