New council partnership to get Merseyisde fit for upturn

The new council partnership, known as the 'Liverpool city-region' Multi-Area Agreement (MAA) - made up of Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens, Wirral, Sefton and Halton councils - will transfer from central government greater responsibilities in more than 10 areas covering employment, skills, transport, regeneration, housing and planning.

Many people live, commute and work across council boundaries and the Liverpool city-region economy is no different.

The Liverpool city-region MAA has agreed to take on responsibility for developing a bespoke and co-ordinated cross-council strategy to strengthen their economy so they are well placed to take advantage of the upturn when it comes.

As a result, over the next decade Liverpool city-region aims come through the downturn helping 9,000 people off benefits by 2010, grow job seeker allowance claimants entering employment to 40% (up 4%). It will also help raise the qualifications of thousands of local people boosting skills by 8-10%.

The Multi Area Agreement will devolve and deliver:

* More freedom to direct investment as needed;
* Delivering new skills training that properly reflect the local job market;
* Targeted help to get people off benefit;
* Preparation for the upturn, when it comes;
* To improve the overall well-being of local communities.


Working together, the Liverpool city-region partners will tackle the biggest challenges facing Merseyside, including the local economy, transport, housing and environment. The first task will be to introduce locally tailored solutions to help safeguard local jobs, improve the skills of local people and support businesses to continue striving for a thriving international city region by 2020.

The employment priority will be to bring Incapacity Benefit claimants down under 100,000 by helping almost 9,000 people through a new 'Fit For Work' plan that will see specially trained advisers step in to help people who are in danger of falling out of work because of minor health conditions or impairments.

The welfare support priority will tailor its Flexible New Deal programme to Merseyside so it is designed with local needs in mind and help them improve their skills and get jobs including through a universal offer of self employment provision. There will be two targets - to raise the average percentage for all job seeker allowance claimants entering employment to 40% (up 4%) and raise the number of 18-24 year old JSA claimants entering work to 35% (up 6%).

The skills priority will introduce new ways of working including a new Employment and Skills Board that will give employers a prominent role in local decision-making. 77,000 more residents will be trained to at least NVQ Level 2 (equivalent to five GCSEs) and a further 54,000 to NVQ Level 3 (A level standard) by 2012.


Today's event is the culmination of a week of government activity which has seen the Prime Minister focused on the regional aspects of the downturn and action to help individuals and businesses in the face of current economic difficulties as well as long-term reforms for boosting skills and employment.

When the country last faced serious economic difficulty in the 80s and 90s councils didn't have the powers, skills or financial resources to respond. London alone stood out as the country's single economic powerhouse.

Over the last decade we have invested in regenerating our towns and cities which has created a regional renaissance of jobs and prosperity and because local leaders know their area best the government's devolution agenda has given more money, power and controls to councils up and down the country.

Hazel Blears will shortly begin a series of regional delivery workshops to see at ground level what difference devolved powers are making to local economies and look at where we can devolve more to support councils deliver greater prosperity.