It’s the 1980s, in one of the richest countries in the world. Just imagine, for a moment, living in a city in that country where, in some neighbourhoods, not one person has a job.
Imagine for a moment young people struggling to see how they can find work when so many of their friends, companions, and family members don’t have it.
Imagine businesses moving out of the city and not being replaced.
That was what Liverpool had become – and not just Liverpool but the surrounding areas in Merseyside, too.
The city where Cunard had been founded; the city that had withstood huge amounts of damage and loss of life during the Blitz; the city where music was created that took over the world. All this counted for little.
There had been riots as areas were policed in a way that made people feel unwanted, inadequate, and worthless.
The poverty on the streets in many areas of the city and in the surrounding districts was significant. Liverpool, the city, had had almost 1 million residents before the Second World War. It was now struggling to keep its 440,000.
For those of us who loved the city, it was a devastating period. We could see the poverty; as teachers, we saw what our children and families were enduring. We could see the economic downturn preventing growth, with the loss of jobs that followed. We could see as residents how a city that had felt part of the world was now apart from it.
Liverpool in decline
One person, following the riots in 1981, came to the city. He was a cabinet minister and he talked to local people in Liverpool 8 and elsewhere to see what the situation was and why they felt as they did.
The government had been advised not to worry about Liverpool, as it was “a city in decline”. The belief was that nothing could be done, so just leave it.
When Michael Heseltine came to the city, he talked to people. He saw the situation. And for the first time, we had a government minister who understood and was determined to do something.
As a result, the Merseyside Development Corporation was founded, but it had a small amount of money and a small area for which it was responsible. The difference it could make was limited compared with what was required.
The arrival of EU funding
Moving forward to the 1990s, the situation had not improved and, without serious help, the city’s decline would continue. Then, something remarkable happened. The European Union decided it would help the city and set aside a significant amount of money to do so. This was part of a system they had to help the most deprived areas develop new life and a new economy. It was called Objective 1 funding. It was available across Europe to rebuild the poorest economies and create opportunities.
The then-council leader did not accept it, so the cash lay unused. The city stayed on its downward track, until 1998. A new council was elected and decided to use the EU funds.
Deciding how to spend the money
That was my role. No one else would sit in very long meetings, so I was appointed to the committee. It was an enormous learning experience
Imagine being told that you have the responsibility for job creation, training, business growth, social enterprise investment, health, university investment, facilities, and transport investment with hundreds of millions of pounds to be spent!
No quick fixes either – six years to plan and spend, with another two to complete the work.
The Liverpool phrase is ‘gobsmacked’ – and so I was! But, there was a learning curve to go through.
My questions were simple:
- Who would make the decisions on spending?
- How would it be decided?
- How would we get the information and evidence we needed to make changes and give the investment needed?
- Were there any restrictions?
- What about people? Communities? Neighbourhoods?
The questions were answered: A specific committee, the Objective 1 committee, was set up to look at what we could do, how, why, and when. It was advised by civil servants who knew Merseyside and lived in the region, and by a senior EU official. But that wasn’t all – the Chamber of Commerce, social enterprises, universities, transport, culture, sport, health, and others gave their advice and proposed projects.
Best of all, our communities were involved too. Local people were at the heart of what was proposed and done. Imagine that today – local people at the heart of it.
From decline to growth. From unemployment to jobs. From poverty to opportunity
For the first time, we were listened to, able to voice what was needed to create employment, enterprise, and educational opportunities, thereby growing our economy.
Did it actually work?
Of course, the big question is: did it work?
Oh boy, did it.
The EU’s commitment over more than 20 years, with some €2.5bn matched by government, organisations, transport bodies, universities, companies, and others, created an investment in Merseyside of around €4.5bn; an investment that ended only a couple of years ago.
We even managed to change EU regulations to allow investment in social housing, funding retrofitting to make homes warmer, damp-proof, and even installing solar panels.
The result? More than 10,000 homes upgraded.
The legacy of investment
Investment in Speke Airport (now renamed John Lennon Airport) increased passenger numbers from 500,000 a year to 6 million. Each million passengers is worth 1,000 jobs:
Employment training, new social enterprises, upgraded bus and rail systems, cultural investment; the Arena; the Cruise Terminal – now owned by the Council – and the regeneration of Liverpool city centre: all of Merseyside reaped the rewards.
There is so much more, too.
The result is that Liverpool and Merseyside are growing economically, with tens of thousands of new jobs. Many new businesses have been established, and a thriving tourism industry now attracts around 50-60 million visitors a year, the majority of them day visitors, generating more than £6.2bn for the local economy. Tourism alone accounts for 55,000 jobs.
How we were then, and how we are now, is a great tribute to long-term planning, local involvement, and focusing on need, rather than the wishes of a few. It has been an incredible experience. The future is bright as Liverpool and Merseyside continue to grow and develop.
It wouldn’t have happened without the EU. Why? The EU looked at the Merseyside area and its problems: few jobs, low investment, businesses leaving, new ones not being created, poor facilities and infrastructure, and made a decision.
We mattered to them, and they understood what was needed: commitment to the long term, listening rather than dictating, understanding local people, and, in a way, giving them a big hug.
That’s the European Union, and I loved being part of it.
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