PLACE (Pennine Lancashire) Joint Committee

The PLACE (Pennine Lancashire) Joint Committee comprises the Leaders from each council in Pennine Lancashire.

This new decision making body held its first meeting in November 2009.

The seven councils represented on the Joint Committee are Pendle, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Lancashire County Council, Ribble Valley and Rossendale.

The current Chairman is Councillor Michael Lee of Blackburn with Darwen and the Vice Chairman is Councillor John David of Pendle.

The new PLACE Committee will work to maximise co-operation and efforts on the economy, housing, worklessness, sustainable development and transport.

It aims to boost the area's economy by around £400 million.

The Committee will meet in public and build on a strong base of partnership working between the councils.

It will concentrate on strategic economic regeneration including housing, economic development, enterprise and transport.

It will focus on the key issues which have been agreed as priorities across Pennine Lancashire through what's called a Multi-Area Agreement.

These priorities are:

• Boosting the local economy through improving local transport links across the area and to Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool
• Investing in employment and skills by creating new jobs at all skill levels
• Working with Higher Education providers to increase the number of university places
• Transforming local housing supply
• Improving digital and broadband connections
• Making access to government funding quicker and easier.

By focusing on these themes the Joint Committee aims to improve the quality of life for the half a million residents of Pennine Lancashire.

The committee meetings are open to the press and to the public.

Agendas and minutes are available on Pendle Council's website or by visiting the PLACE website. Contact details can be found on the PLACE Contact Page.

Pictured L-R: Coun. Peter Clark (Deputy Leader of Hyndburn Council), David Welsby (Managing Director of Hyndburn Council), Helen Lockwood (Chief Executive of Rossendale Council), Coun. Tony Swain (Leader of Rossendale Council), Coun. Michael Ranson (Leader of Ribble Valley Council), Marshal Scott (Chief Executive of Ribble Valley Council), Coun. Michael Lee, (Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council), Graham Burgess (Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council), Coun. Albert Atkinson Deputy Leader of Lancashire County Council), Deborah Ashton (Head of Policy at Lancashire County Council), Coun. John David (Pendle Council Leader), Steve Rumbelow (Chief Executive of Burnley Council), Stephen Barnes (Chief Executive of Pendle Council)