AMBITIOUS plans to “turbo charge” the Liverpool City Region’s ability to become the best place to grow up, grow a family and grow a business over the next four years have been unveiled. As the new Labour government settles into life in Downing Street, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has set out the blueprint towards a “brighter and more prosperous future.”

In just its seventh year, the combined authority has put forward its vision to drive investment, jobs and prosperity between now and 2028 through its corporate plan. It is the third document of its kind, with a focus on five key stands; economy, people, place, transport and digital infrastructure.

Mr Rotheram said the new Labour government had shown signs of being “the most pro-devolution Britain had ever seen” which would offer “the chance to turbo charge our work” – with local and national growth ambitions aligned and mayors acting as the delivery arm of national government. As part of the wide-ranging plan, there are aims to train up more than 120,000 adults with the skills needed to secure tens of thousands of new well-paid jobs and work will continue to end the postcode lottery that denies local people the opportunities to fulfil their full potential.

The plan also details how public transport and AI will be developed and how the city region will be promoted as a science, innovation and creative powerhouse to attract foreign investment. Delivering new well-designed, energy-efficient, affordable homes – including a return to public housing at scale – to tackle the housing crisis has been earmarked as a major priority and the plan is underpinned by a drive for deeper devolution and strengthening worker’s rights, sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion.

Mr Rotheram said: “Tackling inequality, driving inclusive growth and ensuring that we leave the next generation and the planet with a better inheritance than we received are at the core of my politics and my administration. I want to make the Liverpool City Region the best place to grow up, grow a family, and grow a business.

“Since I was elected, we have helped tens of thousands of people into jobs; rolled out world-class publicly owned trains; helped to build 30,000 homes for families to put down roots; given hundreds of thousands of residents get new qualifications and begun the process of bringing our buses back into public control. The Liverpool City Region is a place steeped in history, a place full of pioneers and talent. While we are proud of our history, we are ready to look forward to an even brighter and more prosperous future. This is our blueprint for getting there.

“Working alongside our new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and his cabinet, I will ensure that the next chapter in our illustrious history will not be written for us in Westminster or Whitehall – but by us here in the Liverpool City Region.”

The four-year plan sets out to highlight the potential of the LCR Freeport and Life Sciences Innovation Zone to attract new businesses, boost international trade and create more than 20,000 jobs as the city region targets a 25% increase in direct foreign investment by 2030. To help achieve this, the city region will seek to expand its relationships with the USA, Germany and east Asia and the Combined Authority will establish a Business Location Taskforce by the end of 2024 to promote the city region to a domestic and international audience as a place to set up and scale up a business. Other plans include supporting more than 100 businesses to scale up by 2026.

The Plan also commits to promoting better working standards through the Fair Employment Charter and to a procurement approach in which the Combined Authority does not contract with companies that use fire and rehire tactics.

A commitment is also made to giving young people the best start in life by increasing training for early years and childcare workers, launching a childcare commission and expanding the successful Cradle to Career programme to more areas, doubling the number of children supported to 36,000 each year by 2030. The Authority will continue to push for devolution of 16-19-year-old education and of the Apprenticeship Levy.

A Long-Term Skills Plan will be published in the Autumn and the authority will work towards developing a Liverpool City Region Screen Academy by 2028. An AI-powered piloted in schools from September and the authority’s digital inclusion programme will be expanded to support 10,000 residents by 2028.

To mark the progress of the city region in its seven years to date, a crest and flag of its own are to be introduced by the end of this year and, through the LCR Visitor Economy Partnership, cultural, heritage and tourist attractions will be supported and grown. A new strategy will be developed to ensure the region’s continued success in securing major events and Borough of Culture spending will be doubled to 2% to expand its reach and impact.

A focus will also be paid to the environment, with six new urban parks complete with 100,000 trees created by 2030 and £10m will be spent on installing electric vehicle charging points by 2028, while digital innovation will be harnessed to improve air quality. A full business case for Mersey Tidal Power will be produced by 2028 as the city region builds on its position as Britain’s Renewable Energy Coast and strives to become net-zero by 2035, the most ambitious target of any city region.

House building is one of the new government’s top priorities, and delivering well-designed and energy-efficient homes is also high on the Combined Authority’s agenda, with schemes ready to be delivered. A target has been set for more than 1,000 homes and public buildings to be decarbonised each year through retrofit and heat networks and the authority will enable construction of 200 new homes each year on previously developed land.

The Combined Authority will explore a return to council house building and a Good Landlord Charter and homelessness task force will also be established.

Major changes are also earmarked for transport, with the franchising of the bus network to be completed by 2027 and a new operating model for Merseyrail designed to give greater public control of train services. It is also anticipated Liverpool Baltic rail station will open in the same year ahead of schedule with a bus rapid transit system serving Bramley-Moore Dock and Liverpool Airport on track in 2028.