AT the moment many council services are affected by Covid, and lots of staff time every day is spent dealing with Covid-related issues.

That being said, thanks to the hard work of council staff we are still delivering essential services and also getting on with the job of delivering on our priorities for the borough.

A good example of this was agreed at Cabinet last week with the publication of our post-Covid Economic Recovery Plan for St Helens, and I want to thank my Cabinet colleagues Cllr Kate Groucutt, Cllr Jeanie Bell and Cllr Richard McCauley for bringing this forward.

The plans were drafted before the current national lockdown, but while the virus is still very much with us we can’t sit back and wait – we need to work with partners now to plan for future jobs, growth, business and skills.

In the words of Cllr Groucutt: “The key to the success of the St Helens economy will be our relationships and partnerships at a local level. This economic recovery plan has, at its heart, the intention to work closely with stakeholders within our borough and across the region, including business leaders, education and skills providers, young people, public sector partners, and the community and voluntary sector.”

It’s only through working together that we can make the most of our borough’s potential, and the Economic Recovery Plan is just one example of this approach. 

That’s why Labour titled our 2020 review ‘Together’, a report which details our work leading the council and working with partners on key services and projects through a tumultuous year.

You can download this at www.sthelenslabour.org/review2020 and please do get in touch with me if you have any questions. 

The Economic Recovery Plan will now be the subject of a six-week consultation with businesses, partners, and residents, and you can find out more about this on the council website and social media.

Best wishes to all Star readers.