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County Cllr calls on Government to prioritise the economy

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cllr julie gibson
Cllr Julie Gibson

“Economic well-being must be at the heart of any County Deal” 

County Councillor Julie Gibson, the Labour Group Shadow Spokesperson for Economic Regeneration and Growth, has reacted cautiously to the recent announcement of the County Deal for Lancashire and called on all sides to ensure the future economic well-being of the County is a top priority. The £5.6billion bid announced last week is being worked up by the County Council and is yet to be submitted.

Cllr Gibson: “I welcome the fact that we now have some movement on a County Deal for Lancashire, but it is very light on detail and aspiration. I’m also concerned that the £5.6bn valuation of the draft proposal, could be misleading, because some of it simply involves transferring existing funding from central to local government control. The issue of a mayor for Lancashire appears to have been sidelined and I am concerned that up against Greater Manchester and Merseyside, Lancashire will be a poor relation.”

She continued: “Unemployment in West Lancashire currently stands at 3.8% (recent figures for November 2021) and we still face a precarious few months ahead as we begin to see the long term effects of covid on our local economy. The West Lancashire Economy cannot afford to take the hit for the dithering and incompetence that has characterised the Government’s response to the pandemic. It needs real investment and opportunity.

Cllr Gibson concluded: “The Government recently announced an Integrated Rail Plan for Lancashire, which fell far short of what we were promised and we are still waiting for the funding that was promised for the flooding in Skelmersdale. We must ensure that the same doesn’t happen again. Any devolution deal agreed for Lancashire must match the ambition of those secured by Greater Manchester and Merseyside – both in terms of the money and powers on offer or we risk Lancashire, and by extension, West Lancashire, missing out again.”

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