'Super cabinet' to boost city region's economy; EXCLUSIVE Six councils to join forces and press for devolved powers from Westminster.Byline: BY DAVID BARTLETT The Honourable David John Bartlett is the Minister for Education in Tasmania. He is a Tasmanian Labor politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly in the electorate of Denison. Daily Post Staff A MERSEYSIDE "super cabinet" is to be set up in an attempt help the region raise its game and boost economic growth. Each of the six council leaders in the Liverpool city region will be given a portfolio of responsibility in the new cabinet, which hopes to persuade the government to devolve devolve v. when property is automatically transferred from one party to another by operation of law, without any act required of either past or present owner. The most common example is passing of title to the natural heir of a person upon his death. powers to the region and cut bureaucracy. It aims to increase the region's economic output by better strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. and working together to increase productivity. The Liverpool city region prospectus, which has been compiled by the Merseyside Policy Unit, identifies a number of challenges the area needs to meet. Last night, leaders from across the region said better working across the local authorities in the area was crucial to narrow the gap with the rest of the country. Wirral council leader Steve Foulkes said that, by working together, major projects could be delivered and fall-outs like the one that contributed to the scrapping of Merseytram could be avoided. He said the region would be "unstoppable" if the local authorities collaborated more. The report identifies a number of problems currently afflicting the Liverpool city region. Its relative economic position is still low, and projected future growth is not enough to close the productivity gap with average cities in the UK, Europe, USA, Asia and China. Perceptions of the region nationally are also an issue as "Liverpool city region is still seen as a region that has been defined by its problems rather than its successes". The skill profile of the region is also poor and self-employment rates are lower than elsewhere - less than half that of the UK average. Poor health and low quality housing stock are also identified as key issues for the region. In order to meet these challenges, the region must "raise its game - accelerating the performance of the city region and increasing its competitiveness and productivity is key". It is hoped that the new cabinet will help the local councils co-ordinate their efforts to improve the economy. The current chairman of the cabinet is Knowsley Council leader Ron Round; a leader for the cabinet will be chosen and will hold the position for two years. Last night, Liverpool Council leader Warren Bradley Warren Bradley may be:
He said the only contentious issue there had been among the leaders was what to call the region. "For me, calling it the Liverpool city region was a no-brainer, because Liverpool is a magnet and known everywhere, whereas Merseyside is not in the same way." He said after that it had been important to be honest about the challenges facing the area. "The first thing was to admit that there is a gap; yes, the Liverpool economy is growing faster than other core cities, but we were miles behind. Cllr Foulkes said there was no indication from government currently that devolution of power was on its way. "It's very much a suck it Suck It is the first episode of the second season of Robot Chicken. List of skits Renewal of Robot Chicken by [adult swim] Seth Green thanks Adult Swim for the renewal of the new season of Robot Chicken. and see how and when powers are devolved." A Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "We are working closely with Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens St Helens may refer to: Places:
"MAAs are a long-term commitment, and signingoff an agreement is just the beginning of the process of improving outcomes for local citizens." Responsibilities of the six councils LIVERPOOL - Economy and Europe WIRRAL - Environmental sustainability SEFTON - Safer, healthier communities HALTON - transport KNOWSLEY - Skills and employment ST HELENS - housing and spatial planning Spatial planning refers to the methods used by the public sector to influence the distribution of people and activities in spaces of various scales. Spatial planning includes all levels of land use planning including urban planning, regional planning, national spatial plans, and in Progress to date is not enough What do you think? Email us with your views at letters@dailypost.co.uk, or write to us PO Box 48, Old Hall Street, Liverpool L69 3EB davidbartlett@dailypost.co.uk |
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