22 April 2009

Manchester to become first UK ‘city region’ pilot

NWDA response to Manchester City Region status announced in The Budget 2009:

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said:

“The announcement by the Chancellor today is an exciting step forward for Greater Manchester and the Northwest as a whole. We all recognise that Manchester is the economic powerhouse of our region and will be a key driver in pulling, not just the Northwest, but the entire UK out of the recession.

The NWDA has been consistently working closely with the local authorities in Manchester to ensure the best way forward and that any move to ‘city region’ status happens at the right speed and at the right time.

The Budget announcement today making Manchester the first pilot city region, along with Leeds, in the UK takes it a step forward on this journey and the NWDA is working very closely to agree the best way forward for the growth of the region.

It is important for the future growth of the Northwest that we get this right, but we must recognise that with new responsibilities comes the need to make tough decisions. Greater Manchester have already made good progress in putting the right governance in place and the NWDA will also be working side-by-side with the local authorities to help with this process and achieve stronger growth for the Northwest economy.”

ENDS