News reports located on this page = 2.

Metro Mayor and Government Ministers meet to discuss City Regional recovery following the pandemic

LIVERPOOL City Region Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, was welcomed by key central Government ministers to a virtual Regional Coronavirus impact meeting to discuss how the Liverpool City Region and central Government will work together to drive economic recovery. Chaired and led by Simon Clarke MP, the Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government, the ministerial team heard 1st hand from the Metro Mayor and other City Region leaders how Coronavirus has impacted on the City Region and discussed the emerging strategy for recovery. The City Region team set out the health impacts on the City Region and discussed local implementation of the Test and Trace programme and how local outbreaks of Coronavirus infection would be dealt with. Looking forward, vital issues in economic recovery including employment and skills and the culture and visitor economy were highlighted to the ministerial team.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "We have set out clearly to ministers from across key Government departments the impacts of this pandemic on our City Region and how we plan to make the most of our underlying economic strengths with an ambitious plan to build back better. We are determined that, despite its terrible impacts, the pandemic does not derail the progress we have been making over the last ten years. We will not allow it to prevent us from realising the globally competitive, environmentally responsible and socially inclusive economy that we are committed to deliver. We know that the scale of the crisis has been such that we can only realise our ambitions with central Government help, and today we set out some of our key asks of Government including working closely together on the key issues of employment on skills and our culture and visitor economy. I want to thank the ministerial team for a positive and constructive meeting, which we hope will lead to securing the vital collaboration and funding we need."

Simon Clarke MP, Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government said:-  "Liverpool City Region is 1 of the country's great areas and we are determined to help deliver the strongest and swiftest possible recovery. Since the start of this pandemic, we have worked closely with our local leaders, communities and businesses, and we will continue to do so as we begin to ease lockdown restrictions and kick start our economy. We held positive and constructive discussions with Metro Mayor Rotheram and Liverpool City Region local leaders. This partnership working with local leaders is key to achieving local recovery and we will continue to support them to help drive economic recovery across the UK."

Thunderstorm over Merseyside

THIS Thunderstorm, on 13 June 2020, was the biggest in years to go over Merseyside. Thunder, lightning, and heavy downpours ended what was a run of very hot weather. This footage was taken as it passed directly overhead, near Hightown. The footage shows most of the dramatic storm, but due to cloud and location, Liverpool got a better view as it sideswiped the City as it headed directly over Formby, Hightown, and Crosby, then it headed off towards Southport Beach and into the Irish Sea. This was storm was then followed by other smaller storms overnight and into the following day. Along with this sudden stormy weather the UK Met Office issued a:- "Yellow Weather Warning" for the North West of England.