A KEY plank of Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson’s economic development plans appear to be in tatters after the government refused to support them.

The Post can reveal a £52m bid by Liverpool council to fund a whole host of mayoral priority projects was rejected.

The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) bid would have levered in £64m of private investment and £12m of European funding, delivering a package of almost £130m.

The region’s Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) was awarded £10m by the RGF to fund business expansion.

But in a further blow to Liverpool the money can only be used in other authorities across Merseyside because the city decided to go it alone in its bid to the RGF.

Crucially the LEP’s bid delivered better value for money with each £1 of public money requiring an investment of £5 by the private sector, and it covered the whole region, minus Liverpool.

Sources said Mayor Anderson was “furious” about the set back and discussions are underway with government about securing other funding.

The money would have been used to support life sciences, digital and creative industries, and tourism.

Specifically it would also have helped fund the £28m BioInnovation Centre, which it is hoped will eventually lead to the creation of a Bio campus sustaining 5,000 jobs.

The project – led by the Royal Liverpool Hospital – has now gone back to the drawing board to raise alternative funding.