A Set Back For Liverpool!

For a while now a conflict has going on over a proposed Mersey port's plans to upgrade its facilities. You may remember that in a previous blog I talked about the ambitious new plans for the Liverpool cruise terminal…….

The Pier Head Terminal is to receive an estimated £18 million in aid from the Government and Europe to help develop its new project. The problem has been that the current turnaround trade from the industrial backwater of Langton Dock is very unpopular with cruise lines and their passengers. Southampton and other established UK ports have argued that it is a wrong use of public money as this will go to help a commercial a commercial enterprise.

So it comes as great news to Southampton that a rival city's plans to cash in on the cruising boom have taken another knock. Liverpool has offered to give back £5.3 million of the aid it had already received but Southampton still argued they would be faced with unfair competition. Shipping minister Mike Penning has ruled against Liverpool, saying there are "persuasive arguments that this level of repayment would be insufficient to reflect the adverse impact on competition with other ports. I therefore intend shortly to seek independent advice on a more appropriate figure."

Liverpool City Council leader Joe Anderson says the offer to repay £5.3m was "fair and reasonable" and he welcomed the independent review proposed by the government. But he accepted that the city was "back to square one" in its bid to bring more cruise business to Merseyside.

Looks like it will still be quite a while until Liverpool gives Southampton a run for its money!