A PLAN to make Merseyside the “green” capital of Britain will be at the heart of a landmark agreement to be signed today to end town hall in-fighting.
The region’s six councils will also pledge to put Liverpool in Europe’s top 20 favourite tourist destinations, building on the success of Capital of Culture year.
They will also promise to work together to push through plans for a Liverpool “Superport” with facilities to rival those in Dubai and Singapore.
The deal is the second phase of the so-called “multi-area agreement” (MAA), which allows councils to pool budgets to provide more muscle for delivering big improvements.
The six councils – Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton – already have MAA powers in relation to job creation, skills and training.
That original agreement was signed personally by Gordon Brown in Downing Street, to emphasise the importance No 10 attaches to the idea.
Ministers have been keen to expand MAA powers to prevent councils “fighting like ferrets in a sack” in the hunt for government cash and favours.
Now the second phase will cover:
A low carbon pledge, commit-ting the councils to becoming energy self-sufficient, with the aim of becoming the UK’s biggest low-carbon goods and services economy.
If all goes to plan, the number of people employed in “environmental technologies” will rise from 9,000 currently to 15,000 by 2015.
A culture and tourism pledge to invest £110m in tourism events and infrastructure and make Liverpool one of Europe’s top 20 favourite places to visit.
A transport pledge to make the Liverpool “Superport” a global hub and develop a transport network which cuts carbon dioxide emissions.
A “knowledge economy” pledge to position the region as an area renowned for its creativity and innovation.
Cllr Ron Round, leader of Knowsley Council and chairman of the city-region “cabinet”, said: “This further cements the support we have from the Government to make a real difference in the region.
“I welcome this commitment to closer working, which I believe sweeps away unnecessary bureaucracy in our collective efforts to securing sustainable economic growth.”
Phil Woolas, minister for the North-West, said: “Liverpool is once again emerging as a world-class city. It is one of the economic powerhouses of the region.
“Today’s signing confirms the determination of all the partners to work with each other, and with the Government and its agencies in the region, to build on their successes and deliver their vision.”
The agreement will be signed at Tate Liverpool by Cllr Round and John Healey, the local government minister, representing Mr Brown.
