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Cheshire and Warrington seek Northern Powerhouse voice

Cheshire and Warrington are well placed to make a major contribution in driving forward the Northern Powerhouse. Both geographically and economically this part of the North West of England has plenty to bring to the table.
However, the apparent delay of a devolution deal has put a large question mark over what voice it will have in the emerging powerhouse project – and how loud that will be.
Cheshire and Warrington sits neatly between the great Northern cities of Manchester and Liverpool and is already an economic powerhouse in its own right – boasting the largest economy in the region.
The figures are impressive. The area contributes an annual GVA of more than £20bn. Around one fifth of employment in the sub region is in export-intensive industries.
At the heart of the proposed devolution deal was an ambitious plan to treble its economy to £50bn by 2040, creating 127,000 jobs.
That deal – seen by many as crucial to its role within the Northern Powerhouse has now been put on hold.
The local authorities involved in the debate are believed to have been unable to agree to go down the elected mayor route that is being taken by its big city region neighbours of Liverpool and Manchester. Read more