In 2011, AMION was commissioned by Liverpool City Council to prepare a Strategic Framework for the activities of the Liverpool City Region LEP. The Framework had a business-focused approach, recognising that it is the private sector that would create the growth and jobs, and built on previous work that identified the strengths and weaknesses of the LEP economy and realistic opportunities for the area.
The framework set out:
The context underpinning economic performance in the area. This included global and national economic circumstances and LEP area performance; the challenges faced by the LEP economy. These included raising productivity levels and increasing enterprise levels; opportunities across the LEP area – these included the knowledge, low carbon economy, and visitor economies, and port development. strategic priorities – these included creating new businesses and attracting businesses to the City Region; and the roles of the LEP and its partners.
As part of the assignment, AMION undertook an economic review of the current state and future potential of the City Region’s economy. It included detailed economic modelling and econometric analyses, as well as a review of trends and comparisons with other areas. The overall Economic Review was underpinned by a series of technical reports.
Our work on the Framework demonstrates our ability to identify priorities for a LEP and to develop a framework for LEP activities; the economic review combined descriptive and more complex analyses to inform a robust assessment of the area; and while working on the Framework we demonstrated our ability to work with LEP partner organisations and bring them together to identify joint and achievable objectives; and the Framework emphasises the importance of ensuring that economic development activities are effectively co-ordinated and prioritised if maximum growth is to be achieved.