Pendle Council to make decision on Combined Authority

Councillors in Pendle will be voting on whether to give their approval to the creation of a Combined Authority for Lancashire on Wednesday.

Pendle Council discussed the initial proposals before Christmas and it now has to decide whether to give its support to a formal bid being submitted to the Government.

Two thousand residents and businesses across the county took part in a consultation about developing a Lancashire Combined Authority with the vast majority of people in support.

• 74% of respondents strongly or tend to agree that a partnership approach is important in Lancashire.
• 70% strongly or tend to agree with the proposal to establish a Combined Authority in Lancashire.
• Of those who disagree with the proposal, the main concerns are around where any resources would be focused across the county and the adverse impact the proposal might have on local services.

Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, Leader of Pendle Council, said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation.

“We’ll be discussing your feedback and carefully considering how the creation of a Lancashire Combined Authority can benefit us here in Pendle.

“Meetings will be held at councils across Lancashire in March and April and if everything goes well a bid could be submitted to the Government in May.

“It’s a very exciting time in local government because we’ll potentially be taking more control over what happens in our region.

“Pendle would be an equal player at the table, giving us a strong voice for the area.”

Pendle Council will make its final decision on the proposals at its Council meeting on Wednesday 23 March.

A summary of the consultation responses can be seen at www.pendle.gov.uk/combinedauthority
 
For further information please contact: Alice Barnett, Communications Team, Chief Executive's Policy Unit, Pendle Council, Town Hall, Market Street, Nelson, BB9 7LG [email protected]