The region's mayor and combined authority (LCRCA) have a devolution deal responsible for economic development, regeneration, transport, employment and skills, tourism, culture, housing, spatial planning and physical infrastructure.^[6]^[7]^[8]

The region's economic development was supported by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), established in 2010 as the private sector-led board comprising political and business leaders from around the city region.^[9] The LEP's functions were merged into the combined authority in 2023.^[10]

History[edit]

In 2004, the Government of the United Kingdom launched an initiative to strengthen the economy and quality of life in Northern England. Yorkshire Forward, One NorthEast, and the Northwest Regional Development Agency, the three regional development agencies in the North of England, were invited to form a partnership, and in September 2004, they published the document Moving Forward: The Northern Way First Growth Strategy Report.

Within the document, eight city 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 reflect travel to work areas, catchment areas, housing market areas, and labour market areas.^[11]^[12]^[13]

On 13 March 2007, local government minister Phil Woolas announced plans to create a cabinet government including the leaders of the following six councils: Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. This decision triggered devolution for what was termed the 'Liverpool City Region'.^[14]^[15]

In January 2009, an agreement was made that the six local authorities would form the Liverpool City Region, in a Multi-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, the Secretary 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."^[16]^[17]

Definition[edit]

The combined authority of Liverpool City Region includes the local government districts of Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.

Some definitions of the city region include a much wider area. The now revoked North West of England Regional Spatial Strategy defined the city region for "the purposes of articulating RSS policy" as covering the six local authorities and extending "as far as Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston and West Lancashire".^[18]

A 2011 report, Liverpool City Region - Building on its Strengths, by an independent working group led by Lord Heseltine and Terry 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 from Wrexham and Flintshire to Chester, Warrington, West Lancashire and across to Southport", with a population of 2.3 million.^[19] The European Union's ESPON calculated the Liverpool metropolitan area to be over 2.2 million people.

The neighbouring local authorities of Warrington Borough Council and West 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.^[20]

Liverpool City Region