§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has come to a decision on which areas of the north-west are to be designated under the proposal to extend Operation Groundwork to other parts of that region.
§ Mr. KingI have been very pleased by the enthusiasm with which local authorities in the north-west have responded to the initiative. Bids for designation were received in respect of 15 areas, involving in all 24 local authorities.
I have asked the Countryside Commission to advise and assist local authorities in the following areas to set up Groundwork trusts: Macclesfield, Oldham-Rochdale, Rossendale, Salford-Trafford and Wigan.