Adults polled across the Liverpool city region think that housing and major infrastructure developments should be a priority.
In May 2017, residents across the Liverpool City Region will be voting for a Metro Mayor. While current city mayor Joe Anderson continues to showcase the city – for example at the International Festival of Business currently being hosted in Liverpool – he and a number of prospective candidates are vying to take on a position next year with more power and more visibility to take decisions over strategic development, skills, housing and transport across the whole of the city region.
Last month Centre for Cities commissioned a ComRes poll of 503 adults in the city region and asked what their priorities are for Merseyside, and what issues should be at the top of the new Metro Mayor’s inbox come 2017. You can download a factsheet with the findings here. Below are four observations from the poll.
Thanks no doubt to strong interest from the local media, almost half of adults in the city region said they were familiar with plans to introduce a new mayor.
Source: ComRes. Average first preference of adults across the Liverpool City Region (n=503)
Of the powers that the Mayor will have on taking office next May, respondents were clear that building or commissioning affordable housing and creating a strategic plan should be the top priority. Housing in the city is, however, relatively affordable compared with elsewhere in the country – with homes on average 5.8 times greater than average local income, compared with 9.8 times incomes nationally. Tellingly, terraced homes have recently been sold at just £1 – implying that as a city region there is a relative oversupply compared with low demand. Clearly balancing the electorate’s demands with local economic priorities will be crucial for the metro Mayor to be viewed positively in their first term.
Source: ComRes. Average first preference of adults across the Liverpool City Region (n=503)
Our previous research has shown that skills levels remain a significant challenge for the city region, as 15.9 per cent of residents have no formal qualifications and just 46.9 per cent have five GCSEs. Although this was not reflected in the polling (with less than one in 10 respondents prioritising working with colleges), improving skills will be key to capitalising on developments such as the knowledge quarter in attracting businesses and ensuring the city has the qualified workers for the new high skilled jobs the city needs.
Despite the challenges of balancing the kinds of perceptions and priorities set out above, the polling suggests the new metro mayor will enjoy public backing to enact their plans, with three in five adults agreed that the new metro mayor should have more powers than existing local council leaders, and just a quarter disagreeing.
On Tuesday 21 June, to discuss the results of this poll and more, Centre for Cities will be in Liverpool with Mayor Joe Anderson, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Liverpool Janet Beer and the Political Editor of the Liverpool Echo Liam Murphy. Click here to sign up and join us there.
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