TIDES OF CHANGE
LA23ers clicked and clacked along Arnside viaduct with Morecambe Bay’s waters lapping on either side, Blackpool Tower in the distance and the stunning estuary at low-tide welcoming wading birds and cloudy reflections of an overcast sky. To everyone on board, there was no mistaking that the Furness Line and the landscape it passes through is quite simply breathtaking. Victoria Sedgwick’s snaps showcased the full majesty (and madness) of this particularly unusual LA23NET. The truth is that this whole area from Lancashire to Cumbria is full of beauty, business and bags of potential and it seems that this potential is being realised as all three district councils are now working together for the benefit of all.
Sometimes people put aside politics. Sometimes they don’t.
This time, for a change, it seems they have. Last night, Chief Executive of South Lakeland District Council Lawrence Conway spoke about how politics have been pushed back in favour of meaningful and important conversations. When each district is taken on its own the numbers are good but by cutting red tape and combining each district’s offering, the area becomes a veritable hotbed of opportunity.
South Lakeland District Council + Barrow Council + Lancaster City Council = BayPowerhouse
Two ports, 30,000+ highly skilled job opportunities, 2 universities, the M6, West Coast Mainline, world heritage site, world beating tourism industries, the upcoming Eden Project, wind-farms, power stations, advanced manufacturing and engineering companies and so much more…
The case for putting politics aside was so compelling that common sense prevailed and the three councils are presenting their case as the Lancaster and South Cumbria Economic Region. The hope is that this combined approach will ensure a proper place at the table for this region.
SO WE’RE ALL IN AGREEMENT YEAH?
Well sort of. Lively questions and challenges showed that whilst the idea is sound and businesses are crying out for it to happen they want to see a more understandable language being used and for younger people to play an active role in the discussions. This platform is for the future of the region, not the past.
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