QUESTION: Name the Warrington agency that was opened by a high-profile politician, has more than £1 billion to spend during the next three years and puts £1 million into the town's economy every year.

Oh, and housed a life-size statue of the world's greatest footballer last year for good measure.

Answer: The Northwest Development Agency.

But what is known about the agency whose headquarters take up three floors of hi-tech office space on Centre Park?

In a bid to find out more, the Warrington Guardian went down to the NWDA HQ to chat with chief executive Steven Broomhead, who is just starting his second year in charge after leaving Warrington Borough Council last year.

From Hadrian's Wall in the north to Crewe in the south and Bootle in the west to Barnoldswick in the east, the agency deals with a region populated by almost seven million people. And, according to Mr Broomhead, it has a positive effect on Warrington as well.

He said: "When I came here I wanted the agency to feel more a part of the town because nobody knew what we do here.

"But we hope to boost the town's economy and a lot of our services are from local suppliers, from IT support to filling hotel beds.

"I would estimate that we introduce £1 million a year into the economy and there are 270 people employed here as well.

"And Warrington will be boosted simply due to the number of ministers that we have coming to visit the agency and seeing and learning a bit more about the town."

Among the £1.4 billion that is at the agency's disposal over the next three years is a cash injection that is set to revitalise Liverpool's waterfront and a multi-million pound regeneration of Barrow in Cumbria.

Here in Warrington the agency is most heavily involved in the work to makeover the Cheshire Lines building and set up Omega - the business park that will see 25,000 jobs created on the former RAF Burtonwood site.

Mr Broomhead said he hoped work could begin on Omega by the end of this year.

"I am looking forward to the planning process going through speedily on Omega," he said.

"And it is a travesty that the Cheshire Lines building has been left to waste.

"It is a highly visible site and we want to move it forward to create commercial apartments."

He added that the NWDA was looking to work in partnership with the council to continue the revamp of Palmyra Square.