Liverpool quango trio merge into one

The leader of Liverpool city council has confirmed that three of the city’s regeneration quangos will merge, writes David Quinn. Warren Bradley told EG that Liverpool Vision, Liverpool Land Development Co, and Business Liverpool will be reorganised into a single body provisionally known as Liverpool plc on 1 April. The merger follows criticism from local developers, which argued that the array of public sector bodies has held up decision-making and cost the region valuable occupiers. Bradley, who has sought to streamline Liverpool’s public sector bodies since his election as council leader in 2005, said: “I’m keen to see a downgrading of quangos and unelected bodies in Liverpool as inward investors are disgruntled with the number of bodies they have to deal with.” A six-week consultation into the merger began this week. Bradley said he was already in talks with the chair and chief executives of each of the three groups to outline a provisional structure of Liverpool plc. An interim body will be launched at MIPIM, with the organisation in place within a year. Jim Gill, Liverpool Vision chief executive and favourite to run Liverpool plc, said: “There is a broad acceptance that the merger is the way things are going. “As well as a political thrust, there is an economic logic behind bringing things together.”