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Steve Rotheram: The Treasury whisperer transforming Liverpool
The Guardian
|December 08, 2025
From the towering south stand of Everton's gleaming new riverside football stadium, the Liverpool city region mayor, Steve Rotheram, was showing off his next big goal to the visiting government minister.
It was not much to look at: acres of wasteland and disused docks.
The hands of a Grade II-listed "dockers' clock" have not moved for years, a symbol of time standing still. Accompanied by Steve Reed, the communities secretary, on Thursday, Rotheram unveiled a huge development on the 174-hectare (430-acre) site beside the stadium. A new governmentbacked body promises 17,000 new homes and commercial premises over 15 years.
It was the latest success for the Labour mayor. In recent months, he has won ministers' backing for an overnight accommodation levy and a reform of Treasury spending in the regions, campaigns he has led for years. Concerts by Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift and the Rolling Stones have returned superstar energy to the city after the 2023 Eurovision song contest.
This story is from the December 08, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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