Report from Maureen Mills

West Lancashire Borough Council has been asked to back ambitious plans to lobby for local and regional involvement in Brexit negotiations, and is looking to local authorities in the surrounding area for backing.

The proposal - which went before last night's Full Council and was not backed by the Tory opposition - was to work with other local authorities to 'pursue any lobbying or legislative means, so as to ensure that our local and combined authorities acquire and use to best effect a substantive place in the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union following the 'triggering' of Article 50 (2).'

Proposer of the motion, Skem councillor Frank McKenna, told QLocal: "Brexit is the biggest economic event of our lifetime, and we can't just stand by and see the post Article 50 negotiation period be frittered by a government which arguably now lacks both the know-how and the credibility to come up with any kind of workable deal, and is thus letting us in for the hardest of hard Brexits not because it may be best for the country, but because it has no idea how to do anything else.

"At local and regional level, we get the main threats and opportunities surrounding Brexit, and are much more capable of negotiating regional level deals than a government tied to Westminster's political priorities. The government won't consider things like how we can best help a port city and its surrounding area meet the demands of possible exit from the customs union, for example, but we will.

"The EU does have a long history of dealing with regions as well as nation states, not least via the large European funding programmes for Merseyside, and if we are to properly meet the challenges of Brexit, including the funding gaps that may emerge, we need to be at the table. This motion to council is the first stage of that campaign to take local control of our destiny.

"If Nissan can apparently get promises from government overnight about how its position will be secure whatever happens, then it's only right and proper that democratically elected councils seek to secure a voice for the people they serve."

Said Steve Rotherham after the PM's 'hard Brexit' announcement of Jan 18th:
"During our meeting last week I suggested that the North of England, in particular the Liverpool City Region, should have a voice at the Government’s negotiating table, as the decision to the leave the EU is likely to define the future of our area for the next generation.

"If I’m elected as Liverpool Mayor in May 2017, I will demand that Brexit Ministers ensure full consideration of the interests of our City Region are at the heart of their exit strategy, as we cannot afford to allow the 1.5 million people across Merseyside and Halton to be left behind again."

Added Greater Manchester Mayoral contender Andy Burnham: "Rather than leaving these crucial decisions to a London-centric right-wing clique around the prime minister, it is time to open up the debate, give Greater Manchester a voice in it and establish a Brexit committee of the nations and regions."