WIRRAL Council has supported calls for more devolution for the North of England.

During a meeting of full council on Monday, Labour and Liberal Democrats supported a notice of motion calling on Government to devolve more powers and funding from Whitehall to city regions and local authorities in England.

The motion said thecouncil "supports the principle that decisions made on the needs of Wirral and the Liverpool City Region are best made by locally elected members rather than ministers and civil servants in Whitehall."

Council leader Phil Davies said: "It is right that decisions which affect the people of Wirral and of the wider city regions of the North of England should be made by the people of those regions.

“As leader the council and in my position as chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority I have been calling for the devolution of powers over employment and skills, transport, business support and regeneration.

"The North of England accounts for almost a third of the population of England.

"Over 15m people live in the city regions of the North, our economy is twice the size of Scotland’s, contributing a fifth of the UK’s economic output.

“It is time for the government to deliver on its promises to empower the North.”

Councillor Phil Gilchrist, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "There is now a growing movement seeking to take power from central control.

"People have woken up to the potential for change.

"That change needs to work for us.

"Power and resources need to flow to responsible bodies working in and across the regions.

"Wirral needs to play a part in this, getting our foot in the door early, or we risk being out on a limb."