New Committee aims to boost Pennine Lancashire economy by £400 million

The new decision making organisation will meet in public and build on a strong base of partnership working between the authorities.

It will focus primarily 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 over half a million people.

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

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

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

The committee meetings are open to the media and to local residents.

For the first meeting, any questions from local residents need to be submitted by 9am on November 25 2009 to phil.llewellyn@blackburn.gov.uk or Tel: 01254  585369   Agendas can be downloaded from November 18 at the PLACE website http://www.penninelancsplace.org/

Councillor John David, Leader of Pendle Borough Council said:

"The aim of the Joint Committee is to ensure that by agreeing key issues affecting the lives of residents in all our boroughs we stand a better chance of improving matters right across Pennine Lancashire - and  that means Pendle in particular.

"A massive amount of work has gone into preparing the case for the investment detailed in our Multi Area Agreement which was signed by the Prime Minister and all of us earlier this year.

"It is now vital that we use the new Joint Committee to achieve the required Government funding and equally important that we use the money efficiently and effectively.

"The committee is open to the public who can see for themselves how this is happening."

Councillor Tony Swain, Leader of Rossendale Borough Council which is hosting the first meeting said:

"The first meeting of the Joint Committee comes soon after it was announced that the North West Development Agency has committed up to £200m investment over the next 10 years to help us deliver our priorities.

 
This funding will form part of a wider joint investment plan bringing in other government funding streams.  This is a real step forward for Pennine Lancashire."