Creating change that will enable region to thrive

WE'VE passed the first anniversary of Rishi Sunak standing on Downing Street in the pouring rain announcing a General Election.

- Liz Twist

A year that has both seemed to have flown by, yet has seen so many difficult headlines.

From the heartbreak in the Middle East to the Southport attacks and riots on our streets, this Labour government has had a baptism of fire in it’s first year.

The mess that the Conservatives left our country in is telling.

Any incoming government would have been met with the same £22bn black hole, the same overcrowding in our prisons and the same backlog in processing immigration cases.

After 14 long years, the Conservatives left a legacy that was crying out for change.

That is what has made this year such a challenge - our government working and wanting to be bold and to adopt the change that people voted for, while having to clean up the financial mess left behind.

I know that some of those tough choices taken are not popular, but by taking those decisions, we can collectively look forward and believe in a brighter tomorrow.

The green shoots of recovery are evident as we turn a corner and look towards the future in both economic security and public investment.