WITH tomorrow (Tuesday) marking just 100 days to the EU referendum, calls are being made for Council bosses to assess the impact of Britain’s EU membership on Warrington’s economy and investment.
As Nick Bent, Labour council candidate in Appleton Ward and Constituency Spokesperson for Warrington South, has called on council bosses to carry out a full and impartial analysis of the economic impact of Britain’s membership of the EU, an initial straw poll on warrington-worldwide’s twitter feed suggests the people of Warrington are mainly in favour of staying in Europe, with 63 pc in favour of staying in against 37 per cent for pulling out.
To help people make up their minds, Mr Bent is calling on WBC Chief Executive Steven Broomhead to start work now on an independent, politically neutral analysis that will be ready to be published just after the Local Elections on May 5th – and in plenty of time to inform the public debate in Warrington in the run-up to the in-out Referendum on June 23rd.
Such economic impact assessments have already been commissioned by Lancashire County Council, Liverpool City Council and Manchester City Council.
Nick commented: “Warrington is home to hundreds of companies that do business with our EU neighbours every day, and thousands of jobs depend on this trade. But the priority now is to have an independent audit of the facts from the Council’s senior officers.”
There are numerous examples of EU investment in Warrington that is bringing jobs and prosperity. Two of the most high-profile recent examples are:
First, the £1.7 million European Regional Development Fund grant towards the Warrington Business Incubator (known as The Base) that recently opened in the Stadium Quarter near Warrington Central station.
Second, the investment by French firm Plastic Omnium in a new high-end manufacturing facility at Omega, involving a £23 million forward funding agreement, expanding its UK presence further in what is a major boost for British industry and the local economy.
Mr Bent added: “Of course, we know there is already some important cross-party support for the case for Warrington remaining part of the European single market: both of the town’s current Members of Parliament (Labour’s Helen Jones MP and Conservative David Mowat MP) are publicly backing the campaign for Britain to remain in the European Union.”
In addition, access to EU investment funds is a major element of the strategic plans of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Economic Partnership (LEP). The LEP website states: : “The 2014 – 2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme represents a significant opportunity for Cheshire and Warrington to invest in growth and jobs in the area and make a real difference to the local economy.
“The European Structural and Investment Funds in Cheshire and Warrington includes £66.4m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £54.8m from the European Social Fund (ESF) as well as £2.5m from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). Further funding for rural areas will also be available under the “LEADER” programme.
Together, these funds will help facilitate the delivery of the Cheshire and Warrington Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and European Structural Investment Fund Strategy (ESIF) which will need to be referenced in any bid for funding.”
Nick is requesting the WBC Chief to publish a report by the middle of May, quantifying the social and economic benefits to residents of Warrington of the UK remaining a member of the EU, to include grants, investment, and jobs dependent on the single market, and the social and economic costs to Warrington of the UK leaving the EU. He believes the Chief Executive should also explore ways in which the council, working with partners, could better promote European investment in local projects, organisations and businesses.
He added: “We need WBC to start work on this report now. Let’s establish the facts so Warrington can have an informed debate.”
Meanwhile local business leader Danny Hudson has also backed the call for the borough council to carry out an audit of the economic impact of Britain’s membership of the EU.
Danny is a partner at Watsons Solicitors on Bold Street in the town and Chair of business group ‘Warrington First’ and closely involved in the prestigious annual Warrington Business Awards. Danny is also a Governor at Priestley College.
He said: “Information gathering lies at the heart of the debate about EU membership. The public are being asked to comment about the future of the economic strategy of the UK based upon a few snatched political headlines and soundbites.
“The people of Warrington need to know what EU membership means tothem on a day to day basis and that can only come from a neutral fact finding exercise. Presently the public are being asked to make a huge decision without the requisite information available to take a balanced view.”
The twitter poll
