Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson has been appointed to lead the region’s combined authority following the decision by Wirral council leader Phil Davies to step down from the role.
Mayor Anderson was appointed unanimously by other council leaders on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
He will lead the ‘super cabinet’ made up of the leaders of St Helens, Wirral, Sefton, Halton and Knowsley who will have roles ranging from housing, economic development, transport and health.
Mayor Anderson will also oversee moves to prepare for the election of a ‘metro mayor’ in May 2017 as well as further negotiations with the government over devolving more powers to the region.
After the vote Mayor Anderson said the devolution deal was a ‘game-changer’ and his role would now be to ensure the other leaders work together to ‘make things better for the people we represent’.
Mayor Anderson said: ‘There is a different vibe, a different approach, and it’s one based on trust.’
The new role puts him in a strong position to become Labour’s candidate when ‘metro mayor’ elections are held in 2017.
Earlier this year a report to the city council's cabinet said investments Mayor Anderson had ordered had created 1,600 new jobs.
It said his Invest to Earn strategy had attracted £150m of extra funding since it started in 2012 and was generating £3m a year to support essential services.
