Hull and Humber City Deal to accelerate region's recovery
Hull City Deal is expected to unlock £460 million of investment in development along the Humber and support the creation of 4,000 jobs.
The government has today agreed the landmark Hull and Humber City Deal to make the most of the area’s local strengths to create jobs and boost growth in the area.
A 25-year development plan for commercial development will be drawn up to give businesses the confidence to invest in the region in the long term. It will also create a single point of contact for developers, to reduce the red tape and bureaucracy that can hamper growth.
Skills programmes will be specifically developed to ensure the local workforce have the right skills to take advantage of the opportunities in the energy sector. 1,100 unemployed young people will be helped into work and unemployment will be reduced across the region.
The deal has been agreed with local authorities and the Local Enterprise Partnership and will take advantage of Hull and Humber’s expertise in engineering, particularly following recent government announcements regarding the future of offshore wind energy.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
My message to Humberside is clear - as our economy turns a corner I want to see our great northern towns and cities right at the heart of the recovery.
This new City Deal for Hull and Humber will mean a huge boost for local jobs, giving the area greater power and freedoms and allowing local people to take more decisions on the economy for themselves.
There’s a long way to go, but step by step, inch by inch, we are fighting for a recovery for all.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said:
This City Deal marks the beginning of a new era of growth and prosperity in the Hull and Humber. The engineering expertise in the area is among the best in the world, and this deal provides the means to improve it even more. As the green economy becomes ever stronger, the people and businesses of Hull and Humber can be optimistic that it will be in the vanguard of the economic recovery.
Greg Clark, Minister for Cities, said:
The Hull and Humber City Deal is a great breakthrough for the area. It brings together local businesses and civic leaders on both banks of the Humber, united in a determination to capitalise on the opportunities in the marine engineering and renewable energy markets. By ensuring that the local workforce has the skills that employers need and investors can be confident in locating on or around the Humber, this deal will enhance the standing of the area in a competitive world.
25 year development plan
This will set out the estimated costs for developers to allow further commercial development around the Humber, while protecting the environment and local wildlife. Under an agreement with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the plan will include a single point of contact for developers, so they are clear with whom, within agencies and at local authorities they should be dealing.
The right skills for jobs
A payment by results system will be brought in so that companies in charge of up-skilling the workforce are only rewarded for success.
Colleges across the Humber will join up to offer a combined centre for excellence in energy sector training so that the whole region can benefit from new opportunities in the sector.
Business support
In addition, £2.5 million from the Regional Growth Fund will be used to create the Humber LEP Growth Hub programme, which will solve the current problem that businesses often do not know where they can access the support they need to grow. A one stop shop will be created to bring business support providers under one organisation, and specially tailored support will be provided to help businesses take advantage of specific local opportunities.
City Deals
The first wave of City Deals, agreed with the 8 core cities, were finalised in September 2012.
In October 2012, the Government invited 20 cities and their wider areas to negotiate for the second wave of City Deals.