Member Article

Warrington fleshes out benefits from £12.5 million government growth funding

Warrington Borough Council has revealed details as to how funding allocated to Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) from the Governments Local Growth Fund will be spent in the borough.

A total of £142.7 million has been allocated to Cheshire & Warrington LEP from the Governments Local Growth Fund in a phased programme over the next six years. £20.1 million has been specifically allocated for 2015-16.

Approved funding from 2015/16 onwards to support specific projects in Warrington totals £12.44 million and includes:

• £5 million to deliver Junction 8 improvements on the M62 to allow for improved access to Omega and other sites

•£5.3 million for a new bridge crossing over the River Mersey which will ease traffic congestion and facilitate the commencement of the Warrington Waterfront regeneration programme

•£2.14 million (for works totalling £3.62 million) to ease congestion in the Warrington East/ Birchwood area to support the continued growth of the area.

The Government has also agreed to explore how the land assets owned by the Homes and Communities Agency can be used to support the economic growth of the town.

A number of other initiatives for which funding has been allocated which will also benefit Warrington which include the Skills Capital Employer Programme.

Councillor Terry O’Neill, Leader of Warrington Borough Council said: “We worked hard alongside our colleagues at the Cheshire & Warrington LEP and at Cheshire East and Cheshire West Councils in the production of our combined Strategic Economic Plan which best suited the growth ambitions of the county and sub region.

“This allocation of funding is great news. In Warrington in particular it is a major boost for our ambitious plans to grow the local economy, creating hundreds of new jobs and improving the town for future generations ’.

Steven Broomhead, Chair of Warrington & Co., Warrington’s partnership for driving growth said: “This is fantastic news for the region, the county and Warrington.

“Infrastructure is key to growth and these funds will not only keep the region on the move but also fuel Warrington’s continued growth and success.’

Christine Gaskell, Chair of the Cheshire & Warrington Enterprise Partnership added: “We welcome this multi-million pound investment into the economy of Cheshire and Warrington. We have worked hard with our partners to present a strong case for this injection of funding into the sub-region and this allocation will provide the platform we need to put our Growth Plan into practice.

“It is now our responsibility to work with all our stakeholders to deliver our plan and transform our economy providing more jobs, more housing and a better skilled workforce for Cheshire and Warrington.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .