A FEW years ago, I was asked by a media organisation, whose modesty I will protect, as an MP representing Warrington, to comment on the news that Warrington had just been named, by some publication or other, as one of the 50 worst 'crap towns'.

I pointed out that, according to most objective criteria, Warrington performs significantly better than many other similarly-sized towns and cities.

But Warrington still hasn't fully shaken off an image problem.

The older generation will recall the famous spoof competition, run as a publicity stunt for Vladivar Vodka, which offered a week in Warrington as its first prize.

The second prize was two weeks in Warrington.

It’s true that the town doesn’t have the ancient landmarks of Chester or York. Nor does it have the 'chocolate box' prettiness of some of the traditional English market towns.

But what it does have is a well-skilled, dynamic, hard-working population and a strong economy which is producing jobs at an impressive rate.

Last week, the Centre for Cities published a report looking at how far various cities had to go to meet the Government’s ambition of a high wage, low welfare economy.

Cities were categorised by whether average wages were higher or lower than the national average, £504 a week, and whether welfare spending per person was higher or lower than the national average, £3,358 a year.

Only one 'city' between Milton Keynes and Edinburgh was ranked as having both higher than average wages and lower than average welfare. It was Warrington.

Of course, regular readers won’t be surprised by this. The number of new businesses registered here has gone up 29 per cent in the last 12 years and our employment rate is the sixth highest in the country.

The report’s authors point to far-sighted decisions taken by town planners in the 1980s to explain why Warrington has prospered.

Let’s hope that whoever controls the Town Hall after May continues to invest in the future of the town so that our economy is still vibrant in the 2050s.

In the meantime, spread the word: Warrington IS the Northern Powerhouse.