4 PUBLISHER’S VIEW
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Ged Henderson, editor
ged.henderson@lancashirebusinessview.co.uk t: 01254 295585
PUBLISHER’S VIEW
Richard Slater, publisher
t: 01254 297870 e:
richard@lancashirebusinessview.co.uk www.lancashirebusinessview.co.uk
Clarity – and the need for it –dominated hours of media coverage over the past 12 months as we grimly battled the Covid-19 pandemic and the very real prospect of exiting the EU with no deal on trade.
While the implications of the 11th hour agreement reached are still being navigated by Lancashire businesses, there is at least a sense of uncertainty lifting after nearly five years of dither.
For most who rely in any sense on EU trade, it won’t be as good as what we had. However, it could have been worse, it’s what we have and it has to be dealt with.
Other uncertainties look to be waning too. The prospect of a vaccine roll- out securing the health of the nation within months is the best of stories to begin the year, despite Lancashire and the rest of the UK now being placed in lockdown, with all the restrictions that brings for businesses.
The furlough scheme and other support measures have undoubtedly helped protect jobs and businesses during the pandemic. However, they will come to an end and we await March’s Budget to see what comes next in terms of support.
The big question, not just for Lancashire but for the whole of the UK, is how do we ‘build back better’ once free of the pandemic’s grip?
Lancashire Enterprise Partnership is hard at work making sure the county has a fighting chance.
Its message to the business community is one that we wholeheartedly endorse. ‘Don’t sit there quietly, shout up, get involved and let’s get a powerful voice for Lancashire.’
When it comes to getting the county’s voice heard in the corridors of power, we start 2021 with another piece of positive news.
The launch of the Lancashire All-Party Parliamentary Group has brought MPs and peers from the red and blue sides of politics together for the first time to help promote the county and maximise investment opportunities.
The new group says it is looking to work with leaders in every tier of government as well as the private and voluntary sectors. That has to be a good thing.
‘Levelling-up’ is another phrase we have heard a lot since Boris Johnson’s big election win and the crumbling of Labour’s red wall here in the North.
Truth be told we haven’t seen much to match the promise as yet. Words need to be translated into action as we bid to build back better.
A positive decision on the Eden Project’s case for £70m of government funding to advance its massively ambitious plans for Morecambe would be a good start.
The business case presents Eden Project North as a key driver of the UK’s post-Covid green recovery, a ‘shovel-ready’ project delivering significant economic, environmental and social benefits for Lancashire and the wider North West.
The rail line between Colne and Skipton was removed in 1970. Restoring it would bring a massive economic boost to East Lancashire. It would also create a major trans-Pennine route linking Liverpool on the west coast to Hull in the east. Little wonder it has been described as a “no brainer”.
They are just two of the projects that, if the government wishes, could be the great levellers we need.
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Editorial: Ged Henderson, Tim Aldred Principal photography: Clive Lawrence Artwork and layout: Magnificent Studio Printed by Peter Scott Printers, Burnley
Lancashire Business View is written, designed and produced by Northpoint Publishing. Lancashire Business View and LBV are registered trademarks. The views expressed by our columnists are not necessarily shared by Lancashire Business View.
Northpoint Publishing: East Park Lodge, East Park Road, Blackburn BB1 8DW. t: 01254 297870 | f: 01254 295581 e:
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ISSN: 1757-479X
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