Liverpool Metro Mayor: City Region can become global tech magnet

A combination of world-class connectivity and renewable energy innovations in the Liverpool area could attract investment from international tech businesses, according to the City Region Metro Mayor.

Speaking before an audience of tech entrepreneurs, academics and policy-makers at the City Region’s first Digital Summit, Steve Rotheram said the area’s competitive asset base would be a driving factor in its growth as a magnet for investment.

In his speech, Mr Rotheram highlighted regional assets such as the UK’s most powerful computing facility at the Hartree Centre in Daresbury and Liverpool’s Sensor City and Materials Innovation Factory.

His twin priorities as Metro Mayor, he told the crowd, would be to invest in the City Region’s world-class digital infrastructure, linking directly to the GTT transatlantic cable reaching the UK at Southport, while also exploiting the area’s potential for renewable energy by harnessing the power of the River Mersey.

Mr Rotheram said: “My aim is to make the City Region, [which] was the gateway to the first Industrial Revolution, a globally important centre in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“By combining world-class digital connectivity and a predictable source of renewable energy, we can make a uniquely attractive and compelling offer to global tech companies pledged to achieve carbon neutrality.”

He added: “When you combine that with a world-class talent pool, there’s no reason why we cannot compete successfully with leading international cities.”