Kindred director Jen Van der Merwe spoke at last week’s launch of Liverpool City Region’s Growth Plan, focusing on inclusive and meaningful growth. “Growth must mean something to everyone in the region,” she said, “if we are to create opportunities and build an economy that is resilient, compassionate, bold and more inclusive.”
Mandated by central government, the Growth Plan sets out a ten-year economic overview – of the region’s strengths, opportunities and challenges to identify sectors for growth. For the last 18 months, Kindred has fed into the development of the local growth plan and raised the profile of the impact of the social economy within the city region via Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Business and Enterprise Board.
The board has agreed that an inclusive economy and good growth is one of three main areas of the growth plan to focus its energy on, recognising that is a what makes Liverpool City Region unique.
“The Growth Plan is bold and ambitious – underpinned by a commitment to inclusive economy,” says Jen. “Kindred and socially-trading organisations across the city region have demonstrated the impact that can be made when we collaborate and support each other. Our focus now is to ensure that this is implemented across the business ecosystem and we work together as one city region to grow our collective impact and change the economy for the better.”
The Growth Plan sets out a vision to create a stronger, fairer economy that drives opportunity and innovation for everyone.
In her speech, she highlighted stories of some of the changemakers already bringing the social economy to life: “These aren’t isolated stories,” she said. “They show a new kind of economy – one that doesn’t trickle down, but flourishes from its roots.”
Liverpool City Region is already recognised as a Social Investment Pathfinder, leading the growth of a £50 million investment fund and proving that social impact and economic ambition can go hand in hand.
“When we back these changemakers – the doers, dreamers and difference-makers – we don’t just grow our economy, we grow our future.”
The Local Growth Plan is ambitious, but its success depends on collaboration: between government, business, universities and the voluntary sector. “Our greatest achievement won’t be the scale of our investment,” Jen concluded, “but the depth of our impact.”