LABOUR Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols has slammed Michael Gove after comments on devolution.

The levelling up secretary has announced that Middlesbrough and Hartlepool will be regenerated through two new development corporations.

He said the mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, will get new powers with the corporations to revamp both town centres.

Mr Gove was speaking at the Convention of the North in Manchester, a gathering of major political figures in the north of England.

Furthermore, the secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced £30 million for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to improve social housing.

In a major speech on the plan to narrow the gap between the north and south, Conservative Mr Gove also said the Government wanted to see more devolution in Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, Warrington, Hull and East Yorkshire.

He said: “As well as deepening devolution we must also broaden it.

“I am very conscious that the mayoral model has its critics and sceptics. I am particularly conscious that communities on the periphery of mayoral geographies sometimes worry that their needs can be overlooked.

“But I do not think there is a tension between Manchester’s success and Bury’s, or Sunderland’s growth and Spennymoor’s, or indeed Newcastle’s prosperity and Blyth’s regeneration.

“Attracting investment to magnet cities is a necessary part of reviving the economic fortunes of satellite towns.

“And indeed, if we unlock the potential of our major cities, then the whole country benefits. Improving the productivity of the nine UK second cities will add billions to the UK economy.”

Warrington will not receive any of the Government’s latest levelling up funding after a £47 million package of projects was turned down.

And Ms Nichols has slammed Mr Gove following his comments.

She said: “Michael Gove has a nerve to be saying he wants to spread growth and prosperity to us the week after his department rejected Warrington’s bid for levelling up funds.

“I will always champion giving the people of Warrington a louder voice on how we are governed and would of course examine any proposals carefully.”

 

 

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