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Steve Rotheram

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Mayor
Steve Rotheram
Rotheram in 2018
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 May 2017
Preceded byOffice established
Member of Parliament
for Liverpool Walton
In office
6 May 2010 – 3 May 2017
Preceded byPeter Kilfoyle
Succeeded byDan Carden
Member of Liverpool City Council
for Fazakerley
In office
2 May 2002 – 5 May 2011
Preceded byAlan Poole
Succeeded byPeter Clarke
Personal details
Born
Steven Philip Rotheram

(1961-11-04) 4 November 1961 (age 62)
Kirkby, England
Political partyLabour
EducationRuffwood School
Kirkby Further Education College
Alma materLiverpool John Moores University (BA)
Liverpool Hope University (MA)
Websitewww.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/your-metro-mayor Edit this at Wikidata

Steven Philip Rotheram (born 4 November 1961) is a British politician serving as Mayor of the Liverpool City Region since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Walton from 2010 to 2017.

Born and raised in Kirkby, Rotheram left school to become a bricklayer and set up his own construction company at the age of 22. He earned a Master's degree in Contemporary Urban Renaissance from Liverpool Hope University and worked as a business manager for the Learning and Skills Council. He was elected to represent Fazakerley for Labour on Liverpool City Council from 2002 to 2011, and served as Lord Mayor of Liverpool from 2008 to 2009.

After serving as an MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, Rotheram won a majority vote at the 2017 Liverpool City Region mayoral election and re-election in 2021. He was re-elected in 2024.

Early life and education

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Steven Philip Rotheram was born in Kirkby[1][2] on 4 November 1961,[3] the son of housewife Dorothy (née Phillips) and forklift driver Harry Rotheram.[4] His father also served as a Labour Party councillor. He has seven siblings and attended Ruffwood School in Kirkby.[1][5] His parents divorced when he was a teenager, which Rotheram later partly attributed to his father's absences caused by his devotion to his political career.

Career before politics

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Rotheram left school at the age of 16 to become a bricklayer, setting up his own company at the age of 22.[6] He spent eight months rebuilding war-torn infrastructure in the Falkland Islands in 1983, an experience he did not enjoy.[7] On his return, disillusioned by what he saw as the exploitation of employees on British building sites, he was determined not to work for anyone else again and set up the company Rotheram Builders.[5] Alongside his work in the construction industry, he studied part-time in order to gain admittance to Liverpool John Moores University, where he studied full-time before starting a Master's in Contemporary Urban Renaissance at Liverpool Hope University.[citation needed] He worked as a business manager for the Learning and Skills Council for many years after graduating.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool

[edit]

Rotheram was elected to represent Fazakerley as a Labour Councillor for Liverpool City Council in the 2002 election.[1] He later served as Lord Mayor of Liverpool from 2008 to 2009, which coincided with Liverpool's period as European Capital of Culture.[6] In a 2009 speech on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, he said, "I'm one of the fortunate ones, as I swapped my Leppings Lane ticket for a stand seat 15 minutes before kick-off... if I can go from being a brickie in Kirkby to the Lord Mayor, who knows what these 96 people may have achieved in their lives?"[8]

Member of Parliament

[edit]

After incumbent Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle announced that he would be standing down as MP for Liverpool Walton in 2010, Rotheram was overwhelmingly selected to be the Labour candidate securing 101 out of 113 votes cast by the local association.[9] At the 2010 general election, Rotheram retained the seat with a comfortable majority of 19,818.[10] Shortly after becoming an MP, he was elected to serve on the Communities and Local Government Committee. In October 2011, Rotheram joined the Culture, Media and Sport Committee where he asked James Murdoch if he would close The Sun newspaper following the News International phone hacking scandal in 2011.[citation needed]

In October 2011, Rotheram gave an emotional speech to the House of Commons where he read out the names of all 96[a] Hillsborough disaster victims so they would be recorded in Hansard, and called for the release of all government papers relating to the disaster. After the papers were released in September 2012, showing widespread corruption from South Yorkshire Police, Rotheram called upon Prime Minister David Cameron to issue an apology on behalf of the government, which he later did.[11][12]

Rotheram was the chief organiser of a charity single designed to raise funds to cover the legal costs of the Hillsborough families which attracted the attention of the award-winning music producer Guy Chambers. In September 2012, along with members of The Farm, Mick Jones, and former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, Rotheram arranged for a number of artists to record a cover of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" as "The Justice Collective", in an attempt to reach the coveted Christmas UK number one.[13] The cover included contributions from artists such as Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, Holly Johnson and Melanie C, as well as featuring Rotheram himself. On 23 December 2012, it was confirmed that the cover had become Christmas number one, which Rotheram called "an honour".[14]

Rotheram was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling on the party to commit to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.[15] Rotheram was the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's Parliamentary Private Secretary.[16]

Liverpool City Region Mayor

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First term (2017–2021)

[edit]

In 2016, Rotheram said he intended to stand for the Labour nomination to become Liverpool City Region mayor in the 2017 mayoral election, and was selected as the Labour candidate in August 2016.[16][17] He announced that he would not seek re-election as a Member of Parliament if successful in the Mayoral Election. Rotheram was subsequently elected mayor in 2017. In September of the same year, he was named at Number 73 in 'The 100 Most Influential People on the Left' by LBC.[18]

Rotheram's first months in power were focused on setting up the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Improving the region's transport infrastructure and connectivity was a pillar of his mayoral campaign and became the primary focus of his first term in office. In 2019, alongside Andy Burnham, he led a successful campaign to strip Northern Rail of their franchise, after services had become blighted by disruption.[19]

During his first term, Rotheram oversaw major upgrades to the Merseyrail network in preparation for the introduction of a 52-strong fleet of new trains, the result of a £460 million investment by the Combined Authority[20] and the opening of the first new station on the network in over 20 years at Maghull North station.[21]

In 2019, Rotheram introduced half-price travel for apprentices aged 19-24 and launched Be More, a UCAS-style apprenticeship portal.[22][23] In his Mayoral campaign, Rotheram pledged to address “the scandal of rough sleeping in Liverpool City Region” and in 2019, he launched the first phase of the Housing First programme in 2019, an £8 million pilot scheme providing homes and support to homeless people across the region.[24]

In 2019, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority became the first in the country to declare a climate emergency and has set a target to be net zero carbon by 2040 or sooner. Rotheram has said he “wants Liverpool City Region to be at the forefront of the Green Industrial Revolution” by investing environmental projects, improving public transport and exploring the potential for a tidal project in the River Mersey.[25] In December 2022 Rotheram stated that he hoped the tidal power project could be generating electricity by the end of the decade.[26]

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotheram accepted a deal with the British government in October 2020 to place the Liverpool City Region under Tier 3 restrictions, following a sharp rise in cases across northern England. Despite facing strong criticism for agreeing to impose restrictive measures on the region, he was successful in securing additional government support for businesses affected by the restrictions.[27] Following his re-election, he announced a £150 million COVID Recovery Fund to support the economy and create jobs as the region emerged from the pandemic.[28]

Second term (2021–2024)

[edit]

In the election of 6 May 2021, Rotheram was re-elected for a second term with an increased majority[29][30] bucking the national trend against Labour in traditional heartlands.[31] In his manifesto, Rotheram made five key pledges: helping the city region bounceback from COVID, supporting young people into education or training, improving public transport, leading the race to net-zero and improving digital connectivity.[32]

Hillsborough Law

[edit]
Further information: Hillsborough disaster

In January 2022, Rotheram, alongside Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, renewed calls for a Hillsborough Law to ensure fair treatment for people bereaved in public tragedies.[33] The campaign was later supported by Keir Starmer who stated at Labour party conference in 2023 that "one of my first acts as Prime Minister will be to put the Hillsborough Law on the statute book".[34]

Bus reform

[edit]

On 6 October 2023, Rotheram delivered on a key manifesto pledge and voted to end 40 years of bus deregulation in the Liverpool City Region, using the powers in the Bus Services Act 2017 to bring services back into public control.[35] The move was supported unanimously by leaders of the city region’s local authorities and was welcomed by local passenger groups who argued the announcement would be “transformational for passengers”.[36]

New trains rollout

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In January 2023, the first of the British Rail Class 777 trains went into service on the Merseyrail network, following a £500m rail investment from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The early rollout of the battery-operated trains was marred by cancellations and faults.[37][38] In November 2023, Rotheram spoke of his frustration at the roll out and criticised train manufacturer Stadler and demanded immediate improvements for passengers [39] and later announced a package of compensation for the most affected passengers and a fare freeze across the Merseyrail network. In the intervening months, performance on Merseyrail improved sharply, with train punctuality returning to the mid-90% and Merseyrail regaining its status as one of the best performing operators in the country.[40]

Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel

[edit]

Following government intervention into Liverpool City Council, Rotheram was appointed by Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Greg Clark to chair the Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel to develop a long-term plan to guide Liverpool City Council out of the current government intervention and help shape the future of the city.[41] Rotheram was joined by Baroness Judith Blake and Sir Howard Bernstein and set out three keys priorities for the city rebooting Liverpool’s regeneration, 21st century public service reform, and turbocharging the innovation economy.[42] The work of the Panel was welcomed by leader of Liverpool City Council, Liam Robinson who heralded a “new era of partnership working” across the city region[43] and Michael Gove announced a £31m investment in the city to kickstart regeneration across the city and a commitment to work with the city region to develop an Office of Public Service Innovation.[44]

Third term (2024–present)

[edit]

In February 2023, Rotheram announced his intention to stand for a third term as Mayor[45] and was re-selected unanimously as the Labour candidate in March.[46] His campaign included a pledge to drive up foreign direct investment into the Liverpool City Region by 25% by the end of the decade and a commitment to build 3 new stations on the Merseyrail network at Carr Mill in St Helens, Woodchurch in Wirral, and Daresbury in Halton.[47][48]

A further pre-election announcement was made regarding plans to improve connectivity to Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the city’s football stadia by introducing bus rapid transit, similar to that which operates in Belfast. The announcement was met with mixed reception with some welcoming plans to address a strategic transport priority, whilst others accused the pledge of lacking ambition.[49][50]

Rotheram was re-elected at the 2024 Liverpool City Region mayoral election.[51] He was elected with 68% of the vote and was declared the winner on 4 May 2024.

2024 Southport stabbing and riots

[edit]
Further information: 2024 Southport stabbing and 2024 United Kingdom riots

On 29 July 2024, a 17 year old armed with a knife murdered and injured multiple children in a Taylor Swift–themed dance class in Southport, a town in the north of the city region. Following the murder, Rotheram made a statement thanking emergency services for their response and issuing a call for support and unity in the city region and asking people not to share false information online about the attack. The following day, Rotheram visited the site of the tragedy along with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other community leaders.

On 31 July, a vigil was held for the children who were killed in Southport town centre. Later that day, civil unrest started to occur in Southport, partially fuelled by false accounts of the victims identity shared by some far-right accounts online. Rotheram condemned the unrest and violence towards police and mosques in Southport and made a statement describing the violence as "Mindless violence directed at the very people who ran towards the danger yesterday, and outright Islamophobia." Rotheram also condemned the leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage for "Giving legitimacy for people to go out and commit these acts."

On 3 August, riots occurred in Liverpool in response to these riots, in which police officers were injured, buildings were set on fire, looting took place and cars where destroyed. Rotheram issued a statement condemning the "thuggery" shown, stating also that "those responsible deserve to feel the full weight of the law". Following the riot, Rotheram, with other leaders in the Liverpool City Region, visited County Road in Walton, Liverpool where some of the most violent scenes took place.

Personal life

[edit]

Rotheram and his wife, psychiatric nurse Sandra, have three children together.[6] His two daughters survived the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.[52]

In 2024, Rotheram co-authored Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain with Manchester's metro mayor Andy Burnham.[7][53] The book was described by Jonathan Ball in the New Statesman as simplifying the North–South divide in England to "'London elite' vs 'neglected north' caricatures".[54] He is also points out that the book was ghostwritten by Liam Thorp, political editor of the Liverpool Echo, "the most senior local journalist tasked with holding [Rotheram] to account" (though actually "painting flawed local leaders in overly positive hues").[54]

Notes

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  1. ^ The number was later amended to 97.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Anon (2010). "Rotheram, Steven Philip". Who's Who (176th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 2736. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U251616. ISBN 9781399409452. OCLC 1402257203. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ "Steve Rotheram MP". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Biography | Steve Rotheram". Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Your Metro Mayor".
  5. ^ a b "The Big Interview: Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram 'My plan was not to become overinvolved in politics'". Liverpool Post. 25 January 2013. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2013.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ a b c "About Steve". Steve Rotheram MP: Liverpool Walton. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b Burnham, Andy; Rotheram, Steve; Thorp, Liam (2024). Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain. Orion Publishing Group, Limited. ISBN 9781398719736. OCLC 1427635577.
  8. ^ "3.06pm - a time to remember: Hillsborough 20 years on". Liverpool Echo. 15 April 2009. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  9. ^ Stewart, Gary (26 March 2010). "Cllr Steve Rotheram chosen to fight Liverpool Walton constituency for Labour". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Election 2010: Liverpool Walton". BBC News. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Hillsborough papers should be released - MPs". BBC News. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  12. ^ Quinn, Ben (17 October 2011). "Hillsborough disaster: MPs debate disclosure of secret documents - as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Interview with Steve Mullin". Blue Kipper. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 23 December 2012 - 29 December 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  15. ^ Eaton, George (26 January 2015). "The Labour left demand a change of direction - why their intervention matters". New Statesman. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  16. ^ a b Liam Murphy (23 May 2016). "Steve Rotheram 'doesn't want to fall out' with Joe Anderson over metro mayor job". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  17. ^ "Corbyn aide wins Labour backing for Liverpool mayoral race". Financial Times. 10 August 2016.
  18. ^ Dale, Iain (25 September 2017). "The 100 Most Influential People On The Left: Iain Dale's 2017 List". LBC. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  19. ^ McManus, Leigh (5 June 2018). "How you can help end Northern Rail travel chaos". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Merseyrail platform upgrade plans announced". Merseytravel. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Metro Mayor hails improved rail links at Maghull North station official opening". Merseytravel. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Metro Mayor announces half-price rail travel for young apprentices in the Liverpool City Region | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority - News". Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram launches Liverpool City Region apprenticeship portal | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority - News". Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  24. ^ Thorp, Liam (15 July 2019). "Landmark scheme to get homeless people into homes launches in our region today". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Climate emergency declared for Liverpool City Region | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority - News". Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  26. ^ Thorp, Liam (12 December 2022). "Mersey Tidal Project and where it is up to now". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  27. ^ Bounds, Andy (18 October 2020). "Liverpool given £30m to enact tougher Covid restrictions". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  28. ^ "Green Light for Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram's £150m COVID Recovery Fund | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority - News". Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  29. ^ "Elections | www.wirral.gov.uk". www.wirral.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  30. ^ "Elections results 2021: Steve Rotheram re-elected as Liverpool City Region mayor". BBC News. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  31. ^ Rollison, Caitlin (17 May 2021). "Three Policy Priorities for Steve Rotheram". Centre for Cities. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  32. ^ Tague, Neil (31 March 2021). "Rotheram launches re-election bid". Place North West. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  33. ^ "Hillsborough Law would level scales of justice, say mayors". BBC News. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  34. ^ https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2022-09-27/keir-starmer-announces-new-hillsborough-law-in-pitch-for-prime-minister [bare URL]
  35. ^ "Liverpool City Region's buses to be brought under public control". BBC News. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Liverpool City Region's buses to be brought under public control". BBC News. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  37. ^ Humphreys, David (21 March 2024). "Merseyrail chief issues apology over new train chaos". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  38. ^ Thorp, Liam (1 November 2023). "'Patience wearing thin' as it's 'same apology, no explanation'". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  39. ^ "Liverpool train delays 'frustratingly poor', Mayor Steve Rotheram says". BBC News. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  40. ^ "Performance Information". www.merseyrail.org. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  41. ^ "Government to set up strategic futures panel to support growth and lead Liverpool to bright future". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  42. ^ "Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel: Final report".
  43. ^ Carey, Adam (6 September 2023). "Panel appointed as part of Government intervention at Liverpool completes report". Local Government Lawyer. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  44. ^ "£208m investment in the North to transform towns and cities". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  45. ^ Thorp, Liam (19 February 2023). "Steve Rotheram to seek third term as Liverpool City Region Mayor". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  46. ^ https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0EZmTGMeNLPoxXRMEbvWS4qkoEN9xiUz8FE2FUsw7wYiNTFXUnL5JpX9gu4cUZFoxl&id=100057463298704 [bare URL]
  47. ^ "Liverpool City Region mayor: Who is the Labour candidate?". BBC News. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  48. ^ "Liverpool metro mayor pledges three new railway stations for city". BBC News. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  49. ^ Thorp, Liam (31 March 2024). "Plan for 'trackless tram' to reach Liverpool Airport and Anfield". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  50. ^ Thorp, Liam (3 April 2024). "Rotheram confirms 'Glider' plan but not everyone is on board". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  51. ^ "Local election results 2024 live: London mayor and West Midlands race being counted". BBC News. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  52. ^ Rachel Roberts, Manchester 'explosions': A 'number of fatalities' reported following Ariana Grande concert in The Independent online dated 22 May 2017, accessed 23 May 2017
  53. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2024). "Head North by Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram review – northern mayors' manifesto for hope". theguardian.com. "I could just smell the bullshit"
  54. ^ a b Ball, Jonny (11 March 2024). "Battle cry of the Scouse dads". New Statesman. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Lord Mayor of Liverpool
2008–2009 		Succeeded by
New office Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
2017–present 		Incumbent
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Liverpool Walton
2010–2017 		Succeeded by
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