Steve Rotheram wins big again, now is the time to really deliver

In reality, Steve Rotheram was always going to be re-elected.

It would have taken a monumental upset, a historical turn-up for the books to see him fail to secure a third term as the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region.

He did secure that third term and did so with a thumping majority. The Labour man's vote share of 68% was 10% up on his last win in 2021.

It was a resounding win albeit on a concerningly low voter turnout of just 23.7%. The fact that more than three quarters of those who could have voted chose not to, is a worry after seven years of a position aimed at bringing politics and power closer to home.

MORE: Steve Rotheram cruises to win third term as Liverpool City Region Mayor

MORE: Liverpool City Region Mayor election results live as they happen

It's fair to say that Mayor Rotheram's second term didn't go as well as he'd have hoped.

Having first secured the newly devolved position in 2017 he endured a difficult start getting the role off the ground with many obstacles in his way - notably the then Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson who made things tricky for him.

But with Mr Anderson out of the way and another big win in 2021, the next three years needed to be all about delivery. There has been some, but there have been big issues as well.

Having set out public transport as his key priority in the job, the arrival of a new £500m fleet of Merseyrail trains has caused Mr Rotheram's administration real headaches in recent times. The regular delays and breakdowns of so many of the new trains - particularly after the launch of a new station at Headbolt Lane last year - have certainly marred his second term.

The Mayor may feel like he is getting all the blame for manufacturing issues with vehicles that he didn't build, but he will also know that when you are regularly pictured welcoming a shiny new fleet of trains to Merseyside, then you will also take the flack when that fleet isn't working properly.

Elsewhere there has been positive momentum when it comes to taking the region's buses back into public control and with the progress of plans for a huge Mersey Tidal barrage. The problem is, these policies have yet to become tangible realities that people can see, touch and experience.

This is why the next four years are so crucial for both the returning Mayor and the Combined Authority that he leads. Delivery is non-negotiable if his time in office is to be seen as a success.

Getting the first publicly-run buses on the road as soon as possible will be crucial. They must then be linked up with the fully rolled out and breakdown-free new Merseyrail fleet in order to really progress the London-style transport network that has long been a motif of the region's first elected mayor.

We should also see tap and go ticketing on the rail network arrive in the coming months, while construction on a much-anticipated but delayed new station serving Liverpool's Baltic Triangle should begin in 2025. It is also the Mayor's ambition to take the entire Merseyrail network into public control having signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government last year.

Sticking with transport, the Labour mayor has pledged to deliver a new rapid transit bus service to serve Liverpool John Lennon Airport as well as Anfield stadium and Everton's new Bramley-Moore Dock arena. The plans were criticised as unambitious by some when first announced but if they come to fruition soon and offer a genuinely efficient service to these important sites then opinions could soon change.

Perhaps Rotheram's biggest overarching challenge is to set the Liverpool City Region on a course that means it can compete with the likes of Greater Manchester when it comes to economic development, jobs and prosperity. This is a wonderful place to live but we still lag too far behind our rivals in terms of economic development and creating the well paid jobs that will keep graduates here.

So there is a long list of deliverable, tangible projects here. For the sake of the legacy of the first ever Liverpool City Region Mayor and the lives of the 1.6 million people that he represents - it is absolutely vital that he does deliver.

An incoming Labour government will certainly make all this easier, but will also mean that there is absolutely nowhere to hide.

The Liverpool Daily Post newsletter delves into the biggest stories on Merseyside