A UNITED FRONT
By Ged Henderson
The difficulties Lancashire has had speaking as one voice have been well-documented during its faltering stop-start journey in the slow lane to devolution.
But in Westminster at least the Red Rose county is now united as one, with the launch of the Lancashire All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
The initiative has brought together MPs and peers from across the political divides for the first time to help promote the county and maximise investment opportunities.
The Westminster group is 18 strong and as well as the county’s MPs it includes two members of the House of Lords.
Morecambe and Lunesdale Tory MP David Morris chairs the group, with West Lancashire’s Labour MP Rosie Cooper in the role of vice-chair.
The new group says it is looking to work with leaders in every tier of government as well as the private and voluntary sectors.
Its purpose is to “co-ordinate activity around issues that impact on the county”, including the Economic Prosperity Fund, skills, education and
training, housing and Lancashire’s place in the Northern Powerhouse.
Following his election as chair in December, David Morris said: “This is very historic; we’ve not had anything like this before.
“My personal aim is to ensure that Lancashire gets its fair share of funding. It’s a very good platform to push forward towards the government for what we need to get out of them.
“The economy is a driving factor, we’ve been offered a levelling up process from the government, we’ve got to ensure that does happen.
“The government is listening to the North of England, but it still takes a little bit of a push to get the money out of the Treasury and the relevant departments.”
County Council leader Geoff Driver also describes the setting up of the group as “historic”.
He said: “It is the first time our MPs have come together in this way and it’s a really positive initiative.
“It demonstrates the determination that our politicians, from across the political spectrum, have to work in a collaborative fashion to get the very best that we can for Lancashire.”
Geoff Driver
Its chief executive, Frank McKenna, a Lancashire Business View columnist, said: “I am looking forward to seeing an action plan developed and the county’s MPs driving forward positive messages and campaigns on behalf of the county.”
LANCASHIREBUSINESSVIEW.CO.UK
The Downtown in Business organisation has been appointed as the group’s secretariat by the county council.
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IN VIEW
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