THE decision to allow the Greater Manchester region to control their NHS budget is a significant development in government policy.

An elected Mayor also signals a growing momentum towards regional devolution.

The Greater Manchester region contains 10 towns and cities the size of Warrington or larger and has a total population of around 2.5 million people.

The north west region overall has a population of approaching 7 million people.

The Liverpool City region has around 1.5 Million occupants. At a little over 200,000 people Warrington is a smaller component within what could become a Manchester-Liverpool ‘Supercity’, an economic powerhouse developed to compete globally.

However the trading area and the public managed area of a region are often difficult to reconcile and boundaries matter. Sometimes firms can take advantage of their location with grants and support, business rates and other local policies. Lancashire was of course the historic home of Warrington and in many ways it is the business history of Warrington which has laid the foundations for its current success, a history linked to a successful industrial county.

However the geography has changed and Cheshire is now Warrington’s home.

Only time will tell whether this will be an advantage or disadvantage for business.

 Professor Lawrence Bellamy is associate dean at the University of Chester's Padgate campus and writes a regular column for business.