City Deal signed
The ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ City Deal for South Ribble and the surrounding Preston area is to be signed today by the Deputy Prime Minister, Margaret Smith Conservative Leader of South Ribble Borough Council, the Chairman of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and the Leaders of Lancashire County Council, Preston City Council.County Councillor Michael Green, Conservative Group Spokesman for Economic Development at Lancashire County Council, said :
“I welcome this news and thank the Conservative led Coalition Government togther with the Borough Council’s partners in Lancashire for agreeing this deal. The City Deal has the potential to unlock hundreds of millions of pounds of investment, which will give investors the incentive to create around 23,000 new jobs in the areas of South Ribble, Preston and beyond.
“The work leading up to signing the City Deal commenced under the then Conservative administration at County Hall, who were determined to improve the local economy, secure new investment and create jobs for the residents of Lancashire.
“Our thanks are owed to former Leader of Lancashire County Council, Geoff Driver and Margaret Smith as Leader of South Ribble Borough Council whose strong and determined leadership has been instrumental in laying the foundations for the City Deal to be secured. This another significant step forward by your local Conservative team at all levels, ensuring South Ribble is a great place to live, work and play."
Leader of South Ribble Borough Council, Councillor Margaret Smith, said: "South Ribble is a thriving borough at the heart of a prosperous Central Lancashire, and this backing from the Government shows that it is independently recognised as one of the strongest local economies in the country."
Cllr Smith added "We are always looking for ways to make South Ribble an even better place to live and do business, and in principle the City Deal will allow us to bring forward lots of initiatives which were already in the pipeline.
"The deal represents a huge commitment for us, and it has real potential to bring to fruition some major community facilities for our residents alongside the larger infrastructure projects."