John was pleased to have the opportunity to attend the Place North West Lancashire Development Update meeting which took place on Thursday 8th February.
This meeting was critical in keeping up to date with all the latest developments, funding and policies that will be affecting the county. With the Lancashire area being in such an interesting period of change, these insights are essential in staying at the forefront of innovation! With the area being described as a land of opportunity, it is no surprise that transformational change is happening all over with new programmes, funding sources and schemes opening up.
One of the most exciting announcements was the devolution deal! This transfers the powers and funding from a national, government level to the local government and councils. This allows them to focus on the economy of the area with insights and decisions made by those who actually live and work there and could be the stepping stone to even greater decision making for the area. Indeed, the only criticism about this deal was that it was maybe not ambitious enough. Regardless, it is incredible news and certainly a positive development!
The positives did not end there as each council lead seemed to have fantastic news and updates about their towns and cities with projects like the Eden Project in Morecambe, the new Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre moving to Darwen and housing projects and estate renewal in West Lancashire.
Meetings such as these really bring together the community and open crucial lines of conversation which is something that B&E Boys really stands behind.
Thank you to all at the Lancashire Development Update, the sponsors; Blackpool Council, Maple Grove Developments, LUC and Muse, plus the charity partner, Regeneration Brainery.