Proposed by Councillor Andrew Hodson

Seconded by Councillor Don McCubbin

That Council:

(1)  Supports the bid for a Local Enterprise Partnership for Merseyside that will enable greater focus on the needs of Wirral, partner local authorities and employers and thanks those officers involved in the bid.

(2)  Believes private-sector led investment will help to rebalance Wirral's economy and is keen to attract new jobs to the Borough, particularly 'green' jobs and those which offer opportunities for additional apprenticeships. 

Council, therefore, welcomes:

·  continuing progress of the redevelopment of New Brighton

·  investment in The Contact Company to create 244 jobs in Birkenhead

·  meetings between the Leader of the Council and potential Chinese investors

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order7 (2)

Proposed by Councillor Stuart Kelly

Seconded by Councillor Simon Holbrook

Before ”Council therefore welcomes” insert:

(3)  Instructs officers to continue work to attract sources of funding, such as the Regional Growth Fund, to enable Wirral and the wider City Region to make the transition away from an economy with significant dependence on public sector employment and to assist in creating the conditions for growth and enterprise within the private sector to increase the number of private sector sustainable jobs.

The amendment was accepted as a friendly amendment by the movers of the motion.

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order7 (2)

Proposed by Councillor Jean Stapleton

Seconded by Councillor Phil Davies

Delete all after paragraph 1 and replace with –

“Expresses it’s fear that any private sector led investment will be totally inadequate to re-balance Wirral’s economy in the light of swingeing public sector cuts which will not only destroy thousands of jobs on Wirral, but will also put many private sector companies at risk who depend on the public sector for a large proportion of their work, increasing even further the level of job losses across Wirral.

Council welcomes any new jobs in the borough, particularly those which offer opportunities for additional apprenticeships but believes this welcome could be deemed hypocritical because the Cabinet is failing to practice what it preaches and has already slashed £1.6m from the Working Neighbourhood Fund in the Council’s own budget this year which is used to pay for apprenticeships.

Council also recognises that the latest creation of apprenticeships in the Home Insulation programme put forward by the previous Labour/Liberal Democrat administration, and celebrated now in press releases by the current Conservative Liberal Democrat administration is a prime example of a programme instigated by the public sector, leading to close co-operation with the private sector, which required an injection of funds from the public sector which will no longer be available for new programmes as public spending cuts start to bite, so leading to lost future job opportunities for Wirral residents.

However Council welcomes:

·  continuing progress of the redevelopment of New Brighton

·  investment in The Contact Company to create 244 jobs in Birkenhead

·  meetings between the Leader of the Council and potential Chinese investors

Council also welcomes the dramatic conversion of the Leader of the Council and his acolytes from their previous scepticism in opposition to a sudden understanding of the importance of travelling to China to meet with potential investors in Wirral.”

The amendment was put and lost (23:38:1)

The motion, as amended by the inclusion of the friendly amendment, was put and carried unanimously.

Resolved (unanimously) - That Council:

(1)  Supports the bid for a Local Enterprise Partnership for Merseyside that will enable greater focus on the needs of Wirral, partner local authorities and employers and thanks those officers involved in the bid.

(2) Believes private-sector led investment will help to rebalance Wirral's economy and is keen to attract new jobs to the Borough, particularly 'green' jobs and those which offer opportunities for additional apprenticeships. 

(3) Instructs officers to continue work to attract sources of funding, such as the Regional Growth Fund, to enable Wirral and the wider City Region to make the transition away from an economy with significant dependence on public sector employment and to assist in creating the conditions for growth and enterprise within the private sector to increase the number of private sector sustainable jobs.

Council, therefore, welcomes:

·  continuing progress of the redevelopment of New Brighton

·  investment in The Contact Company to create 244 jobs in Birkenhead

·  meetings between the Leader of the Council and potential Chinese investors