HE Mersey Partnership was founded in 1992 “to promote by the cooperation of all interested parties, the economic, cultural and social well-being” of the Liverpool city region.
In its early years, just 10 people worked for the organisation.
Today, the number of employees stands just short of 90 and in the last financial year it had a £7.2m budget – up from £4.2m in 2002.
It has three main roles: economic development, inward investment and is also the official tourist board for Merseyside.
Some believe when Liverpool City Council merged three of its main quangos last year into Liverpool Vision – its own inward investment and economic development organisation – the writing was on the wall for TMP.
In 2007, Liverpool leader Warren Bradley said: “I hope the new quango and TMP will work together. In the end, if the TMP can’t hack it, maybe they will come join us.”
There is talk in the corridors of power of “peaceful co-existence” between TMP and Liverpool.
But some question the logic of running two separate organisations.
And opposition Labour leader Joe Anderson said he would merge Liverpool Vision and TMP, given the chance.
