The “Lancashire or Greater Manchester?” dispute has rumbled since the 1974 local government reforms.

This debate was reopened as we celebrated Lancashire Day; a special day that not only marks the first time Lancashire sent representatives to Parliament, but celebrates everything brilliant the county has to offer.

Lancashire’s sporting success is one of the country's most distinctive qualities.

We are the home of rugby league, with Leigh Centurions, we have one of the most successful county cricket teams and are also home to the internationally renowned Lancastrian cyclist Bradley Wiggins.

We mustn’t forget our most successful football teams, Liverpool FC and Manchester City who currently top the premiership.

Our county offers fantastic food and drink, with its Eccles cakes, black puddings and the iconic Lancashire hotpot.

During Lancashire Day celebrations in Westminster, it was a delight to meet some faces behind Lancashire’s famous products, ranging from Lancastrian cheese makers to the producers of Bolton’s very own "Red Bank Cider".

Additionally, Lancashire is culturally rich and it’s been fantastic to have been given a boost with the locating of Media City down the road.

This has now become an immensely important creative hub and the nucleus of many forward looking industries.

There’s also great symbols of our industrial heritage, such as the stunning Grade II listed building Ena Mill that has been transformed by local entrepreneurs.

Unfortunately, since local government reorganisation in 1974, there began confusion around the true identity of our county.

When Wigan and Bolton became metropolitan borough councils for the "county" of Greater Manchester, we were promise this would “not affect long-standing loyalties and affinities” with Lancashire as this was merely an administrative change.

Overnight, the media and local government started to identify with these political constructs rather than retaining our Lancastrian heritage while also ignoring the fact that the traditional counties are as relevant today as they have been for many hundreds of years.

Local people were told by the government as they went to bed in Lancashire they would effectively wake up in an extension of Manchester.

Our representatives should champion our county, boasting about our rich cultural heritage, beautiful countryside, sporting prowess, world class universities and the home to the future of communications, media and technology.

As a patron of the Real Friends of Lancashire, I will continue to speak out about all of the unique and delightful qualities that Lancashire has to offer and what makes the red rose county the best in Britain. For many of my constituents there is no need for debate, we are in the heart of Lancashire and “that’s the end of that.”