LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY

To: The Metro Mayor and Members of the Combined Authority

Meeting: 4 June 2021

Authority/Authorities Affected: All

EXEMPT/CONFIDENTIAL ITEM: No

REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY END OF YEAR REVIEW 2020- 2021

1. PURPOSE OF REPORT

1.1 The purpose of this report is to highlight some of the achievements of the LCR Combined Authority during the 2020-21 municipal year.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS

2.1 It is recommended that the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority:

(a) agree the End of Year Review 2020-21; and

(b) any amendments/insertions be made in consultation with the Metro Mayor and Chief Executive.

3. BACKGROUND

3.1 The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) is the Combined Authority for the Liverpool City Region, an area that covers the metropolitan county of Merseyside and the adjacent Borough of Halton. The Combined Authority was established on 1st April 2014 by statutory instrument under the provisions of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.

3.2 The LCR Combined Authority is led by the directly elected Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and brings together Liverpool City Region‟s six local authorities which are Halton Borough Council, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council and Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (“the six Constituent Authorities ”). In addition to the Metro Mayor, the membership of the Combined Authority also includes the Leaders of the five constituent Local Authorities, the elected Mayor of Liverpool City Council, the Chair of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Co-opted and Associate Members and designated Deputy Portfolio Holders. The LCR Combined Authority has a range of powers including economic and spatial development, transport, skills, planning and housing.

3.3 It is envisaged that this end of year review will promote the work of the LCR Combined Authority to elected members, residents and key stakeholders across the City Region and beyond.

4. ACHIEVEMENTS DURING 2020-21

4.1 A range of financial investmens were t agreed by the LCR Combined Authority during 2020/21. These investments will contribute towards the LCR Combined Authority achieving its priorities in. In practical terms this financial investment has created of jobs, and contributed positiveltowards the GVA of the City Region and ensures that the City Region is in a strong position to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

4.2 The LCR Combined Authority recognises that these successes can only be achieved in partnership with the six Constituent Authorities along with the LCR Local Enterprise Partnership, transport providers and a variety of stakeholders in the public, private and higher education sector

4.3 Response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic

Following the declaration by the World Health Organisation regarding Covid-19, the Combined Authority, at its meeting on 20 March 2020 began to ready itself, as an organisation, to deal with the first national lockdown which commenced on 23 March 2020 by strengthening organisational resilience and facilitating flexible decision making .

During 2020/21, the work of the Combined Authority focused heavily on facilitating and providing financial support to businesses across the City Region, who had been impacted by lockdowns and limited trading opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic. The success of ensuring this financial support was received by organisations was testament to the collaborative partnership working with the Combined Authority and the constituent Local Authorities.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and its Officers have supported the response and recovery to the pandemic, through the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) structure, including leading the Transport Cell and active engagement in the Communications Cell, PPE Cell, Regulation & Compliance Cell, Emergency Services Cell, the Test, Track and Trace Cell, as well as wider links into the Tactical Co- ordinating Group (TCG) and Strategical Co-ordinating Group (SCG).

Our constituent Local Authorities have had and continue to have a pivotal role in supporting their local communities through the pandemic and dealing with the economic and social consequences of it. Officers have been at the forefront of the response to the pandemic and a small example of their work includes:  supporting the logistical delivery of food to those who were shielding;  disbursing economic support to businesses and individuals;  providing support to those who were most vulnerable; and  establishing testing centres. In what was a challenging year, the constituent Local Authorities and Combined Authority officers have excelled and their ability to go above and beyond in supporting their communities is a testament to this.

4.6 Economic Recovery Panel

The Economic Recovery Panel for the City Region was established in June 2020. Chaired by the Metro Mayor, Panel membership included local business leaders, representatives of central government and national bodies, council leaders and members of the Local Enterprise Partnership Board. The objective of the Panel was to maximise the impact of economic recovery funding to help individuals, businesses, third sector, public and community organisations to build back better in the aftermath of the pandemic.

4.7 Economic Recovery Plan

Following discussions at the Economic Recovery Panel and through intense and comprehensive engagement with constituent councils and key stakeholders, the Combined Authority at its meeting on 31 July 2020, agreed to the publication of the post Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan. The plan, „Building Back Better‟ identified interventions, programmes and projects to respond to the evidence on the City Region economy and what worked in public investment. The aim of the plan was to secure devolved funding from Government to:

 Support existing businesses to recover, grow and create decent jobs; radically improve our ecosystem for growth businesses; and deliver the next generation of strategic economic infrastructure – all with private investment now and in the future.  Protect our gains in education, skills and employment and prepare our workforce for future growth industries.  Allow our vibrant city centre to lead us to recovery; execute towns revival plans with our private and community sectors to create future places of distinction.  Launch three major green initiatives, two of which have national importance.

The plan seeks to secure an investment of £1.4bn to unlock £8.8bn worth of projects that can begin in the next 12-months in the Liverpool City Region. The projects will seek to create 94,000 jobs, a further 28,000 jobs in construction and secure employment for 26,000 people who are not in work. The plan also looks to secure the development of 19,000 new homes, retrofit a further 6.500 homes and bring forward 562k sqm of new commercial and retail floorspace.

4.8 Hospitality and Leisure Fund

In response to the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality and leisure sector, a Hospitality and Leisure Fund was established to support businesses directly impacted by the pandemic.

On 5 October 2020, in anticipation of receipt of Government Funding, the Metro Mayor announced the establishment of an emergency aid package specifically targeted towards the hospitality and leisure sector. Government passed emergency secondary legislation on 14 October 2020. As a consequence of this the Liverpool City Region was classed as Tier 3 and therefore attracted Additional Restrictions Grant amounting to £31m.

Within the Liverpool City Region there are over 50,000 jobs and 4,000 businesses in the hospitality and leisure sector, contributing £5 billion per annum to the economy. In recognition of the importance of the hospitality and leisure sector the Fund was devised to support viable hospitality, leisure and retail businesses so that they can continue trading and to optimise employment retention in the short to medium term.

Officers worked closely with business to identify appropriate and effective criteria that enabled resources to be directed to areas of utmost risk and where impact on employment was greatest. Officers also worked with the Local Enterprise Partnership to ensure that the voice of business was represented as the scheme progressed.

The Government funding was received in November 2020 and £20m has been distributed to our constituent Local Authorities. Campaigns to generate applications for the funding were run by each council, targeted to meet their circumstances. The funding is issued on common terms and conditions jointly agreed between the Combined Authority and constituent Local Authorities.

In the first round of the Hospitality and Leisure Fund, approximately 1600 business applied from across the constituent Local Authorities. In addition, licensed taxi drivers, in the Liverpool City Region have had a scheme devised and tailored to their needs, through the constituent Local Authorities, which allowed them to secure a rebate on their licensing fees.

Round 2 of the Hospitality and Leisure Fund was launched in November 2020 and there was approximately was £12.5million available. In addition the Combined Authority identified and reserved £3m to fund innovative ideas and initiatives to aid and assist businesses to operate positively under the new Tiers and restrictions.

4.9 LCRCares

The LCR Combined Authority launched the LCRCares charitable fund in partnership with Community Foundation Merseyside. The fund was set up as an emergency response to Covid-19 to help local charities and third sector organisations respond to the pandemic. The fund was kick started with a £200,000 contribution from the LCR Combined Authority and has gone on to raise over £2m, which has been distributed to over 300,000 groups and supported over 215,000 people during the pandemic.

4.10 Funding to support short-term cycling and walking measures.

In May 2020, the Department of Transport announced a fund to support the delivery of short-term walking and cycling measurers, to support the process of relaxing travel restrictions from the COVID-19 emergency. The Combined Authority was awarded £1.974 million and the following broad priority areas had been identified as a focus:

a) Key routes identified in the adopted Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), which are based on desire lines and on the places that generate trips and travel b) Local routes into and around the city centre, town and district centres. District and local centres will be particularly important destinations for local shopping, remote working, social activities and accessing key services, given that longer-distance trips by public transport will not be possible due to capacity restrictions, and parking at these destinations can expect to be limited due to social distancing rules. Repurposing streets and spaces in these areas would complement the LCRCA‟s related work on supporting town centres and the Town Centres Commission c) Roads and spaces that allow people to access or wait safely at priority public transport services and interchanges, including rail stations, bus stations and important bus stops d) Routes serving important employment locations for key workers that cannot work from home – typically shops, industrial, storage and distribution e) Route into and around key healthcare facilities (hospitals and health centres), both for essential workers and patients and families alike f) Routes to, and outside primary schools, as they begin to open in phases, potentially from early June onwards g) Cycle parking facilities to support the above, including temporary parking or marquee-style shelters in car parks, streets, or squares will also be essential.

4.11 LCR Music Support Fund

Music is an important and growing sector with clear alignment to the Local Industrial Strategy, Skills and SIF strategies. Nationally, Music Tourism contributed £5.2bn in 2019 up 12% on the previous year. Pre-Covid, annual growth in the City Region was forecasted at 3.4% and set to grow faster than other industries including financial services, manufacturing and logistics.

As a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, the LCR Music Board identified an urgent need to help support music businesses who were not able to access other national/Government sources. The LCR Music Support Fund was established from repurposed monies from the Music Industry Development Pilot and awarded 54 individual LCR music industry businesses with a share of £400,000 emergency funds.

Analysis from a survey to measure the impact of the LCR Music Support Fund has been completed and shows a clear positive impact on the businesses that received funding at the height of the pandemic. 96% agreed “The Music Support Fund has helped you sustain your business through this difficult time”. As of December 2020, 100% of businesses who responded to the Music Support Fund evaluation questionnaire were still trading.

5. MAYORAL PRIORITIES

5.1 Digital Connectivity

The work of the LCR Backhaul Network continued at pace during 2020/21 and at the meeting of the LCR Combined Authority held on 26 February 2021 2021, Members were advised that the procurement process had concluded and the contract to find a partner for the LCR Backhaul Network had been awarded to the consortium comprising ITS Technology Group Ltd (“ITS”) and NGE Concessions SAS (“NGE”) as part of a digital joint venture with the Combined Authority.

As the LCR Backhaul Network is a technically complex and commercially innovative project this expert partnership will support the delivery of the outcomes. It is envisaged that the LCR Backhaul Network would be delivered within three years and the necessary support had been mobilised to take the project into the next phase of delivery.

5.2 The Good Business Festival

The Good Business Festival was due to be delivered as a major, multi-venue event across the City Region in October 2020. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic made the original plan impossible to deliver. The team of Combined Authority staff and the Culture Liverpool/Hemingway Design delivery partner developed successive amendments to the plan to make the project viable in the new circumstances, within the agreed budget. Ultimately, this involved splitting delivery into two parts: a digital 'Act 1' and a physical 'Act 2'.

Act 1 was delivered successfully on 8 October, involving a full day of TV broadcast quality content exploring the impact of the pandemic on the ethical business agenda, attracting more than 3,000 digital attendees from 43 countries and achieving a huge social media reach. The plan at that stage was for Act 2 to take place in early March 2021, but the second wave of the pandemic led to this being moved back. The team was able to deliver the first large business event in the UK since the pandemic began, 'Changing Business for Good', on 28 April, as part of the Government's pilot programme about reopening the events industry safely. Act 2 will now take place in Liverpool City Centre and in venues across the City Region from 7-9 July. Final preparations are in progress, and proposals for a legacy proposal of activity to take place over the rest of 2021-22 are in development - all within the existing budget allocated to the project.

6. STRATEGIC INVESTMENT FUND

6.1 The Strategic Investment Fund was established by the LCR Combined Authority to unlock the economic potential of the Liverpool City Region. It comprises the devolution deal funding allocation of £30 million per annum and other local and national funding sources.

6.2 The SIF will fund activities that meet the priorities identified in its investment strategy published in July 2018 (the “Investment Strategy”), targeting inclusive economic growth.

6.3 During 2020/21, the LCR Combined Authority agreed multiple allocations of Strategic Investment Fund and the following examples highlight some of those decisions.

6.4 Kindred

On 31 July 2021, the LCR Combined Authority approved funding of up to £5.5m to capitalise and deliver the Kindred social investment vehicle, subject to funding availability from future Gainshare. On 18 December 2020, the LCR Combined Authority agreed that up to £2.1m of that funding would be committed immediately from Gainshare Tranche II.

Kindred is an innovative model to provide business support and patient capital to socially trading organisations across LCR. The investment vehicle has been codesigned with socially trading organisations and will ensure appropriate funding is available to STOs at different stages in their life cycle; deliver campaigns to initiate and grow peer networks to encourage and help STOs to grow; and will enable and improve community asset transfers between the public and STO sectors.

This project is leveraging an additional £1m funding from Power to Change and is expected to leverage further funding from other sponsors.

6.5 Peepl Network

On 18th February 2021, the LCR Combined Authority approved funding of up to £1.1m to capitalise and deliver the Peepl Network project, from SIF Gainshare 2 (£500,000) and Alternative Restrictions Grant (ARG) monies (£600,000).

Peepl is a blockchain-based software platform which enables a variety of ethical, sustainable and inclusive business models through the utilisation of distributed ledger technology, proof-of-work cryptography and a token currency system. The primary use case which is now being trialled across all six Local Authority areas of the City Region is an ultra-low cost food and grocery delivery platform which allows small independent hospitality merchants to get their food, drink and other wares delivered in the same way that bigger restaurants can via the well-known food delivery companies. Peepl is partnered with Peloton Liverpool, a cooperative which guarantees delivery riders a real living wage, stable hours and training and development opportunities.

Peepl are expanding the pilot which was originally funded through Pre-Development work contracted in December 2020, and the commercial success of the operation is seeing partnerships form in places like Milan where other independents are struggling. Peepl hope to raise a Series A round in the near future to finance their growth ambitions and continue to work with more independent retailers, keeping them operating as viable businesses throughout lockdown restrictions and other economic shocks.

6.6 Brownfield Land Fund

The Combined Authority was granted £45m of Brownfield Land Funding over the next five years from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to enable land for between 3,000 to 4,000 homes to be delivered. The first-year target was for £9m to be spent which was achieved by the end of March 2021. Seven housing projects in five Local Authority areas were supported and will deliver 886 homes as well as removing the blight of brownfield land in local communities.

6.7 Port City Accelerator

On 19 March, the LCR Combined Authority approved funding of £748,145 to deliver a two -year business accelerator programme for small and medium enterprises operating within the maritime sector.

The Project will comprise technology development (in partnership with the University of Liverpool), an „innovation sprint‟ accelerator and development of the maritime cluster led by Mersey Maritime. The physical accelerator will be housed Egerton House, Tower Road, Wirral and operated by Wirral Chamber of Commerce. Associated refurbishment works were included within this funding request.

This project is leveraging additional funding from the ERDF and the University of Liverpool

6.8 LCR Film Production Fund

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) provided £2m in capital funding to support investment in film and high end television projects shooting in the Liverpool City Region with an additional £200,000 in revenue funding to create four new FTE posts within Liverpool Film Office.

In summary: £1.78m capital invested into 6 fully contracted High End TV projects, with match funding from each of the major broadcasters, BBC, ITV and Channel 4. These include; children‟s drama „The Snow Spider‟ and „Still So Awkward‟; one off drama „Help‟ with Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham; short series „Time‟ by Jimmy McGovern; crime drama series „The Responder‟ with Martin Freeman and a remake of the „Ipcress Files‟.

The LCR Film Production Fund generated £12 million spend in LCR, delivered 455 indirect FTE jobs and provided training places for 29 LCR-based individuals at entry and intermediate levels.

In addition, £174,000 was invested in the LCR Development Fund between April 2020 – January 2021 to support new projects during the Covid 19 pandemic with a strong LCR based creative element. This has resulted in support for 12 companies, generated 17 new production developments and 43 FTE jobs.

The Fund has been a key driver in ensuring that the story of the LCR‟s film and TV sector over the last year has been one of growth rather than just survival and recovery.

7. POLICY DEVELOPMENT

7.1 LCR Housing Investment Strategy

At its meeting on the 6 November 2020, the Combined Authority approved its Housing Investment Strategy. The Strategy built on the evidence and intelligence provided by the work on the housing sites pipeline, which was prepared by the local authorities in partnership with the Combined Authority and Homes England and with input from the housing associations.

The Housing Investment Strategy forms the basis of a partnership with Homes England by clearly setting out the City Region‟s housing investment priorities and in doing so, secure investment and funding to deliver these priorities.

The Investment Strategy will inform LCR-wide bids into national funding programmes including the forthcoming Strategic Housing Land and Infrastructure Fund. It will ensure that investment in housing using funds and resources from Homes England, the CA and the local authorities meets the City Region‟s strategic housing and wider objectives including economic growth, zero carbon, and housing for an ageing population. The Strategy also delivers on the Combined Authority‟s “good growth” credentials, value for money and deliverability.

7.2 LCR Fair Employment Charter

The Metro Mayor‟s 2017 election manifesto contained a commitment to consult upon and establish a Fair Employment Charter for Liverpool City Region.

Following three periods of consultation and input from stakeholders, the Combined Authority approved the Fair Employment Charter at its meeting in January 2021. This set out good quality employment practices such as fair, healthy, inclusive and just, including support for learning and development, health and safety, recognition of trades unions and contractual terms. The Charter will work at three levels, indicating a commitment to improve practices, achievement of those practices and identifying areas where employers excel. This is expected to highlight businesses who have practices that support fair employment and encourage those who do not to implement them.

7.3 Adult Education Budget

At its meeting on 19 March 2021, the LCR Combined Authority agreed the indicative grant funding allocations for the Adult Education Budget.

The Adult Education Budget remains a pivotal aspect of the LCR Combined Authority‟s devolution agreement and ensures that funding and the availability of local adult skills is matched to meet the needs of the City Region.

7.4 Freeport

The LCR Combined Authority submitted a bid to Government for a Liverpool City Region Freeport on 5th February 2021; the bid was one of 30 submitted from across the UK. At the Budget Statement on 3 March 2021, the Chancellor announced that the Liverpool City Region bid had been selected as one of eight proposals to progress to the next stage of Freeport designation.

The Liverpool City Region Freeport will be a multi-gateway, multi-modal freeport covering 300ha of land across the agreed tax sites of 3MG Widnes, Wirral Waters and Parkside (St Helens). In addition, strategically located customs sites across all modes of transport, will link to the primary customs zone at the Port of Liverpool. Once the sites are fully developed, the impact is expected to be significant: £850m GVA and 14,000 jobs.

7.5 Air Quality Action Plan

In December 2020, the LCRCA approved an Air Quality Action Plan for the city region. This was the culmination of an earlier investigation by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which made clear recommendations, fully supported by the Combined Authority, on the need to establish an Air Quality Task Force and develop a city-region wide plan to tackle the poor air quality.

Most of the constituent local authorities have declared Air Quality Management Areas on account of poor air and pollution levels that exceed set limits, and which includes the whole of Liverpool City Council area. Nitrogen dioxide emissions from petrol and diesel engines form the primary source of the problem. As the local transport authority for the city region, it was agreed that the Combined Authority can and must act in response, recognising that legal responsibilities for air quality rest at the local level, as no single body has all of the powers to effect the changes needed.The fact that air quality does not recognise administrative boundaries was a determining factor that led to this approach.

The draft plan from 2019 was amended in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the stark recognition of the links between poor air quality and the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. The plan sets out a series of actions at a city regional, local authority, community and national level to fundamentally tackle the problem at source and reduce emissions. The plan will now be embedded within the Climate Action Plan that is in development. This reflects the close links between poor air quality and carbon emissions, and the need to massively increase levels of walking and cycling and clean public transport and switch to low emission vehicles.

7.6 LCR Digital Strategy

The City Region‟s first ever Digital Strategy, was approved by the Combined Authority on 26 February 2021 following extensive engagement with Local Authorities and stakeholders across all sectors, sets out an overall vision for the City Region to be “the UK’s most digitally connected & inclusive City Region, that maximises the benefits of technology and data for all of our businesses, residents & communities”.

The Strategy was developed against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic which has highlighted how “digital” is a necessity for almost every aspect of daily life. While this is undoubtedly creating opportunities, not least for the digital and creative sector itself, there are also serious concerns about negative impacts in terms of further widening the “digital divide”, i.e. inequalities - particularly with regard to education, employability, and wellbeing - for those in our most disadvantaged communities.

The Strategy is set out across six key, inter-connected themes , intended to cover the full spectrum of activities encompassed by the term digital: Digital Infrastructure & Connectivity - Tech for Good & a Smart City Region - Digital & CreaTech Sector Development - Cross-sector Digitalisation & Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Digital Skills for Recovery & Growth - Digital Inclusion. It is accompanied by an Action Plan profiling 80 existing and pipeline projects intended to deliver the overall vision. The short, 3-year timeframe reflects the pace of technological change, and annual reviews are envisaged.

The Strategy and Action Plan highlight the nature and scale of the Combined Authorities ambition, showcase the distinctive assets and capabilities, and identify where more needs to be done, to maximise key opportunities as well as overcome barriers. The actions are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather act as a framework to inform all aspects of digital-related activity across the City Region. Equally the intention is to shape and facilitate discussions, advocacy and partnership development with government, industry and other bodies, plus help to secure public funding and private investment to deliver current and future initiatives.

7.7 Race Equality Declaration of Intent

The LCR Combined Authority adopted the Race Equality Declaration of Intent on 19 March 2021.

The Declaration of Intent is a key document for the Combined Authority to acknowledge existing racial inequalities across the Liverpool City Region and to demonstrate its commitment to addressing and monitoring progress in a transparent manner.

It sets out how the Combined Authority will encourage and support organisations to prioritise race equality, while tackling under-representation within its own workforce.

Developed in collaboration with partner organisations, the declaration will demonstrate the Combined Authority's 'undimmed ambition' to address inequalities faced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in the city region.

It contains clear ambitions, actions and targets to tackle the systemic injustice and inequality that currently persists and is focused on driving positive change, progress will be monitored and reported against the targets.

The Declaration of Intent aligns strongly with the statutory duty to promote equality under the Equality Act 2010 but also takes a significant step beyond this in articulating the moral duty to act to redress systemic inequality.

7.8 LCR Cultural Compact Strategic Action Plan

A commissioned piece of work, funded by Arts Council England as one of the national Cultural Compact pilots, was approved by the LCR Combined Authority on 19 March 2021. Developed through extensive research, sector engagement and consultation the plan sets out a strategic vision for culture in the city region and is aligned to local and national strategies and priorities.

The Plan acknowledges and reflects both the impact of Covid 19 on the cultural and creative sector, the immediate issues of survival and recovery, and details a longer- term future facing ambition. Covering a five-year period, it has identified three clear priorities: Cultural Communities; Creative People and Creative Places as areas of key focus.

The strategic action plan includes an immediate 12-month set of actions which seek to amplify, sustain, invest in and recover arts and culture whilst maintaining and growing the focus on internationalism and equality, diversity & inclusion.

7.9 Year One Climate Action Plan

In March 2021 the LCR Combined Authority approved the Year One Climate Action Plan which sets out a clear framework for actions to achieve the Combined Authority‟s climate and sustainability goals. A Climate Emergency was declared by the Combined Authority in June 2019, pledging the City Region to become net zero carbon by 2040. The scale and pace of action required to achieve these ambitious targets is not to be underestimated, however the recent COVID pandemic has shown how effective rapid and concerted action can be. It was determined by the Combined Auhority that a Climate Action Plan should be proposed that would set out a strategy for the City Region to achieve net zero carbon by 2040.

In 2020 an LCR Climate Partnership was established and is determined to catalyse rapid actions to make significant progress against the 2040 target. There is a need to balance the urgency of action against the desire to enable all members of the community to participate in development of the 2040 plan. It is recognised that many of the actions that must be taken to avoid the climate emergency are for individual people making choices in their life and work. Nevertheless, these choices will be helped and enabled by strategic intervention at the City Region scale, particularly in terms of infrastructure such as transport, waste, land use, energy and heat.

8. TRANSPORT

8.1 The LCR Combined Authority received £10m in the Active Travel Fund to support the reallocation of space on the roads for cyclists. Furthermore, £18 million was received and disbursed for additional highway repairs and potholes whilst traffic levels were light.

8.2 Transforming Cities Fund (TCF)

The LCR Combined Authority approved six Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) projects worth a total of £120.3m at the meetings of February and March 2021. The projects were:

 Headbolt Lane rail station (£66m) – A new rail station at Headbolt Lane in Knowsley will be constructed on the existing line between Kirkby and Rainford. Merseytravel will deliver the station build and Knowsley Council will deliver a series of enabling works, including landscaping, junction enhancements and an active travel link into the station;  Birkenhead Central Gateway (£8.3m) – Merseytravel will remove the two flyovers that connect Birkenhead town centre with the Queensway tunnel. The scheme will compliment Wirral Council‟s masterplan in the town centre and open up the major housing site at Hind Street;  Urban Traffic Control (£8.9m) – Replacing halogen bulbs at traffic signals on the Key Route Network with LED bulbs. The new bulbs are more efficient and will produce a cost saving for the local authorities. Air quality monitors that can show pollutant levels in real time will be installed at key locations across the Key Route Network.  Hydrogen Buses (£12.5m) –20 hydrogen buses will be purchased for use on the 10 and 10a route between Liverpool and St Helens. This is a key investment and statement of intent towards tackling the climate emergency. Notbaly this inititiative is subject to an update on the business part of the Combined Authority agenda potentially increasing the number of buses from 20 to 43 by way of an application for Government funding (ZEBRA).  St Helens Southern Gateway Package (£14.8m) – Highway and active travel investment around Lea Green station will be delivered by St Helens Council. Merseytravel will deliver a new station build at Lea Green, with improved customer facilities and increased car parking capacity;  Access for All (£9.8m) – Five lifts will be installed in stations on the Merseyrail and Northen rail network at Broad Green, Hunts Cross, Birkenhead Park, Hillside and St Michaels. The lifts will address inclusive transport by ensuring groups that are not currently served by the network will have access to employment, education and housing via the rail network.

The £120m approved by the LCR Combined Authority means that the whole TCF allocation of £172m is now committed and all projects are in delivery. Strategic partners and delivery teams will now push to ensure all projects are delivered by March 2023, in line with the TCF funding deadline. This has been a huge effort by all involved, to deliver significant improvements in thetransport infrastructure for the good of the City Region residents.

Prescot Station is a multi million investment, as part of the Shakespeare of the North project, substantial completion achieved at the end of March 2021 with formal opening of the upgrade Station investment scheduled for June 2021.

Liverpool City Region Bus Alliance has developed an interim bus investment plan for 21/22 in advance of developing the Bus Improvement. This is to be submitted to Government no later than October 2021.

Work has progressed as part of the Green corridor programme with the development of bus priority interventions along the A57 Liverpool/Knowsley/St Helens 10A bus corridor. This too is part of the Transforming Cities programme.

A contract has been awarded for a multi million pound investment to Seacombe Landing Stage and Bridges in January 2021. Work is being progressed for contract completion in autumn of this year.

Finally, in the Liverpool Central Station project an outline business case was submitted to the Department of Transport (DfT) in December 2020. Further work and an addendum were shared in March 2021, with the new Network Rail investment enhancement funding programme. These documents sought an initial approval for outline design as part of overall investment for this key major rail development/commercial project for the sub-region.

9. PLANNING AHEAD FOR 2021/22

9.1 Work has been progressing to develop a three-year Corporate Plan which will be presented to a future meeting of the Combined Authority for their consideration and approval. Members will note that a report outlining the approach to the development of the Corporate Plan is included elsewhere on this agenda.

10. RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

The resources identified within this report were delivered from within existing budgets of the LCR Combined Authority.

10.1 Financial

There are no specific financial implications associated with this report.

10.2 Human Resources

There are no specific human resource implications associated with this report.

10.3 Physical Assets

There are no specific physical asset implications associated with this report.

10.4 Information Technology

There are no specific information technology implications associated with this report.

11. RISKS AND MITIGATION

11.1 There are no risks associated with this report.

12. EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IMPLICATIONS

12.1 There are no equality and diversity implications associated with this report.

13. COMMUNICATION ISSUES

13.1 This review and the associated decisions are available for consideration on the LCR Combined Authority website.

14. PRIVACY IMPLICATIONS

14.1 There are no privacy implications associated with this report.

15. CONCLUSION

15.1 This report provides Members with an opportunity to review the achievements and activities of the LCR Combined Authority during 2020/21. Further information setting out the decisions of the LCR Combined Authority can be found here.

FRANK ROGERS Chief Executive Contact Officer: Trudy Bedford, Democratic Services Manager, (07803 630124) Email: [email protected] Appendix: None Background Documents: None