The Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is celebrating the signing the Growth Deal today (26 March 2015).
Lord Heseltine, Chairman of the Regional Growth Fund, signed the Worcestershire Growth Deal with Worcestershire LEP’s Executive Chair, Peter Pawsey. They were joined by the new Chair, Mark Stansfeld and Gary Woodman, the partnership’s Executive Director.
Worcestershire has been allocated £47m in the first round of the Government’s Growth Deal and an additional £7.2m in the second round earlier this year bringing the total to £54.2m.
As a result of the Growth Deal, more jobs will be created, private and public sector funding will be leveraged and road and rail networks improved opening up key employment sites. The funding will also strengthen Worcestershire’s flooding resilience, further develop skills and support for businesses as well as ensuring even greater rollout of Superfast Broadband.
Peter Pawsey, Executive Chair of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The Government’s Growth Deal will strengthen Worcestershire’s infrastructure opening up key employment sites as well as helping to further develop skills and create more jobs. It is therefore, absolutely vital in delivering the County’s ten year Strategic Economic Plan and it is a pleasure to be signing the Growth Deal today with Lord Heseltine.”
Mark Stansfeld, the incoming Chair of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, added: “Worcestershire has seen many successes over recent years. We are now very much focused on the delivery of the Growth Deal to ensure Worcestershire continues to be a world class place to do business.”