The Director of Finance has agreed to approve the Memorandum of Understanding of the Strategic Place Partnership between the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Authority, LCR Local Authorities and Homes England

The Strategic Place Partnership (SPP) is a model developed by Homes England to enable greater collaboration and partnership working at a sub-regional scale recognising those places with ambitious proposals for place-based growth and regeneration. Homes England have already singed SPPs with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Association of South Essex Local Authorities.

Whilst the Combined Authority, local authorities within the Liverpool City Region (LCR) and other key stakeholders are already working in collaboration with Homes England to deliver on the ambition for the creation of high-quality homes and thriving places, the creation of an SPP is intended to formalise the collaboration between these bodies and the Local Authorities in the LCR. The SPP is intended to enable even greater collaboration and partnership working at a sub-regional scale and unlock the delivery of regeneration and housing growth in the region. The SPP will enable resources across the partnership to be focused on the priorities set out in a Partnership Business Plan (PBP), which will be presented to Members at a future date as this is currently in development. The plan will set out the LCR’s commitment to work together on short, medium and long-term activity that will stimulate progress and secure delivery across a sub-regional pipeline of key place-based projects.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is required to be signed between the LCR Combined Authority (CA) and Homes England, which enables the SPP to be established. Wirral Council, as a constituent local authority of the CA, is required to approve the MoU. The MoU is attached as Appendix 1 (Exempt).

The MOU is not committing the Council to any legally binding arrangements (save as for Freedom of Information Act requirements and anti-bribery) and it would not involve any Key Decision, albeit actions arising from it could potentially be Key Decisions. The Council would be involved as partners in the Business Plan which would require internal decision making from the Council in terms of projects which it would be taking forward or participating in.

Wirral Council could choose not to approve the SPP MoU however this would exclude the Council from closer collaboration with Homes England.