Liverpool business leader Frank McKenna says Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s foreign trips are critical to attracting new investment and urged the business community to stop sniping. Tony McDonough reports

Downtown CEO Frank McKenna, left, and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram

Downtown in Business chief executive Frank McKenna says he’s “flabbergasted” at criticism of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s efforts to attract new inward investment.

In recent weeks Mr Rotheram has travelled to New York and Boston in a bid to fly the flag for Liverpool city region. This is part of his pledge to secure 25% more foreign direct investment (FDI) to the city region by 2030.

Mr Rotheram has also travelled overseas to the MIPIM international property festival which is held in Cannes in the South of France every March. Liverpool has sent a delegation to the event for more than 20 years.

However, some dismiss such trips as little more than a “jolly” and question whether they have any value in attracting FDIs.

This week Frank hosted Mr Rotheram at a Downtown event in Liverpool and afterwards hit back at criticism over foreign trips. He said: “I am genuinely flabbergasted at some of the small-minded, shortsighted comments that I have seen from a vocal minority.

“They have suggested that our Mayor should not be going abroad to represent Liverpool and the city region.

“A big part of the mayor’s job is to be our champion and ambassador abroad. He needs to be meeting other international mayors, leaders, and more importantly international entrepreneurs and investors. You cannot do that in a meaningful way on a Zoom call.

“Steve Rotheram needs to be face-to-face, selling our city to those investors, promoting brand Liverpool, and building on our strong international reputation.

“DIB operates across the country, and I can honestly say that political and business delegations abroad don’t get anywhere near the scrutiny in those other cities as the few trips that Steve Rotheram makes get.

“It is toy town politics, and if we are not careful, it will hinder our ambitions to grow the economy in the city region.”

Steve Rotheram pictured on his recent trip to Boston in the US

Frank added the idea that the Mayor should only operate within the boundaries of Liverpool, St Helens, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, and Wirral – with the odd trip to London thrown in – makes us look “small, provincial, and unambitious”. 

“Despite what some people may think, these trips abroad are not ‘jollies’,” he explained. “They are bloody hard work. I have seen the Mayor’s schedule from when he was in the States – it was gruelling.

“Instead of getting on his back, we should have his back, and I urge all business leaders to publicly express their support for Steve in his ambitions – and the actions required to meet those ambitions – of significantly increasing FDI into Liverpool.”

The post Business leader speaks Frankly in support of Mayor appeared first on Liverpool Business News.