Liverpool region to benefit from Brexit?
The shipping heritage of the Liverpool city region (LCR) could provide a major boost to the UK’s economic prospects post-Brexit, according to a major new report. Working with Maritime UK and the centre for economics and business Research (CEBR), Mersey Maritime commissioned the report to determine how important the region’s maritime industry is to the national economy and the LCR.
The report found that the maritime sector clustered around the Mersey directly drove just under GBP 2.0 billion in domestic output through business turnover in 2017. In September, Liverpool city region metro mayor Steve Rotheram announced that a GBP 75 million fund would be used to attract new businesses to Liverpool city region and support existing Mersey businesses, many of which are directly involved in the maritime industry.
The fund will include a GBP 20 million loan for local businesses to invest in creating jobs and boosting productivity, and GBP 15 million to support SMEs in the event of a no-deal exit from the European Union. (fd)