Beverley Hughes attends first Council of Regional Ministers

Helping savers, small businesses and homeowners in the North West through the worldwide economic problems was top of the agenda at the first meeting of the Council of Regional Ministers today.

The Council brought together the Ministers for the English regions as well as Ministers for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to look at what help the regions need and what Whitehall can do to provide it.

Beverley Hughes, the Minister for the North West said:

"The North West of England is not alone in facing up to today's economic challenges and so our response must be nationwide too and, unlike in previous recessions, nobody will be left behind. The Government has moved to ensure the national economy is strengthened but now our attention has to shift to more local concerns.

"As Minister for the North West I will be the region's voice in Whitehall and the Council of Regional Ministers will provide a forum for that voice to be heard. I will ensure central government knows what the public, the business community, local authorities and third sector organisations in the North West need from us to come through this period of uncertainty.

"One of the key aims of this Council is to make sure the plan which the North West has in place is the right one to cope with the challenges ahead. As a first step I want to take stock of what immediate action could help to alleviate emerging difficulties, particularly for local people and small businesses. For example, whether we can unblock or accelerate some larger infrastructure projects to give a boost to the local economy. In this way by bringing key partners together quickly we can remove barriers to critical local services and job creation."