Town could gain from growth fund

BUSINESS in Warrington could benefit from initiatives announced by Prime Minister David Cameron during his tour of the North West, according to Paul Campbell, Conservative spokesman for the Warrington North constituency.
Cllr Campbell – also Warrington Borough Council’s finance chief – welcomed plans to boost growth in the region announced by the Prime Minister.
He said: “This will be of great help to the business entrepreneur of Warrington at a time of continuing growth in our economy.”
Mr Cameron, speaking in Manchester, set out plans to boost growth in all regions and encourage local businesses and entrepreneurs to bid for money from the government’s flagship £1.4 billion regional growth fund.
He said he had commissioned Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy to produce a regional economic plan to stimulate growth.
Mr Cameron said: “Getting behind tourism, green energy, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, the industries of the future – all this is crucial.
“But it would be a big mistake if we stopped at those big ticket industries because if you look at where growth has come from in recent years, you see that it’s the small, innovative companies that hold a lot of the potential.
“Over and over again studies show that around one in 20 companies – the small, high-growth firms – are responsible for half of new job creation. So far from ignoring the start-ups and the small players, we’re laying out the red carpet for them.”
Mr Campbell (pictured) said the Prime Minister mentioned specific issues for Warrington and the North West including electrified rail, super-fast broadband, encouragement for the pharmaceutical industry and the Mersey Gateway which have been given thee green light in spite of real pressure to cut capital expenditure in light of the mess in public finances.
He added: “For the Regional Growth Fund the Prime Minister is saying to people – ‘if you’ve got an idea to bring investment and wealth to your area, whether it’s a local wasteland that needs decontaminating before it can be built on or a run-down dockside that could be transformed into a retail area with a bit of start-up capital, £1.4 billion is there waiting in the Regional Growth Fund to help make those good ideas happen.”