Give Lancashire seats on a Council of the North

A new Council of the North, designed to steer the Northern Powerhouse, should include political and business leaders from Lancashire, says a new report from the the Institution of Civil Engineers.

ICE, which advises government on infrastructure and construction policy, says that devolution of power on some issues needs to happen if the Northern Powerhouse is to really drive economic growth and bring jobs and prosperity to the North of England.

Speaking from the launch of ICE’s new report, Darrell Matthews, North West regional director of the Institution of Civil Engineers, said: “To turn the Northern Powerhouse into reality we believe we need a ‘Council of the North’, and it must truly represent the North.

"It needs input from Lancashire County Council and local authorities throughout the county, as well as business leaders from the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership, to help make it properly representative and bring in the right experience and business knowledge.

“We need the whole of the North working together on a properly-coordinated strategy, to make sure parts of the region don’t get left behind. And we want the Council of the North to have the power to borrow and raise cash to help pay for the top-class infrastructure we need to improve opportunity and quality of life for people in the North. That means cooperating to make sure we have the transport networks, the housing and the digital infrastructure we need.

“Lancashire and the North should be driving Britain’s economic growth, not chasing it.” ICE presented its new report Delivering a Northern Infrastructure Strategy to the metro mayors for Liverpool, Manchester and Tees Valley. The report and its 12 recommendations can be viewed here.