I recently spent some time with Liam Robinson, the new Labour leader of the Liverpool City Council. He’s definitely got a job and a half on his hands.
Liam believes politics is a calling, not a career, and he feels privileged to lead the council, and half a million people in Liverpool. He said he’s not stupid, he knows what he has got himself into.
Outspoken, unpredictable, controversial – Liam is none of these. He just wants to get on with the job quietly.
His pledge to the city is about hard work, not fireworks and there is a lot to sort out. They want to get more jobs, growth and investment, for this world-class city.
His background is a lifetime labour party member and his work was in the railway business, which brought him to Liverpool. The railway industry taught him a lot.
One thing I found very interesting, he thinks sleeper trains might make a comeback. I used to use these from Liverpool to London overnight.
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Liam told me that he has a great relationship with our Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, who he has known for over 20 years. I asked about the next general election, he had some very interesting thoughts about the future.
He wants to get a better funding settlement for our city, from which ever government gets into power. Money needs to be spread much more fairly around, between affluent parts of our country and the poorer areas that desperately need help.
One of his biggest goals as leader is getting a lot more affordable houses built, we also need more devolution for our area. Other city regions have far more power than us, and that’s not right or fair.
We got talking about our amazing seaport – one of the most recognisable in the world. I asked what was happening with the cruise terminal.
Liam said that is one of the things they are currently working on. He couldn’t give me an exclusive, but there will be a formal announcement in the near future.
The new Isle of Man ferry terminal is a bit special and it is the first one the Isle of Man government have taken over as their property outside of the island. I finished up asking Liam what his dreams for Liverpool were.
He said: "We need to sort out our huge economical potential, we must sort out the health disparities across the city, as we have terrible health issues in certain areas. Housing is a huge priority, developing the north docks, we need to deal with the stalled projects that are on our books, and London Road needs sorting out.”
We have to give Liam a chance – it isn’t going to happen overnight. I’ve got a good feeling about him.
If you want to listen to the whole interview, go to my podcast – The Best of Pete Price, it’s free to listen.