Economist Graham Russell says less than half of Mersey Gateway jobs could go to borough

May 28 2009 by Mark Smith, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

LESS than half of the new jobs created by the Mersey Gateway Project could go to Halton Residents.

The prediction was made by planner and economist Graham Russell in a document submitted to the public inquiry in support of the scheme.

Mr Russell said that by 2030, there could be 2,967 jobs created in the Mersey Gateway regeneration area (RA), which includes Halton, areas of Merseyside, St Helens and Warrington.

But he added that 1,734 of those jobs could be taken from people outside those areas, from what the report calls ‘the hinterland’.

According to the report, the hinterland stretches as far as Chester, Salford, and West Lancashire.

In the report, he states: “Accessibility is a two-way process. Improving accessibility allows RA residents to seek employment within the area of impact, but it also allows the reverse to occur and opens up the RA to other forms of competition.

“The number of RA jobs that are estimated to be taken over time by residents of the hinterland has been analysed using a labour market model that includes occupational commuting flow data, occupational profiles for each transport zone, and changes in accessibility between zones.”

According to further analysis, Mr Russell admitted the figure could vary still further.

He adds: “The sensitivity analysis suggests the impact could range between 986-1,849 jobs available to RA residents.”