PSP lobbies Cable to save NWDA

NORTH West business pressure group Private Sector Partners is calling for new Business Secretary Vince Cable to save the North West Development Agency.

Len Collinson, leader of PSP, which speaks for more than 140,000 North West firms, employing 1.3m people, has written to Mr Cable urging him to recognise the the “formidable and essential contribution” of the NWDA. 

In the run-up to the General Election the Conservatives were clear in their oppostion to the RDAs, and the Liberal Democrats were also in favour of reform.

Discussions are now taking place in Whitehall on the direction the Liveberal Coservative coalition will take.

A spokeswoman at the Department for Business told TheBusinessDesk: “The way forward is currently being discussed but the exact position is not yet clear.

“We hope the situation will be clear before too much longer as uncertainty is clearly not helpful.”

Mr Collinson argues that a cohesive regional approach is preferable to idividual locations having autonomy.

“The North West performs better working together rather than as talented individual areas,.The team approach ultimately serves the best interests of the Region. There is talk of allowing councils to take over the job of economic development. 

“This might be a grave error of narrowness and risks creating suspicion and rivalry in place of co-operation for mutual interests. Of course, there can be proper arguments about organisational structures and related costs.”