‘Super-region’ plan to aid recovery is signed by PM

Jan 12 2009 by Rob Merrick, Liverpool Daily Post

A LANDMARK deal to be signed by Gordon Brown today will promise Liverpool a “homegrown plan” for economic recovery, with dramatic extra spending power.

The city’s bid to create a ”city-region” – in partnership with Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton authorities – will be sealed at a Downing Street ceremony.

The so-called “multi-area agreement” (MAA) will allow the councils to pool budgets to provide more muscle to deliver big improvements in job creation, skills and training.

It also enters the Liverpool city-region in the race for extra powers over transport, housebuilding and regeneration. Only two of around ten areas will be picked to pioneer that next devolution drive.

The importance of today’s agreement will be made clear by the Prime Minister’s decision to sign it himself at No.10, instead of delegating the task to a Cabinet minister.

Key players from Merseyside, including local councillors, academics, voluntary groups and private sector representatives from The Mersey Partnership, will gather in Downing Street to witness Mr Brown’s signature.

Speaking yesterday, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said the recession had made it even more important that councils had the powers, skills and financial resources to fight back.

She added: “Nearly all of us work and live across council boundaries, which means delivering local economic growth needs a team effort.’’

That message was echoed by Cllr Ron Round, leader of Knowsley Council, who said: “It makes absolute sense that we share our resources and expertise to work towards a solution that is right for the whole city region.

“We don’t just want to ‘survive’ the downturn – we want to thrive. We can achieve that by working together to get people into employment and raise the skills levels of our citizens over the coming years.”

Cllr Round will be the chairman of a cross-boundary “Cabinet” of leading councillors, in the biggest shake-up in local decision-making since the 1974 reorganisation of town halls.

Its first task will be to set up an “Employment and Skills Board” with major employers, to tackle the long-term jobless problem that has left almost 175,000 people on out-of-work benefits across the city-region.