DERRY City and Strabane District Council has welcomed the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond MP that the Government is now formally inviting bid proposals for a Derry City Deal.
Speaking following an engagement with the Chancellor at the Magee Campus of the Ulster University, the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr John Boyle said the news was very positive and reflects the huge amount of work undertaken and developed by Council and its key city and regional partners over the past year in conjunction with Government officials.
He said: “Council and its partners have been working very closely with Government to get to this important stage of the process.
“The pledge from government today that it now formally inviting bid proposals for a Derry City Deal is a very positive step in the right direction.
!It gives Council the green light to move on to the next stage of the proposals and to advance with the robust business cases it has been preparing.”
John Kelpie, Chief Executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council said the Chancellor of Exchequer’s statement enables Council and its City and Regional partners to advance with the proactive work all have been doing to secure a City Deal for the City and Region.
He said: “We have developed a robust, evidence-based Statement of Intent for a City Deal for the Derry~Londonderry City Region to drive economic growth and promote investment.
“It sets out a set of integrated investment priorities and the positive economic impacts that will result. All are based on the current adopted City and District’s Strategic Growth Plan.
“These include the development of skills and education with a key focus on the expansion of the Magee Campus of the Ulster University and the integrated development of the North West Regional College; the development of existing and proposed International Centres of Innovation Excellence in Stratified Medicine, Cognitive Analytics and Advanced Manufacturing; delivery of economic enabling road, rail and port infrastructure; and job creating urban regeneration and tourism projects.
“A City Deal is a potential mechanism to unlock critical funding for some of these projects will help boost investment and achieve the full potential of the City and Region.
“We have had very strong cross-party support for our efforts to secure a City Deal, and we are very pleased that the efforts made by Council, its regional partners and all political parties to progress the discussions around this crucial issue have been recognised.”
Mr Kelpie concluded that Council will now work with Government departments both regionally in Northern Ireland and in London to lead on advancing the next stages of the process to deliver on the ambitious plans for a City Deal for the Derry~Londonderry City Region.
“Following this positive news today, Council will now continue to drive forward with these plans, building on the extensive work which is already underway in terms of capital development, developing international trade relations and promoting jobs and investment.
“Securing a City Deal for the City and Region remains a key priority and can be the catalyst for transformative change for our entire City region,” he added.
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