Lancashire urged to shout about its successes

Lancashire, and businesses across the county, need to shout louder about their success.

That was the message from Phil Halsall when he addressed members of leading networking group Downtown Lancashire in Business.

Speaking at the West Lancashire Investment Centre in Skelmersdale, he said: “We are too honest and only celebrate our success after we have achieved it, rather than shouting about our plans and ideas right from the start.

He highlighted BAE Systems and the county’s position as the UK’s largest aircraft manufacturer as one example of its success, pointing out that more than 100,000 people were employed in manufacturing across Lancashire.

The fact that Lancashire is leading the way with superfast broadband provision is another bonus for businesses. The county is on schedule to deliver this service to 97 per cent of the population by the end of 2014/early 2015, well ahead of government targets.

Halsall pointed out that the two new enterprise zones, based at BAE Systems’ sites in Samlesbury and Warton, had already attracted interest from 15 companies, four of which are in the final stages of negotiations, proving that Lancashire is attracting leading names.