A CONFERENCE taking place next week will aim to highlight how the council is 'uniting with other public services to keep spending local'.

'Keeping wealth in the community', held at Birkenhead town hall on Monday, will feature speakers who will share their experience of how to build the local economy by focusing on retaining resources locally.

A major consultation on transformational plans for the borough through the Wirral Growth Company, revealed last year, is set to get underway – and new plans by the Council aim to ensure wealth is not "extracted" from the borough by companies based outside the area.

Cllr Janette Williamson, cabinet member for finance, will open the conference which includes presentations from Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council, Eric Robinson, chief executive of Wirral Council on 'the benefits of economic and inclusive growth' and Neil McInroy, chief executive of The Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) discussing the concept of 'community wealth building'.

The authority is currently working with CLES to review all of its spending.

A council spokesman said the borough already performs better than most other areas for keeping spend local, adding that 34p out of every £1 spent is invested with local firms.

The project with CLES aims to increase that figure significantly, focusing on 'procurement, employment, use of assets and deepening democracy' and aims to provide a boost of more than £10million to the local economy.

Cllr Janette Williamson said Wirral companies and workers should be 'first in the queue' to benefit from multi-million pound regeneration projects being lined up across the borough.

She added: "Recent years have seen some real success with local employers growing and winning new business, more businesses are relocating or starting up in Wirral and major developments now in the pipeline will see many more new opportunities.

"We are seeking to limit wealth being extracted by big businesses which are not based here in Wirral are not hiring and sourcing locally.

"Any new jobs, new opportunities that are generated must be felt by the people who already live in Wirral."