Councils form partnership

LEADERS of three councils in Cheshire – Warrington, Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester – have pledged to work closely together for the greater benefit of residents and business in the area.
The councils all face the same shared challenges such as providing affordable homes, improving transport infrastructure, tackling climate change and improving skills and training.
They believe all can be more efficiently tackled together rather than separately.
The Cheshire and Warrington sub-region is one of the most prosperous and economically successful areas of the UK and the three councils believe they should play a greater role in the future of the North West.
They have agreed to establish a structure of working together that entails the formation of a leadership board, also including Halton Borough Council, and a supporting management team comprising each of the four councils’ chief executives, the police and fire services.
A series of working groups will tackle problems such as prosperity, climate change and learning and skills and a forum to enable wider involvement from other sub-regional interested organisations such as town and parish councils. The group unanimously agreed that the three key regional agencies – the North West Development Agency, Government Office for the North West and the Homes and Communities Agency should have an active involvement in the partnership.
Coun Ian Marks (pictured) of Warrington Borough Council said: “This historic agreement means that the councils have a channel to more effectively promote the area, tackle common problems, explore sharing services and create efficiencies in our activities.”