How would you describe Liverpool’s perception by the rest of the UK five years ago and now?

Denise Walker:

Five years ago the rest of the UK had a really poor perception of Liverpool. It was perceived as a dangerous and lawless city and its inhabitants were thought of as lazy good for nothings with no real ability whatsoever. There was no real understanding of the vibrancy and energy within Liverpool nor any acknowledgment of the fact that this city had borne many successful and entrepreneurial individuals, except of course, for “The Beatles”.

Now the perception of Liverpool is changing. It is increasingly seen as rather a cool and sophisticated place to be. Largely this has arisen because of the raising of Liverpool’s profile through its success in the Capital of Culture bid which success has already attracted more interest and money to the city. This is evidenced by the increase in property values because of the interest shown by property speculators from all around the country. In addition Liverpool now has a thriving fashion industry and a good number of designer shops selling luxury goods which would not before the change in perception have considered opening in the locality.

Nicola Jeffries:

Five years ago Liverpool was still trying to shake off it’s image of ‘trouble and strife’. The City’s pride had been dented with the historical economic problems and our poor image with the rest of the UK was proving hard to shake. With the opportunities brought about initially, but of course not exclusively, by the introduction of European funding, the regeneration wave has brought with it more optimism within the City, which has definitely had a knock on effect and a positive influence on outside perceptions.

Frank McKenna:

Five years ago, Liverpool was seen as a city still in decline and recession. Now, in terms of image, we are viewed far more positively, and the 'feel good' factor was confirmed by the 'capital of culture' award. However, from a private sector point of view, Liverpool is still seen by many as public sector dominated, grant assisted and not particularly business friendly. Sound bites don't change that, only actions will, and there is still an immature approach by some civic leaders to criticism, and a perception that unless you are 'one of the gang' or one of the ‘usual suspects' you will be frozen out of Liverpool. That perception must change if we are to maximise the city's potential and attract the inward investment required to take Liverpool to the next level. The failure to deliver the Fourth Grace was damaging, but the new developments that have since been announced should more than compensate. The sooner work starts on Kings Dock, the better.

How do you rate Liverpool’s facilities and image compared with other cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Bristol?

Denise Walker:

I would say that Liverpool is at least on par with Bristol but lagging behind Manchester and Birmingham in image terms and that Leeds is over rated.

The facilities in Manchester and Birmingham are still much better than in Liverpool. There are much better restaurants, bars and means of entertainment (theatres and playhouses etc) but Liverpool’s facilities are on par with Leeds and Bristol. Transport links in Liverpool are much weaker than Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham but they are improving with the new routes into Liverpool Airport and improvements on the West Coast Rail Line which should improve links to London a good deal. Car parking facilities in Liverpool are very poor but after a recent visit to Leeds I found out that Liverpool has a much better taxi service system as there do not seem to be any black cabs in Leeds whatsoever!

Liverpool needs a lot more quality restaurants and bars. There are a good number springing up and it is good to see the likes of Baby Cream, The Living Room and Pan American but we have still a long way to go as I feel there are still too many “ale houses” about. Although, at one time I remember that it was difficult for Liverpool to keep a good restaurant open as most ended up in receivership!

There needs to be more of a feel of “Café Society” about the city rather than a “full on party atmosphere”. Liverpool needs to mature and be comfortable with its new image.

Nicola Jeffries:

Limited at present would be the short answer. Particularly with reference to Manchester which remains streets ahead in terms of shopping, stadium/concert facilities and infrastructure. Birmingham and Leeds, probably about equal, though I am more attracted to Leeds for shopping! Bristol is perhaps the most similar to Liverpool being a post industrial seaport, though I admit I’ve never been there so can’t really comment! Of course, this is all being targeted for change here in Liverpool with the current schemes underway across the City (with the exception of an agreed world class stadium as yet!) But it has to continue and we need to attract more businesses and people to come and live here if we are to sustain it.

Frank McKenna:

Certainly we have to accept that we are a good ten years behind Manchester, and not just in footballing terms! I think that my concern is an acceptance that this is inevitable, and that it will remain the case. We should remind ourselves that, just twenty years ago, Liverpool was the premier city in the Northwest, and that should be our ambition once more. In terms of facilities, the Kings Dock development should allow us to compete with other cities in regard to conference and exhibition activities, whilst the regeneration of Paradise Street will make Liverpool a major retail city again. Hopefully the unique Quiggins can be successfully re-located, as to lose such a wonderfully quirky and independent 'movement' would be a tragedy. Economically, Leeds and Bristol can be caught quickly, in my opinion, and the big advantage we have over all of our competitor cities is a true international reputation. We need to make much, much more of our strong links with New York and Shanghai, and brand ourselves as an 'international' location. The success of John Lennon Airport can only help in this respect.

What have you seen change the most in the last 5 years and what would you like to see change in the next 5?

Denise Walker:

It has been great to see shops such as Wade Smith flourish and Cavern Walks now boast a whole host of new and up and coming designer shops not to say the very welcome opening of the Vivienne Westwood shop. I would like to see the upgrading of the city continue and grow in momentum with shopping on par with Manchester and Leeds and the opening of Harvey Nichols!

I would also like to see the business community grow more adventurous in its activities and for it to believe in its own ability to achieve success. I can already feel positivity within the business community something that I have not previously felt. However, I look forward to seeing a further growth in enthusiasm and more of the “can do mentality” filtering through the entire business population. Liverpool has changed a lot in the last five years and I hope that it changes at least as much again in the next five.

Conversely, Liverpool has a much stronger image than the other cities. This is largely due to “football” and “The Beatles”. We need now to build on that image so that Liverpool develops a similarly strong image within the UK.

The Liverpool film industry is steadily growing and all attempts to continue and build upon such growth should be encouraged.

I would like to see the Albert Dock commercial trading area fully occupied again (this time without the crippling rents that forced many businesses to close in the past), and wouldn’t it be good if the Adelphi was remodelled and became Liverpool’s first 5 star hotel!

Nicola Jeffries:

I think we have witnessed the emergence of real ‘Entrepreneurial Spirit’ within the City over the last five years. In the next five, I’d like to see this continue of course but I’d also like to see a shift in attitude from the local decision makers to encourage the same. Lets build on our heritage and create new, exciting buildings, expand Liverpool JL Airport to make Liverpool a top European visitor destination and if Everton and Liverpool don’t get their acts together to build either a joint stadium or else new stadia soon, then our most traditional passion of all will also suffer!

Frank McKenna:

The biggest positive change has been image and perception, which good marketing and spin has greatly assisted. The next challenge is to turn spin into delivery. In five years time we need to have a modern, efficient tram system. The Airport will have flights to Hong Kong, New York and other long haul destinations. The Capital of Culture year will help sustain the growing business community that has been established, and a new, business friendly approach to investors will mean that those existing companies will have been joined by a new group of inward investors. We will have five star hotels in the city, million pound plus apartments and a regenerated waterfront, which will be further improved as civic leaders recognise the folly of World Heritage Status and abandon the WHS vanity badge in preference for an iconic, tall Ian Simpson development. A re-located Quiggins will be awarded the accolade 'coolest retail experience in Europe' - and refuse to accept the award. Everton will be Champions of Europe, and the (by then) Sir David Moyes will sign a long-term contract, keeping him at the club until 2030! Downtown Liverpool in Business will recruit its 5,000th member and will be acknowledged by the 'One Liverpool Regeneration Company' (which will have replaced the plethora of quangos that currently govern the city) as an organisation that has a lot of constructive things to say about the future of our city.