Council takes Liverpool Vision in-house
Marketing Liverpool and Invest Liverpool will move 37 staff to the Cunard Building next month as the city council looks to beef up its regeneration and cultural departments.
The move will see the Marketing and Invest teams co-locate with the council in December, before the two functions are formally transferred to Liverpool City Council control on 31 March 2019.
Set up in 1999, Liverpool Vision was one of the UK’s first urban regeneration companies and has helped to lead on projects including the arena at Kings Dock, Liverpool One, and the International Business Festivals.
In 2008, a re-organisation of Liverpool Vision saw its operations merged with both the Liverpool Land Development Company and Business Liverpool to form a single company. Currently, Liverpool Vision is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liverpool City Council, but the move will see the two functions become part of the council.
As a result of the move, Liverpool Vision’s chief executive Max Steinberg will step down at the end of December after eight years in charge.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “Liverpool Vision has been a key player behind the city’s transformation and the city’s appeal to tourists and investors has boomed since its creation.
“I now want to build on these successes and the time has come to integrate the capabilities and expertise of the Vision staff with teams in the city council. I believe that this will create a really strong foundation, to ensure that we meet the challenges ahead, to maintain momentum, and ensure that growth is shared around all of our communities.
“I’d like to thank all the staff for their work but especially Max whose imaginative leadership and drive has ensured Liverpool Vision continued to attract investment and jobs against a particularly harsh economic backdrop. His input over the past decade has strengthened the city’s national and international reputation and we are all in debt to that legacy. I also wanted to make sure the city didn’t lose Max’s expertise, so I have asked him to work on some special projects in the future and I’m delighted he has agreed.”
Steinberg added: “As a born and bred Liverpudlian it’s been a huge privilege to have been part of the success of Liverpool Vision creating jobs, generating investment and marketing the city to investors and visitors.
“There are significant opportunities and challenges ahead and I am confident that the new arrangements will enable us to combine and amalgamate to strengthen and enhance the delivery of some of the most important priorities in the Inclusive Growth Plan.
“On a personal note I’m honoured the Mayor has asked me to continue to play a role in delivering the inclusive growth agenda and look forward to continue to making a contribution.”
Another inflated organisation incredibly incorporated into the Council. How does their work fit with the LEP? Vision has operated for over a decade. If it had been such a success it should be self-funding by now surely? No real impact beyond the easy pickings of the City Centre. Time to put real resources behind the city-region mayor to invest in strategic projects rather than many of the vanity projects led by Vision.
By John Smith
Good luck Max, hope to see you in the future!
By Liverpolitis
Just what the city needs: The removal of any even remotely independent advocacy agency…
Hopefully the city’s real mayor will go the opposite direction by creating bodies to put a rocket under the city’s core economy.
It’s too important to be left in the hands of a borough council, let alone this one. Liverpool cannot endure another ten years of this shower.
By Mike
Liverpool Vision was a source of ideas and inspiration that even the Council admits boosted the image and success of the City. It will now be lost in a morass of costly beurocratic incompetence with no original thinking other than in political point scoring. Max Steinberg is a sad loss. He was the one asset Liverpool had to match the forward thinking, well organised Mancunians
By Free Thought
More things for Mayor Fat Head to get his sticky fingers on and run into the ground.
By Morgan
Some valid points but lets not get carried away thinking the drab Steve Rotherham is the answer, he’s more interested in checking he’s got the right blend of colour in his hair from month to month.
By Oscar
None of the current politicians have the vision, drive, and commercial acumen to replicate or improve upon what Liverpool Vision achieved. Let’s hope that Max will still be listened to.
By Garston