Steve Rotheram has unveiled his plans to revitalise town centres across the Liverpool City Region in a major speech at a conference reflecting on the impact of devolution since the formation of the Combined Authority.

In a speech, the Metro Mayor emphasised his commitment to ensuring all communities across the city region benefit from devolution, as he announced a £6m Town Centre Fund. The fund, which will allocate £1m per borough, will form a key part of a new commission designed to support the long-term success of the city region’s town centres.

The Commission will work closely with local authorities, the Combined Authority’s investment team and the local community to agree which towns to focus the fund on; produce plans for how each area’s towns can thrive over the next 20 years, and explore how local authorities can capitalise on funding available from the CA.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region, told the conference:

“Liverpool city centre is the economic engine of our city region and we will continue to support its development with strategic investments, like those we are making to support the knowledge quarter and the new cruise liner terminal. But just as we must help our city to succeed, we must also ensure that every part of our region thrives as well. Across our region so many of our towns have untapped potential. Our high streets face new challenges, with new technologies and changing customer habits, and must change in order to survive.

“That is why I am announcing the formation of a new Town Centre Commission. The Commission will work with our local authorities to produce long-term investment plans for how each area’s towns can thrive over the next 20 years. I can also announce that I am pre-allocating £6m of funding – up to £1m for each borough – to the first round of my Town Centre Fund. This is a clear signal that I will ensure that the benefits of devolution really are passed on to every part of our city region.”