The Leader of Wrexham Council has been appointed as the interim Chair of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board.
This role will see Mark Pritchard overseeing a fund worth millions of pounds supporting regional growth in Wales. The announcement of Pritchard’s appointment comes alongside confirmation that the UK and Welsh Governments have also agreed additional support through the appointment of two new non-executive directors and a senior investment specialist to accelerate the delivery of funding to projects.
Commenting on his appointment, Pritchard said:
“The North Wales Growth Deal is the foundation of economic co-operation between the six North Wales councils, the Welsh and UK Governments.
“It is essential to sustainable economic growth in North Wales and links to wider strategic co-operation and the delivery of initiatives like the proposed Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone and Anglesey Freeport.
“The six North Wales Leaders welcome the support of governments and will work together with the Welsh and UK governments, business leaders and officers of the Ambition North Wales programme office to accelerate the delivery of the North Wales Growth Deal.
“The North Wales Council Leaders will own and lead the changes necessary to get the North Wales Growth Deal moving. This is a new era of action and delivery for the North Wales Growth Deal. Investment, construction, jobs and growth are coming soon.”
A total of £240 million has been committed by the UK and Welsh Governments through the North Wales Growth Deal, with this also bringing in £730 million worth of private sector investment. This total investment is anticipated to generate 4,000 new jobs, as well as an additional £2.4 billion in GVA.
High growth sectors will be the focus of investment, with these including tourism, manufacturing and low carbon energy, whilst barriers to economic growth will also be broken down through work in digital connectivity.
Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning in the Welsh Government, also said:
“Through this transformational North Wales Growth Deal, we are committed to working with partners to build on strengths in sectors like manufacturing whilst future proofing key industries like tourism. The result will be more jobs and better-quality opportunities, an enhanced skills base and greater prosperity for residents across the area.
“We are already seeing the Welsh Government’s £120m backing for the deal starting to deliver, with projects such as the Enterprise Engineering and Optics Centre (EEOC) project in Wrexham under construction and soon providing a specialist centre which brings together research and development, business collaboration and skills through advances in optics, photonics and composites as lightweight alternatives for manufacturing.”
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