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Miliband praise for “bold” Liverpool mayor

David Miliband MP was in Liverpool to join elected Mayor, Joe Anderson, in discussing the city’s business development plans.

Mr Miliband was an ambassador for an elected mayor system, and was keen to discuss the impact the model had on Liverpool.

He said: “Elected mayors can drive a city, its local economy and development forward by city leadership – it is the opportunity for cities to be more independent from central government and make their own decisions about spending on a local level.

“I am a long term supporter of Mayor Anderson – he knows where he wants to take the city. As one of the first elected mayors outside of London he is showcasing the benefits and is a leading model.”

Speaking to Bay TV, the South Shields MP added: “I think that Joe Anderson is the kind of person who represents the future of the city, but also the future of labour. He’s someone that isn’t afraid of bold decisions, and isn’t afraid of a clear and radical vision. He’s got a big vision for the future of the city; it’s deeply committed to honouring the city’s roots but it is also about recognising the modern world in which we live.

“He’s seeking partners in the private sector, the public sector, the voluntary sector. I think the mayoral model is the right one for the city, he’s the right mayor, and what we need to make sure is he actually gets more power.

“I want to see more power over education, welfare, training - given to cities like this, because we know youth unemployment in Liverpool is different from youth unemployment in other cities, and so we’ve got to make sure he’s got the power at his elbows to make the difference that he can.

“The Tories talk the talk on localism, but they don’t walk the walk. And actually we’ve got to be the party to challenge them, which is sometimes difficult for people in Labour, there’s some people who like to do stuff nationally. It’s absolutely imperative that Labour doesn’t look like its afraid of local leadership, we’ve got to be embracing it.”

When asked about business in the city, Mr Miliband said he saw many of the qualities of successful cities he had seen in his time as foreign minister, in Liverpool.

He added: “What you’re talking about in terms of business development, financial services development, tourism development; that must be right.”

Mayor Anderson said: “Taking some of the power away from central government and spending where it is needed at a local level means that we, as a city, can grow our economy and become self-sufficient. We, as a community, should shape our own destiny – we know what is best for the area.”

Hosting the event, Frank McKenna, chief executive of Downtown Liverpool in Business, thanked Mr Miliband for his thoughts on the key issues affecting businesses at the moment.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .