Guided by the Lancashire Growth Plan, we will harness the county’s strengths to deliver inclusive and high-impact growth, focusing on key sectors that drive productivity, while also investing in the pillars of success: transport, skills, housing, health, and innovation.
We also acknowledge the importance of foundational sectors such as public services and universities, civil society, and health and social care. We will promote inclusive employment, cultural development, and community wellbeing as essential components of economic growth, increasing employment and ensuring residents benefit directly from the region’s prosperity.
Strategic themes
The main themes established in our CCA Proposal (2024) are shown here. While the LCCA is initially focused on Economic Development, Transport, and Skills, we are actively broadening our work across other themes in line with emerging national policy.
The LCCA is designed to ensure strategic integration across all themes. This principle runs through the Terms of Reference for our Advisory Boards, programme development and delivery, and monitoring and evaluation processes. It ensures that our work is coordinated, connected, and aligned with the overarching priorities set out here.
Economic Growth
Lancashire’s economic future is anchored in a set of priority sectors with strong potential for international expansion. These sectors are deeply embedded in Lancashire’s economic identity and are central to driving productivity, innovation, and job creation. They also play a pivotal role in the broader North West and northern economic corridors.
A key strength lies in Lancashire’s industrial clusters, concentrations of expertise and innovation that foster collaboration, accelerate growth, and enhance the region’s appeal to investors.
Through the Lancashire Growth Plan, the LCCA will harness these clustered priority sectors – national security, clean energy growth, digital and Artificial Intelligence, advanced engineering and manufacturing, and culture and tourism – unlocking their potential through infrastructure, skills, and business support.
Transport
Guided by the Lancashire Transport Plan, the LCCA will deliver a connected, low-carbon transport system that improves accessibility, reduces congestion, and supports economic growth. The strategy prioritises investment in strategic road and rail links, public transport and active travel infrastructure. It also supports the decarbonisation of the local bus fleet and improved east–west connectivity, ensuring that transport enables rather than hinders access to jobs, education, and services.
Skills and employment
The Get Lancashire Working Plan, building on the foundations of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Framework, sets out a clear strategy for aligning education and training with the needs of Lancashire’s labour market.
The LCCA will collaborate with employers, training providers, and educational institutions to close skills gaps, improve workforce readiness, and expand employment opportunities. This includes increasing access to adult education, supporting apprenticeships, and equipping local people with the skills needed to thrive in Lancashire’s priority sectors. The plan also promotes inclusive employment, with a focus on tackling economic inactivity and supporting underrepresented groups in the county.
Clean growth and sustainability
In response to the environmental ambitions set out in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, the LCCA will promote green jobs, clean energy, and climate resilience.
This theme will be supported by a coordinated approach to sustainability across all strategic plans, including the integration of low-carbon technologies in transport, and the development of local energy infrastructure. The LCCA will also support the delivery of Local Nature Recovery Strategies, working with partners to guide where and how we restore and connect rural areas to support biodiversity and open up funding opportunities.
Culture and tourism
Culture and tourism are central to Lancashire’s identity and economic future. The LCCA will support this sector as a catalyst for growth by investing in cultural assets, heritage, and visitor infrastructure. Lancashire’s diverse geography of coast, countryside, cities, and town, offers a compelling lifestyle and visitor proposition, blending natural beauty with creativity and heritage.
Through a refreshed Cultural Strategy, and a new Tourism Strategy, the LCCA will promote Lancashire as a high-value, year-round destination. These strategies will unlock investment, support creative industries, and enhance wellbeing, while ensuring that culture delivers community pride, social value and inclusive development.
Digital and cyber
Leveraging the presence of nationally significant projects, such as the National Cyber Force HQ, the LCCA will expand Lancashire’s digital economy. This includes supporting digital skills development, cybersecurity innovation, and infrastructure improvements to ensure that Lancashire remains at the forefront of technological advancement. The LCCA will work with universities, tech firms, and public sector partners, including our schools, to create a thriving digital ecosystem that supports new economic growth, high value opportunities for residents and local businesses, and public service transformation.
Housing and land
A Spatial Development Strategy for Lancashire will provide a long-term framework for how land is used and developed across the county. Aligned with the Local Transport Plan, it will coordinate housing, infrastructure, and economic growth to enhance quality of place. As a statutory function of the LCCA, the SDS will enable strategic planning across local authority boundaries. The LCCA will work with district local authorities and other partners to develop the evidence base for the emerging strategy.