05/07/2019 Why Liverpool’s revival offers a blueprint for success | Financial Times

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Liverpoolfootballclubhasofferedsupporttoschoolchildreninthelocalarea©JonSuper/FT

AndyBoundsinLiverpool 6HOURSAGO

ThebannersandflagsproclaimingLiverpool’ssixthtopEuropeanfootballtitlearestillflyingfromhousesandpubsinitshometown,weeksaftertheteam’svictoryinMadrid. 

Thefootballclub’ssuccessmirrorsasimilarresurgenceinthecityitself.WhenLiverpoolwonitsfirstEuropeanCupin1977theportwaslosingjobs,peopleandconfidence—partofawaveofdeindustrialisationacrossthenorthofEngland.FouryearslaterriotsbrokeoutintheToxtethareaandsubsequentlythecouncilwastakenoverbythehardleft.

Nowunemploymentinthecityisbelowthenationalaverageanda£1.4bninvestmentinthemainshoppingdistricthasboostedtheprofileofLiverpool.Thishasattractedothers,andprivate-sectorledinvestmenthastopped£1bnannuallyforthepastfouryears—althoughitremainsbelowpre-financialcrisislevels.Thepopulationisnowgrowingaftershrinkingfrommorethan500,000inthe1970sto440,000in2000.

Therecoveryshowsthat,withtherightpolicies,anywherecanregenerate,sayexperts.“Eventhemostunpromisingplacesandeconomiescanbeturnedround,”saidMichaelParkinson,associatepro-vicechancellorforCivicEngagementattheUniversityofLiverpoolandauthorofabookonthecity.

TheplanforLiverpool’sregenerationdatebacktotheaftermathofthe1981riots,whenMichaelHeseltine,thenenvironmentsecretary,securedthebackingoftheConservativecabinetforsubstantialgovernmentintervention. 

UKpolitics&policy

WhyLiverpool’srevivaloffersablueprintforsuccess

Citybouncesbackafteraneraofhighunemploymentandfallingpopulation

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DespitebeinghometoLiverpoolFC,AnfieldisoneofthepoorestplacesintheUK©JonSuper/FT

HerepurposedLiverpool’sdecliningdocksasatouristattractionwithmuseums,hotels,shopsandhousing.That,andthenormalisationoflocalpolitics,eventuallybroughtcompaniesbacktothecity. 

LordHeseltine’sadviceisbeingsoughtagainastheUKstruggleswithunevengrowth,leadingtowideninginequalitybetweenLondonandtherestofthecountry.

TheConservativepeersaidhisformulaforLiverpool’sregenerationcouldworkanywhereandisbasedonthreecomponents:localleadership,supportfromcentralgovernmentandpartnershipwiththeprivatesector.Headdedthatmoneyshouldbespentinareasthatmightnotgenerateashighareturnasother,moreproductivepartsofthecountry.

05/07/2019 Why Liverpool’s revival offers a blueprint for success | Financial Times

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“Itiscalledintervention,”hesaid. “WeareanovercentralisedgovernmentanddominatedbyLondon.Theydon’tseeintheroundthepotentialofanarea.”

Hearguedthatdevolutionwasthebestwaytonarrowthegapwiththecapitalandwelcomedthenewsystemofdirectlyelected“metro”mayors.Inareportpublishedthismonth,hecalledforthemtobegivenbiggerbudgetsandgreaterpowers.

BackinLiverpool,therearestillpocketsofdeprivation,despitetheimprovements.TheareaaroundStanleyParkishometotwoofthewealthiestfootballclubsintheworld,LiverpoolandEverton,butisoneofthepoorestplacesintheUK.Athirdofthe14,000residentsinAnfield,adistrictnorthofthecitycentre,liveinneighbourhoodsthatareamongthe1percentmostdeprivedinEngland.Averagefamilyincomeisjust£21,000,comparedwith£37,000nationally.Deprivationinsomeareasincreasedaftergovernmentcutsinthewakeofthefinancialcrisis. 

05/07/2019 Why Liverpool’s revival offers a blueprint for success | Financial Times

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JoeAnderson,theelectedcitymayor,hasmadenorthLiverpool,whichincludesAnfield,apriority.Hehassetupadevelopmentcorporationandhaswonfundingtoreplaceoldhousing.Butheisbattlingagainstausterity,whichhasseenthecouncil’soperationalspendingslashedbytwo-thirds,or£444m,since2010. Therapideconomicgrowththatcharacterisedthe2000shastailedoffsincethen,withbenefitsslashedandpublicsectorworkerslaidoff. 

Liverpool’sfootballclubsaresteppingintothebreach.Everton’scharity,EvertonintheCommunity,hasalongrecordofworkingwithlocalresidentsandwhentheclubleavesGoodisonParkforanewstadiumitisgoingtobuildcommunityfacilitiesonthesite.

05/07/2019 Why Liverpool’s revival offers a blueprint for success | Financial Times

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TheLiverpoolFCFoundationincreaseditssupportforthelocalareato£2.8mlastseason©JonSuper/FT

TheLiverpoolFCFoundationhasincreaseditscommitmenttothelocalareasince2017.Lastseasonitspent£2.8m,anditsprogrammesin2017/18supported15,416individualchildrenandyoungpeople.Itoffersmentoring,careerdevelopment,employabilityskills,freebreakfastsandfreetickets,workingwith28localschools. 

Childrensaidtheprogrammeshavetaughtthemkeyskillsandshowedthemthevarietyofjobsonofferattheclub.Fifteen-year-oldLiamMaguire,whosemotherisafulltimecarerforhisbrother,wantstobeachef.“Ihavelearnedabouttheotheraspectsofajob,likefittinginwithcolleaguesandyouneeddiscipline.Itisnotjustaboutgrades,”hesaid.

Fifteen-year-oldLiamMaguirehasbenefitedfromLiverpoolFCFoundation'smentoringandcareerdevelopmentprogramme©JonSuper/FT

GayleHall,careersco-ordinatoratNotre-DameCatholicCollege,alocalsecondaryschool,saidmeetingLiverpoolFCemployeeshadhelpedraiseaspirations.“Alotofthesepeoplehavecomefromworking-classbackgrounds,workedreallyhardandgotwheretheywanttobe,”shesaid. 

Oneofherpupils,Callum,14,saidhewantstobeasoftwareengineeranddiscoveredthatevenwithouttopmarkshecouldgetajob.PhilLeamey,17,fromAlsop,anotherschool,evenhadamockinterviewwithPeterMoore,theLiverpoolchiefexecutive.“AndI’manEvertonian,”hejoked. 

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ProfParkinsonbelievesthatpoliticiansinWestminsterdonotunderstandthescaleofthechallengeposedbyregeneratingtheplacesleftbehindbydeindustrialisation,eventhoughthegovernmenthascreateda£1.6bn“strongertowns”fund.HepointedoutthatLordHeseltineinvestedconsiderabletime,aswell,asasubstantialamountofmoney,inLiverpool.

“Thelessonisthatgovernmenthasdone,cando,andshouldbedoingmore,notless,withourcities,”hesaid.“Liverpool’sexperienceshowswhatispossible.ItsstoryshouldgivehopeandencouragementtomanysimilarplacesintheUKandbeyond.”

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