Call for greater powers for Lancashire

The Leader of Lancashire County Council has welcomed the announcement by the Chancellor, George Osborne, of more powers for cities but stressed the importance of devolving similar powers and funding to the country's county regions.

Jennifer Mein, Leader of Lancashire County Council, said: "I welcome the announcement of further powers and funding for England's cities, including Manchester and Liverpool, but this needs to be matched by a similar devolution to the county regions.

"Lancashire is the second largest economy in the North West, contributing £25.5bn to the region's economy each year, some 20% of the total. I support the argument that decisions about our great cities should be made by the people who live there rather than down in London and the same should go for the 1.4 million people who live here in Lancashire.

"Work is continuing to explore the possibility of creating a combined authority for Lancashire which would enable its local authorities to work together on strategic issues including transport and economic development.

"I'm very keen for the Government to recognise early on that the door should be open for county regions, as well as cities, to combine this sort of collaboration with the ability to make important decisions closer to our local communities."

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