Derry and Strabane’s Strategic Growth Partners last week at Ulster University’s Magee Campus for its quarterly meeting to consider progress on a range of strategic projects.
The Strategic Growth Partnership is the body tasked with overseeing the delivery of the Strategic Growth Plan for the City and District.
Among the issues discussed at the meeting were the latest economic forecast for Derry and Strabane and progress on the Strategic Growth Plan Implementation and Performance.
Members heard from Ana Desmond, from the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, which produces a twice-yearly report detailing the economic outlook for both N. Ireland and the DCSDC area.
The report revealed continuing pressures on local households struggling to cover rising costs while wage growth remains stagnant, however resilience in the wider economy is reported as being stronger than expected.
At the meeting partners received a presentation on progress on the Strategic Growth Plan ahead of the publication of draft 2023 Statement of Progress which will be presented for Members approval at the October ’23 meeting of the Strategic Growth Partnership.
Members also received an update on the Ideas Fund led by the North West Community Network and Developing Healthy Communities.
They then heard more about proposed plans for a series of Hope Events planned as part of a campaign to establish Derry and Strabane as the first Hope District in the UK and Ireland, being led by the North West Community Network and Resilio.
It was the first SGP meeting co-chaired by the City and District’s new Mayor, Councillor Patricia Logue, who took the opportunity to acknowledge the work delivered to date.
“I want to thank Ulster University for hosting today’s Partnership meeting and all our partners for their continued commitment to the delivery of the Strategic Growth Plan which aims to make transformational improvements across our City and District,” she said.
“While these are challenging times and organisations are having to absorb significant cuts to budgets, there is a shared will and determination to lobby together on behalf of Derry and Strabane and to deliver on our ambitions for growth and prosperity. We will continue to push forward with that agenda despite the challenges.”
You can find the reports from today’s Strategic Growth Partnership meeting at growderrystabane.com
