MERSEYSIDE’S tourism and investment body The Mersey Partnership does not have a future after talks on merging it into a new agency collapsed, Liverpool council leader Joe Anderson has warned.

The Mersey Partnership (TMP) was plunged into crisis after weeks of drawn-out, behind-the- scenes negotiations to merge with the yet-to-launch Liverpool Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) ended in failure.

The collapse in talks has left the LEP in chaos and TMP in crisis – and it has left a bad taste in the mouth of many of the region’s key players.

A plan B which involves the six local authorities in the city region seconding staff to the LEP to get it up and running is now being worked on.

The fundamental reason for the collapse in the deal was a disagreement on how many of the 55 staff from TMP, led by chief executive Lorraine Rogers, would transfer to the new organisation.

The Liverpool Post has obtained a LEP document, dated January 12, which proposed the new organisation should have 37 staff. There was no chief executive role – but instead a number of directors.

The LEP document warned since mid-2010 there had been uncertainty around TMP’s future.

“This prolonged period of uncertainty has contributed to the depletion of personnel, together with redundancy and resignations, latterly by some key personnel,” it stated.

“Nevertheless, TMP has been successfully addressing some of the key economic development issues on which the LEP is now providing leadership and direction. Consequently, its reconstitution as the LEP makes sense.”

The position may have changed between January 12 and the collapse of talks last Friday – but no other proposal was ever formally tabled.

It is understood some TMP board members blocked the deal because they wanted the LEP to take over all of TMP staff, and then see how many were needed once the new organisation was up and running.

The future working relationship of Ms Rogers and TMP chairman Rod Holmes remains to be seen – as the merger was being pushed by Mr Holmes. TMP also faces further uncertainty due to its high level of public funding.