We posed this question to a number of Chamber members and we also heard from LCR Mayor Steve Rotheram about his post-election strategic vision and how this will complement the work of the new Labour administration in Westminster.

Speaking to guests at a special event hosted jointly by Liverpool Chamber, Professional Liverpool and Liverpool Place Partnership Mayor Rotheram positioned the General Election result as “a generational opportunity to work with the national government”, sharing his enthusiasm for the alignment of local and national political leadership under the same party for the first time since the 1970s.

Responding to questions from representatives of the Future Impact Board and from members of the business community in the audience, he focused upon several key themes affecting business and economic growth.

These included maximising the opportunity of the Innovation Zone and Freeport to ensure Liverpool is an attractive destination for UK PLC and boosting inward investment by getting deals ‘over the line’ with the use of city region assets and the importance of ‘Brand Liverpool’. Innovation can be a major catalyst for economic growth, with scaling up of businesses alongside start-up and high-growth objectives.

At the same time, he stressed the importance of maintaining the strength and vitality of the city’s tourism and culture offer, while stimulating other sectors of growth to achieve greater balance. Maximising transport infrastructure to better enable access to a talented workforce and movement of people and freight within the LCR will also boost our potential, he said.

Mayor Rotheram is keen to ensure the complementarity of Liverpool and Manchester’s wider economies can be fully realised into a stronger economic area to create an increasingly attractive area of development of business and investment. Planning reform will help to stimulate developments for mixed residential developments and lower the barriers to home ownership and tackle problems around rough sleeping and homelessness.

Skills is another key area of focus, with Mayor Rotheram referencing the need to stimulate local skills improvement provision to meet the business and economic needs of the city region through innovative curriculum delivery and lifelong learning support. Green energy can also boost our local economy and provide skill opportunities, while enabling the city region to become a ‘net exporter’ of green energy and contribute to the country’s net zero aspirations.

A new Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Health has been introduced, along with a policy ambition to improve health outcomes to tackle worklessness and productivity shortages, reflecting the LCR’s commitment to improving health and mental health outcomes.

Issuing a rallying cry to the 70 business representatives in the room, Mayor Rotheram reiterated the critical role of businesses to create the wealth and jobs within the region and encouraged them to contribute to a ‘Team Liverpool’ approach to making the city region one of the best places to start, develop and grow a business in the UK.

What do Chamber members think the new government should have at the top of their to-do list?

Alison Lobb, managing partner of Morecrofts Solicitors and chair of Liverpool Chamber, said:

“The new government needs to stimulate the economy and it can do this by investing in the one resource that is the engine of the economy – its people. The current apprentice system is confusing and should be reformed to get talented young people into work.

“We need to build more houses and reform the planning system to speed up the process, combined with action to improve public services, including training and healthcare. Genuine ‘levelling up’ – readdressing inequalities across the country to make the North an attractive place to live and work – can help to reassure incoming businesses that we have a strong, healthy local workforce.

“A credible government needs to achieve things rather than simply promise them. Taking swift action may encourage the public to unite behind the plan, which in turn can build a stronger society. I would also urge improvements to the justice system, investing in Legal Aid to reduce the amount of ‘advice deserts’ that exist in some areas.”

Chris Waine, director at Hive Projects and deputy chair of Liverpool Chamber, told us:

“I would like to see further devolution given to Liverpool City Region, but aligned to UK strategic growth pillars such as Health & Life Sciences, R&D and strengthening ties with our University sector (which seems to be wavering), and professional services backing, especially in Finance and Legal.

“Health and social care is a major problem and especially in our city, where we have huge inequalities and up to 15 years lower life expectancy. Improvements can help to get people back into employment, and the Investment Zones and Health and Life Sciences ecosystem in our city region can be a leader on this, both locally and nationally.

“Housing is a clear issue and many have identified the need for change. Government subsidy will be key to unlocking the issue, while planning reform is also important.”

Sutcliffe director Sean Keyes said:

“The worsening housing crisis needs to be solved promptly, something I promise to hold the next government to account for as both parties have made promises to build more houses. The country needs to build 300,000 homes a year as promised by both parties. This will be good for the economy and health of the nation and our environment in terms of net zero.

“That said, be it the mismanagement of the NHS or the lack of investment in social housing, these issues directly impact people’s quality of life. so I hope that the new government, rather than seeing these issues as a political hot potato to pass around aimlessly, takes them seriously and prioritises them for the good of the nation.”

Mel Cheung-Turner, founder of My Creative Thoughts, added:

“The next government should prioritise investment for education providers in the city, in particular for schools and colleges. The lack of government investment over the years has failed to keep pace with rising costs of education providers, which has had a negative impact on learning for pupils and students alike across the region.

“We need to invest in the future leaders of tomorrow and ensure young people in the Liverpool City Region get the appropriate provision of key curriculum and pastoral support, in schools and colleges to develop their skills and knowledge so we can retain that talent in the city.”

Resman director Neil Willcox said:

“Business people will be concerned to know that their investment plans and growth prospects are safe under Labour, and that they will not be excessively taxed or regulated. A clear message around this early on will be helpful.

“My industry is mostly focused around the US tech giants, so knowing that Starmer et al can develop good trade relations with their US counterparts (whoever that may be) will also be essential. There is a massive skills gap in tech, and any indications on how the government will be addressing this will be interesting. Finally, bringing some tangible meaning to ‘levelling up’ would be nice after probably a decade of rhetoric.”

Jessica Parry, partner at BCLP Law, said:

“Good quality, affordable housing is a key foundation for sustainable economic growth and the Liverpool City Region is being hampered by the acute housing crisis it currently faces. We need to have less reliance on the visitor economy and ensure the region is an attractive place for people to live and work, but we cannot achieve that without more homes. Any new planning system must provide greater certainty of outcomes to encourage development. In the meantime, the long-awaited Renters Reform Bill should be revived.

“Renters reform must strike a fair balance between landlords and tenants. In particular, court reforms must be implemented before “no fault evictions” are scrapped, so cases can be dealt with efficiently. Otherwise, the government risks discouraging landlords from the private rented sector, where demand already outstrips supply, driving up rents for the very renters the reforms aim to protect. That would be an own-goal, when we need the equivalent of a “Bellingham bicycle kick” to get the housing market back on target.”

Finally, we heard from Colin Sinclair, chief executive at Knowledge Quarter Liverpool and Sciontec, who said:

“It is essential that the new government delivers a robust National Industrial Strategy, as promised, with devolution at its heart. This should focus not only on the areas where as a country we have our greatest strengths, such as health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing technologies, robotics, creative and digital, but also on the vital cross-cutting infrastructure that underpins these potentially high-growth sectors and allows them to grow, such as skills, fibre and transport connectivity.

“Devolution must extend beyond simply giving regions greater powers over decision-making. It must include the main funding streams from organisations such as UKRI or Innovate UK, to ensure R&D funding also has a greater element of devolution. The government must also give new impetus to supporting scale-ups, as well as fostering start-ups. If we are to grow the economy we need to give start-ups and small businesses the confidence to take risks, after so much uncertainty.”

The enthusiasm and energy of the Mayor reflected a tangible opportunity for the city region to align its objectives and goals with that of the national Government. It is encouraging that the conversation with business has begun in earnest to ensure the best opportunity for a private-public sector partnership to be brokered beyond boards and committees.

There is a clear sense of optimism and freshness that must now be aligned with the business base that exists here. The Chamber – along with the other business networks within the city, including Professional Liverpool and Liverpool Place Partnership – will ensure that the role of business is at the forefront of the city region’s aspirations for growth.