LIVERPOOL and Greater Manchester City Regions are exploring ways to collaborate more closely, a St Helens councillor has claimed.

Speaking during St Helens Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Commission on Monday, Cllr Andy Bowden said Liverpool City Region should look at “opportunities” of working together with its Greater Manchester counterpart.

The former mayor of St Helens said the borough would be well placed to benefit from a partnership between the two regions.

Cllr Bowden said: “We have Liverpool City Region, Manchester City Region and the opportunities of them both working together must be explored – and I know are being explored.

“I think there is much more we can do around that. I think that will give us a combined much louder voice in Westminster, and much more opportunity to be greater than the sum of our parts.

“If we work more closely together then St Helens is well placed to benefit from both of those.”

Cllr Derek Long, St Helens Council’s cabinet member for Liverpool City Region engagement, said he “endorsed” the comments.

He added that the current relationship between Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Greater Manchester’s Metro Mayor Andy Burnham was “encouraging”.

Cllr Long also took aim at the Government, saying they were too “distracted” to deal with issues in the Liverpool City Region.

He said that since Mr Rotheram has been in place, around half a billion pounds has been attracted into the City Region.

Cllr Long said: “What does that mean for St Helens?

“Broadly speaking if we got our equal or fair share of this money we should get £100 million over the lifetime of the agreement spent in St Helens which we wouldn’t have had if we hadn’t of had a City Region Mayor.”

Cllr Nova Charlton, Thatto Heath councillor, questioned whether City Region initiatives such as the Mersey Barrage green energy scheme were going to come to fruition.

She said: “I keep hearing about it but is it going to happen?”

“It’s the same with the superfast broadband, fabulous idea but we keep hearing about it, when it going to happen?

“There’s some really, really positive things that I keep hearing about but it’s seeing them coming to fruition and ultimately, how it’s going to benefit St Helens.”

Cllr Long replied: “These things will take time but the fact that at least they are going forward at this stage, that’s some hope.”