Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson challenged the government to commit to its "levelling up" promises by committing to properly funding councils after 12 years of austerity.
Mayor Anderson was speaking at the opening of the Convention of the North event, which is being held today at The Spine building in Liverpool's Paddington Village.
Opening the event alongside Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, both made the point that the government's flagship policy must recognise the damage done by more than a decade of brutal budget cuts.
Read more: Don't leave us behind: Levelling up must work for babies of our region
Liverpool Council has lost more than £450m of funding since 2010, limiting its ability to offer services and support to some of the most deprived communities in the country.
Speaking today, Mayor Anderson said: "Levelling up can only happen when our council’s and frontline community services are funded properly.
"Liverpool has faced, and been the hardest hit by 12 years of Tory cuts.
"And it’s not over; we’ve had to find £34m of savings and cuts to balance our 2022/23 budget."
She said setting a balanced budget in the face of these cuts has been the hardest thing she has faced.
Metro Mayor Rotheram agreed that levelling up cannot begin until the problems created by years of cuts are recognised and until the government commits real funding to places like Liverpool.
He said that with the right support, the Liverpool City Region can be the blueprint for levelling up - pointing to major advances made in the region's life sciences, technology and manufacturing sectors.
He said: "Some people describing our region have preconceptions that we live in a Hovis-type advert. But we've got the blueprint for the brighter, fairer and more successful country that we need.
He said levelling up is not about holding London back, but raising areas in the north up to have the same kind of opportunities.
He added: "Where our ports, mills and factories once led the first industrial revolution. We're now best placed to lead the green industrial revolution with our natural strengths in wind, solar, hydrogen and tidal power.
"But for far too long, we've been held back by decisions made by governments of all persuasions, and an imbalance in the distribution of funding."
Also speaking in the opening session, Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Liverpool's Knowledge Quarter, said The Spine building itself was a symbol of Liverpool's future direction.
The building, Liverpool's highest, opened last year in the Paddington Village area of the city.
Mr Sinclair said: "The Spine building shows Liverpool’s ambition.
"What was a derelict site a few years ago is now home to the Royal College of Physicians and Pandemic Institute."
Later today, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove will be delivering the keynote speech at the Liverpool event.
His speech in Liverpool comes on the day the ECHO joined with newsrooms across the North and Midlands to call on his department to keep to its promises and create a country of fairness and equal opportunities for children and babies in our regions.
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