Reducing unemployment and tackling health issues such as smoking top the list of concerns that local areas in Merseyside will prioritise over the next three years.
Reducing the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol related harm has been identified as a key priority by all five local authorities across Merseyside. These are Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, and Wirral - and neighbouring Halton. Other key challenges include reducing mortality rates, getting people back into work and boosting business registration rates.
Every local area in England has now agreed its own set of priorities with central government and must devote resources, time and effort to tackling the challenges that will improve the lives of local people in their areas. Extra cash will be available to the highest performing councils. Local people will also be able to see what their council has chosen to prioritise at http://www.localpriorities.communities.gov.uk.
Called Local Area Agreements (LAAs) - local authorities have worked with local service providers such as the Police and Jobcentre Plus to identify key priorities individual to each area.
Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP, Regional Minister for the North West said:
"Local Area Agreements are all about people deciding action on the issues that affect them most and that is something I welcome.
"In my role as Regional Minister for the North West, I have already identified the need to tackle health inequalities and worklessness so I am pleased to see that so many Local Authorities across the region share my conviction that these issues need to be addressed.
"The fact that these issues have been identified as local priorities means there will be a sharper focus and more resources directed towards them and a real drive to make a difference for people throughout our region."
Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said:
"These new local priorities mean that councils and their partners can concentrate their efforts on the specific needs of the local people they serve. The prizes are enormous: better, more locally relevant public services, a higher quality of life and ultimately more prosperity in communities across the country.
"If knowledge is power, then this is more power to local people. They will be able to see exactly what local government and service providers plan to do in their area, check out how well they are doing, and ask questions if they have not delivered. This means less red tape and more freedom for local authorities to deliver what local people want."
Progress will be tracked by independent auditors and results published, so any need for improvement can be identified quickly and local authorities and service providers be held to account by local people.
