Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership’s new body private and public sector partners will look at recovery from the coronavirus crisis and longer term growth. Tony McDonough reports

A group of Liverpool city region business leaders are coming together to help plan a strategy for recovery from the coronavirus crisis and longer term growth.

Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is setting up the Built Environment Board (BEB). It will bring together private and public sector partners from the wider ‘built environment community’.

In the short term the board will be focused on the city region’s recovery but will also look at informing longer term growth, productivity and competitiveness. It will particularly encourage collaboration and oversee a strategic plan for the built environment across the region to have a sustainable future.

The board members come from a wide range of backgrounds and represent many different types of business, including construction, architecture, engineering, social enterprise and property development plus representation from universities and local authorities.

It will be chaired by Peter Grieve, operations director at construction business Robertson North West and will also include Sophie Sudworth, decarbonisation engagement manager at SP Energy Networks, whose expertise will feed into the drive to ‘green’ the Merseyside economy.

Mr Grieve said: “I’m looking forward to working with the new board members who have a vast range of experience and diversity from across the city region and provides a wealth of knowledge to be drawn upon.

“The built environment agenda is an important one, but now more than ever, in a pandemic crisis and beyond, it is vital that we can support and guide the city region in moving forward in its growth.”

BEB members will also look to access private and public sector funding streams, identify gaps in existing Government support, forge strong connections at a national level and develop new programmes to accelerate business growth.

Ms Sudworth added: “I represent a critical electricity infrastructure business who are ready to support construction and regeneration to accelerate the move towards a green future. The environmental and economic benefits of a green economy are huge and I look forward to contributing as part of the board.”