Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con):...Like the national economy, the
local economy of my constituency of Pendle has recovered well under
the Conservative Government. Unemployment has fallen substantially,
and the businesses I visit report growth, and that they are taking
on more staff and investing in apprenticeships.
Indeed, Rolls-Royce has just begun a major £50-million
investment in its site at Barnoldswick in my constituency... ...The
electrification of lines between Manchester,...Request free trial
(Pendle)
(Con):...Like the national economy, the local economy of
my constituency of Pendle has recovered well under the Conservative
Government. Unemployment has fallen substantially, and the
businesses I visit report growth, and that they are taking on more
staff and investing in apprenticeships. Indeed, Rolls-Royce has just begun a major
£50-million investment in its site at Barnoldswick in my
constituency...
...The electrification of lines between Manchester,
Liverpool, Preston and—of course—Blackpool, with better rolling
stock, is bringing long-term improvements to the northern rail
system. However, those benefits are yet to reach east Lancashire.
Our rolling stock remains poor-quality, services are slow and few,
and connections are poor. This is undermining the economic
productivity of Lancashire as a whole, but especially east
Lancashire. Sectors such as advanced manufacturing—especially
aerospace—health innovation, digital and the low carbon energy
sector are all distinctive prime capabilities of the northern
economy. According to the latest research, they all stand to
benefit from improved connectivity, as do logistics, food and
drink, and other sectors. In particular, advanced manufacturing is
a priority growth sector on both sides of the Pennines. Lancashire
has the largest concentration of aerospace production in the UK,
employing more than 20,000 people, including 1,000
at Rolls-Royce in Barnoldswick in my
constituency, but the area will have no train link unless the
Colne-Skipton line is restored...
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