Torbay MP Adrian Sanders will be urging the Government to make action a priority in the South West today at the inaugural South West Grand Committee meeting in Exeter.
The main debate will focus upon how the Government is tackling the recession in the region and while there has been much talk over this in recent months, Mr Sanders will be raising serious concerns that this is not being translated into action.
The Government has already received criticism for its failure to force nationalised banks to loan to viable businesses and the very low number of individuals and businesses able to take advantage of the raft of initiatives launched by the Government such as the mortgage assistance scheme.
Mr Sanders will be arguing for a solution to unemployment more focused on local conditions, reflecting the wide variety of experiences across the South West; giving freedom to local authorities and charities to provide the help that the communities they serve need.
Adrian said: “The South West ‘region’ is purely a Government construct. The social and economic make up of Devon and Cornwall, is wholly different from that of Bristol and Swindon for example. Creating ‘regional’ strategies that encompass the very varied needs of these areas will necessarily be a compromise. But in my view an unnecessary one, for the boundaries within which communities wish to be included should be determined by the communities themselves and not by lines drawn on a map in Whitehall."
"The Liberal Democrats are committed to fixing our broken politics starting with a fair voting system to ensure no region or locality of the country can be taken for granted. Where the people want it we will take power from the state and give it to them. Allow people to exercise real power in their communities and to share in decisions that affect their lives. But most important of all we will allow the people to determine their region and not impose one upon them."
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