Liverpool City Region | |
|---|---|
Combined authority area | |
    .JPG)  | |
 Liverpool City Region shown within England | |
| Coordinates:53°24′07″N2°58′37″W / 53.402°N 2.977°W /53.402; -2.977 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | North West |
| Ceremonial counties |
|
| LEP established | 2010 |
| CA established | 1 April 2014 |
| Named after | Liverpool |
| Administrative HQ | 1Mann Island, Liverpool |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Combined authority |
| • Body | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority |
| • Mayor | Steve Rotheram (L) |
| Area | |
• Total | 349 sq mi (903 km2) |
| • Land | 282 sq mi (731 km2) |
| Population (2022)[3] | |
• Total | 1,571,045 |
| • Rank | 5th |
| • Density | 5,560/sq mi (2,148/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Postcode areas | |
| Dialling codes |
|
| GSS code | E47000004 |
| ITL code | TLD7 |
| Website | liverpoolcityregion-ca |
TheLiverpool City Region is acombined authority area inNorth West England. It has six council areas: the fivemetropolitan boroughs ofMerseyside (Liverpool,Knowsley,St Helens,Sefton,Wirral) and theunitary authority ofHalton inCheshire.[4] The city region had a population of 1,571,045 in 2022.[5] Its largest settlement and administrative HQ is Liverpool.[6]
The region'smayor andcombined authority (LCRCA) have adevolution deal responsible for economic development, regeneration, transport, employment and skills, tourism, culture, housing, spatial planning and physical infrastructure.[7][8][9]
The region's economic development was supported by the Liverpool City RegionLocal Enterprise Partnership (LEP), established in 2010 as the private sector-led board comprising political and business leaders from around the city region.[10] The LEP's functions were merged into the combined authority in 2023.[11]
In 2004, theGovernment of the United Kingdom launched an initiative to strengthen the economy and quality of life inNorthern England.Yorkshire Forward,One NorthEast, and theNorthwest Regional Development Agency, the threeregional development agencies in the North of England, were invited to form a partnership, and in September 2004, they published the documentMoving Forward: The Northern Way First Growth Strategy Report.
Within the document, eightcity regions in the North were identified, including the Liverpool city region. It was argued that economic growth could be accelerated with the establishment of new city region governance that surpassed existing administrative boundaries to more accurately reflecttravel to work areas,catchment areas,housing market areas, andlabour market areas.[12][13][14]
On 13 March 2007, local government ministerPhil Woolas announced plans to create acabinet government including the leaders of the following six councils: Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. This decision triggereddevolution for what was termed the 'Liverpool City Region'.[15][16]
In January 2009, an agreement was made that the six local authorities would form the Liverpool City Region, in aMulti-Area Agreement (MAA). The agreement led to a transfer, from central government, greater responsibilities in more than ten areas covering employment, skills, transport, regeneration, housing and planning.Hazel Blears, theSecretary of State for Communities and Local Government said: "Today's 'Liverpool city-region' Multi-Area Agreement will mean Merseyside's six councils will no longer have to work alone on their economy, they will work from the same blueprint with more devolved powers to deliver jobs, training, welfare support and economic resilience."[17][18]
Thecombined authority of Liverpool City Region includes the local government districts ofLiverpool,Halton,Knowsley,Sefton,St Helens andWirral.
Some definitions of the city region include a much wider area. The now revokedNorth West of EnglandRegional Spatial Strategy defined the city region for "the purposes of articulating RSS policy" as covering the six local authorities and extending "as far asChester,Ellesmere Port and Neston andWest Lancashire".[19]
A 2011 report,Liverpool City Region –– Building on its Strengths, by an independent working group led byLord Heseltine andTerry Leahy, stated that "what is now called Liverpool City Region has a population of around 1.5 million", but also referred to "an urban region that spreads fromWrexham andFlintshire toChester,Warrington,West Lancashire and across toSouthport", with a population of 2.3 million.[20] TheEuropean Union's ESPON calculated theLiverpool metropolitan area to be over 2.2 million people.
The neighbouring local authorities ofWarrington Borough Council andWest Lancashire are associate members of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and thus co-operate (but do not vote) in the Liverpool city region meetings.[21]
Since the abolition ofMerseyside County Council, the councils have co-operated as permitted by theLocal Government Act 1972 and required by theLocal Government Act 1985, for example theMerseyside Waste Disposal Authority and theMerseyside Passenger Transport Authority. Liverpool City Region's proposal to central government for a combined authority was approved by Parliamentary statutory order in late March, and it legally came into existence from 1 April 2014.Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will become the top-tier administrative body of Liverpool City Region. It will be a body corporate responsible for strategic decision making. The six local authorities in the area constituting the combined authority will pool together powers over economic development, regeneration and transport policy. The combined authority originally comprised seven members: the council leaders of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, the Mayor of Liverpool, a post replaced by Council Leader in 2023, and the chairperson, as the representative, of the local enterprise partnership.[22][23][24][25][26] The proposed authority was known as the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority up until submission to the Department for Communities and Local Government[27] and the Greater Merseyside Combined Authority in the published scheme. The consultation preceding the creation of the combined authority showed strong support for a name including 'Liverpool' rather than 'Merseyside', in order to capitalise and build upon Liverpool'sglobal 'brand'.[28] The name was changed to the Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral Combined Authority in the draft order presented to parliament.[29] On 21 February 2014 it was decided by the constituent councils that the authority will use the public name of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.[30]
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) is the main governing body for the Liverpool City Region, providing governance of the City Region using powers devolved from Central Government, the current Composition of the Combined Authority is:
Constituent Members (Voting):
As well as these members there are non voting non constituent members, such as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside, the police force for the city region.
in 2016 theCities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 provided the provisions for Combined Authorities to establish directly elected mayors commonly referred to as "Metro Mayors" to lead their respective regions combined authorities. The LCRCA decided on the creation of a Mayor for the City Region, replacing the need of a Chairperson who previously oversaw CA meetings. in 2017 the first Mayoral election took place in whichSteve Rotheram was elected as the first Mayor. At the time the office was styled "Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region" to avoid confusion with the "Mayor of Liverpool" the then council leader of Liverpool City Council, which was abolished in 2023 and replaced by a Council Leader inline with other councils in the City Region. Presently the Office is now styled asMayor of the Liverpool City Region (Still sometimes referred to as a Metro Mayor).
The Mayor wields a number of powers devolved from central government and is seen as the chief representative of the city region in National and International affairs, and also serves as the Chairperson of the Combined Authority.
The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, which has now been absorbed by the LCRCA, was established in 2010 and was thelocal enterprise partnership (LEP) for Liverpool City Region.
The LEP initiatedMersey Waters Enterprise Zone, which was set up in 2012. Theenterprise zone contains two sites,Liverpool Waters andWirral Waters.[31]
in April 2023 the LEP announced that it would be integrated as a department of the Combined Authority as the Business and Enterprise Board of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
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In 2022 the region had a population of 1,571,045.[5]
| District | Land area | Population | Density (/km2) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (km2) | (%) | People | (%) | ||
| Halton | 79 | 11% | 128,964 | 8% | 1,631 |
| Knowsley | 87 | 12% | 157,103 | 10% | 1,816 |
| Liverpool | 112 | 15% | 496,770 | 32% | 4,442 |
| St Helens | 136 | 19% | 184,728 | 12% | 1,355 |
| Sefton | 157 | 21% | 281,027 | 18% | 1,795 |
| Wirral | 161 | 22% | 322,453 | 21% | 2,004 |
| Liverpool City Region | 731 | 100% | 1,571,045 | 100% | 2,148 |
The Liverpool City Region is strongly established as an important driving force in the economy ofNorthern England and as a strategic sea and air gateway to theEuropean Union. It connects to North America, Ireland, theIsle of Man, Europe and beyond; serving international, national and regional markets, investors and visitors. In 2008–2010, Liverpool had the UK's fastest growing economy outside London, one of the UK's top three biomedical centres, and has the UK's second largestwealth management industry.[38][39]
The region is largely monocentric with Liverpool as the dominant employment centre, however economic activity is widely spread across the six districts. Broadly speaking Liverpool is the commercial, cultural and transport hub of the region, with Sefton as the base ofSeaforth Dock and tourist resort ofSouthport, Halton as the location for chemical, science, technology, logistics and distribution companies, and Knowsley, St Helens and Wirral providing key manufacturing and logistics for the area. The city of Liverpool itself has a compacttravel to work area reflecting its position on the North West Atlantic Seaboard and compactness of the surrounding urban area.[40][41]
The city region is traditionally seen as aservice sector economy, with its so calledknowledge economy providing one third of the local employment base and over 40% of its total economic value. According to statistics for 2008, theLife sciences sector accounts for almost 10% of the region's economy, over 71,000 people are employed in financial and professional services, over 34,000 inmanufacturing, and almost 24,000 in thecreative anddigital industry.[42] The area is strongly connected to global markets, through its ports, airports and by its many multinational companies. World companies such asBarclays Wealth,Jaguar Land Rover,Maersk,Novartis,Sony andUnilever, all have a major base of operation in the locality.[43]
| District | GVA (£ billions) | GVA per capita (£) | GDP (£ billions) | GDP per capita (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halton | £4.0 | £31,390 | £4.5 | £34,985 |
| Knowsley | £4.0 | £25,927 | £4.6 | £29,407 |
| Liverpool | £14.3 | £29,489 | £15.9 | £32,841 |
| St Helens | £2.8 | £15,448 | £3.4 | £18,803 |
| Sefton | £4.6 | £16,275 | £5.4 | £19,418 |
| Wirral | £5.6 | £17,527 | £6.6 | £20,688 |
| Liverpool City Region | £35.3 | £22,778 | £40.5 | £26,086 |
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Since its creation, the Liverpool city region authorities have overseen and invested in some of the UK's largest and most ambitious development and infrastructure schemes which include the following:
The Liverpool City Region has a transport network that is connected locally, nationally, and internationally by road, rail, sea and air.
Merseytravel(renaming to Transport for Liverpool City Region (TfLCR) in 2024-2025)[52] Is the public transport agency of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and is responsible for delivering local public transport within the Liverpool City Region, and has control over the local train networkMerseyrail ("Metro" under TfLCR rebrand) and the bus network, which since 2024 are under public control and ownership through a franchise system, the agency also controls some other transport related operations in the LCR.
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The region is served by a network of sixmotorways (M58 to the north,M56 to the south,M6 &M62 to the east andM53 to the west). In addition, theM57 acts as an outer ring road and bypass for the city of Liverpool itself. The area has relatively low road congestion and its central location makes it an efficient base from which to service the whole country.[54] Various parts of the region are separated by theRiver Mersey, and as a result, Wirral is connected to the centre of Liverpool via theQueensway Tunnel andKingsway Tunnel, whereasWidnes andRuncorn are connected by theSilver Jubilee Bridge. A second six-lane toll bridge under the nameMersey Gateway, to relieve congestion on the ageing Silver Jubilee Bridge, opened in 2017. The bridge is designed to improve transport links between Widnes and Runcorn and other key locations in the vicinity.[55]
Major cycling routes on theNational Cycle Network (such asNational Cycle Route 56 andNational Cycle Route 62) pass through the region too such as New Brighton and theWirral Way. Major bus companies areStagecoach Merseyside andArriva North West.Liverpool One bus station serves as a terminus for national coach travel.
Liverpool Lime Street, the region's main terminal train station, is served by fivetrain operating companies serving a wide variety of destinations, and is used by 11.8 million passengers per year.[56] Improved rail connectivity, including upgrades to theWest Coast Main Line and investment in high speedPendolino trains, means journey time toLondon Euston is within two hours viaAvanti West Coast.[57]East Midlands Railway servesNorwich,Manchester,Sheffield andNottingham.[58]TransPennine Express operates daily services toLeeds,Middlesbrough,Hull,York, andNewcastle.Northern operates toHuddersfield,Preston,Warrington, andBlackpool, whilst direct links toBirmingham are possible viaWest Midlands Trains.[59][60]
The sub-regional rail network is operated byMerseytravel, the combinedPassenger Transport Executive andintegrated transport authority and public sector body responsible for the coordination of public transport across the Liverpool city region.Merseyrail is an urban rail operating almost 800 trains per day carrying over 100,000 passengers within the city region, on its network of 68 stations. The Merseyrail network includes five underground stations inLiverpool City Centre and Birkenhead centre.[61][62]
The UK government has insisted that the region will benefit from Britain's newhigh-speed rail network, due for completion by 2032, even though the new line will not extend into the region.[63] Journey times to London from Liverpool would be cut by 32 minutes under the proposals. Pressure has been put on the government to extend high speed rail into Liverpool's city centre.[64]
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Liverpool Cruise Terminal provides long-distance passenger cruises,Fred. Olsen Cruise LinesMS Black Watch andCruise & Maritime VoyagesMS Magellan using the terminal to depart toIceland,France,Spain andNorway.Leeds and Liverpool Canal andManchester Ship Canal are the main canal systems.
Prince's Landing Stage,Pier Head, Liverpool servesIsle of Man Steam Packet Company summer service to theIsle of Man (and Mersey Ferries).Twelve Quays, Birkenhead ferry port serves winter Isle of Man ferry service andStena Line toBelfast, Northern Ireland.
TheMersey Ferry has operated since the 1200s, currently betweenWirral andLiverpool City Centre at Seacombe, Woodside and Liverpool Pier Head. From 2009–2010 it had 684,000 passengers using the service .[65]
ThePort of Liverpool handles most commercial shipping, but several other ports on theWirral peninsula, such asGreat Float andQueen Elizabeth II Dock, operate too.
ThePort of Liverpool iscontainer ports that handles over 33 million tonnes offreight cargo per year and serves more than 100 global destinations including Africa, Australia, China, India, theMiddle East andSouth America. Imports includegrain andanimal feed,timber, steel, coal, cocoa, crude oil, edible oils and liquid chemicals; and exports ofscrap metal for recycling.[66][67] A second container terminal,Liverpool2 atSeaforth, was designed to handle the largestPost-Panamax vessels and doubled the port's capacity when it opened in 2016.[68]
Almost three quarters of a million people[citation needed] travel onIrish Sea ferry services from Liverpool Docks and Birkenhead'sTwelve Quays toBelfast,Dublin and theIsle of Man, and there is a growing number of cruise ships making day calls at the port.[69][70] A new terminal atPrince's Dock provides check-in, baggage drop and reclaim, as well as customs and border facilities for thousands of cruise liner passengers visiting the region, whilstPeel Ports have also planned a second cruise terminal as part of theLiverpool Waters project.[71][72]
Global air connectivity to and from the region is provided by two international airports:Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) is one of the oldest operational airports in the United Kingdom.[73]Manchester Airport is situated 29 miles fromLiverpool city centre.[74]
Liverpool John Lennon Airport, situated 6.5 miles (10.5 km) south east ofLiverpool city centre is a growing airport with annual passenger numbers approaching 5 million, making it one of the UK's busiest airports.[75]
Liverpool John Lennon Airport serves more than 60 direct routes which include most major European cities. This extends to over 150 destinations acrossfive continents via a dedicated one-stophub connection flight toFrankfurt Airport, courtesy ofLufthansa.[76] The airport is served byeasyJet,Ryanair,Lufthansa,Jet2.com,Wizz Air,Play Airlines,Aer Lingus,Loganair andWiderøe.[77]
As part of LJLA's Master Plan, the airport is planning for substantial expansion between 2030 - 2050. This includes larger terminal buildings in order to handle extra passengers, extending the runway, targeting permanent directlong haul flights and creating new hotels, restaurants and commercial space.[78] The expansion plans have sparked concerns by localenvironmental campaign groups who suggest that expanded airport facilities will encroach on surrounding green space and agricultural land, especially atOglet Shore. There are also concerns that growth in passenger numbers will have a negative effect onclimate change. The airport has responded by saying it 'naturally recognises its wider environmental responsibilities' and has promised measures to protect the areas around the Oglet Shore, with proposals for a revitalised 50 hectare coastal reserve. The airport argues that it brings significant economic benefits to the city region by supporting its internationalvisitor economy and providing jobs for local people. Airport bosses also plan to reachnet carbon zero by 2040 through on siterenewable energy generation.[79]
The Liverpool City Region is covered byBBC North West andITV Granada.TalkLiverpool is a local television station serving the Liverpool City Region and surrounding areas which broadcasts to the area. Television signals in the area are received from theWinter Hill TV transmitter and theStoreton relay transmitter which is situated in theWirral Peninsula.
The area has several radio stations including,BBC Radio Merseyside,Capital Liverpool,Hits Radio Liverpool (formerly Radio City),Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West,In Demand Radio,Liverpool Live Radio,Heart North West andSmooth North West.
Local newspaper that serves the Liverpool City Region is theEcho that publishes daily on print and online.
