Levelling up: Lancashire being overlooked 'a big kick in the teeth'

Lancashire has been overlooked in the government's levelling up strategy because it is not seen as "ambitious enough", a senior councillor has said.

The plans to tackle regional inequality were unveiled on Wednesday, but made little mention of the county.

Azhar Ali, Lancashire County Council's Labour group leader, said it was a "big kick in the teeth" for the area.

However, the council's Tory leader Phillippa Williamson welcomed the "vision" to give powers to local areas.

She said that for "too long, decision-making in England has been seen to be remote from local people and the white paper sends the clearest signal yet that government is willing to radically change that power dynamic".

Lancashire's 15 councils are currently being asked to back a blueprint agreed by their leaders which will form the basis of a bid to ministers in which Lancashire will attempt to secure £5.6bn worth of devolved powers and funding in areas such as skills, housing and transport.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the white paper revealed that at least nine areas in England were ahead of Lancashire in the queue for devolution deals and the county was mentioned ten times in the document, all in connection with schemes that had been previously announced.

Mr Ali said time previously spent "navel-gazing" had meant Lancashire was overlooked for the next round of devolution discussions, just at the point the county was ready to come to the table with a pitch.

"We can't even agree to have unitary authorities [to replace the two-tier county and district system], because some of the districts would lose their empires," he said.

He said the document "shows that the government don't take Lancashire seriously".

"We have had all this hoorah about how we've got to get an agreement [between the 15 councils], but we're not seen to be ambitious enough or ready for a devolution deal - and that really is a big kick in the teeth," he added.

However, Ms Williamson said she was more optimistic, as she had been "working closely with local leaders to put a clear proposition to government about how Lancashire can take more control of its own destiny".

"That close collaboration will be key in ensuring that we seize the opportunities the white paper sets out," she said.

Council leaders in other parts of the county also reacted to the publication of the strategy.

Ribble Valley's Conservative leader Stephen Atkinson, the chairman of the Lancashire district leaders' group, said the county could get a good deal, but might have to be patient.

He said Lancashire was "trying to work with its districts to get the strategic and the local combined in one", which was "the real asset for the county and the white paper recognises that that can happen".

Chorley Council's Labour leader Alistair Bradley, the deputy chairman of the group, added that being left off the list might work to Lancashire's advantage as it allowed the county "to come up with our own timetable and agenda".

"Other areas will slide up and down the ladder until they've made the deal, because that's the nature of the beast," he added.

However, Preston's Labour leader Matthew Brown said while his authority would "negotiate positively with whichever government the people of the country elect... I came to the conclusion some time ago that nobody is going to rescue us and we have got to pretty much do stuff on our own".

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