£21.9m new funding for the Marches; new enterprise park to create 950 jobs; millions for new university and centre for cyber

An update from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership

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£21.9 million funding boost announced for the Marches LEP region

The Marches LEP has secured a £21.9m Growth Deal with the Government which will support five projects in Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin.

They include a new university in Hereford specialising in technology and engineering; a new Enterprise and Science Park for Newport (site pictured above) which will create 950 jobs and the Investing in Our Future Workforce project, which will provide new training facilities and technical equipment for a number of colleges in the Marches to improve skills for key local sectors.

More than 1,000 homes will also be built thanks to the funding, and hundreds of businesses supported. The funding was announced on the same day as the Government released its Midlands Engine Strategy and its plans for investment in the region's transport network, in the Midlands Connect Strategy. For more details on the five projects and the amount of funding allocated to each by the Marches LEP, click here

The Midlands Engine Strategy includes significant investment in skills, connectivity and local growth, while it sets out how the government plans to drive the region’s huge potential and promote it to the world.

This builds on plans set out in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy which includes the offer of additional support for industries – including those in the Midlands – through sector deals. The government has also set out a series of reforms to technical education, backed by an investment of more than £500 million, to ensure young people receive the training they need to take on the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future. Read the strategy here...

Hereford bypass named priority

The Midlands Connect Partnership has proposed a 25 year programme of investment in strategic road and rail improvements that will reduce congestion and improve journey times.

An early priority is to develop schemes including Hereford bypass. The strategy says the A49 has the potential to alleviate pressure on the M5 and M6 for connections between South Wales and the Midlands and the North. More...

Investment locations at expo

A Midlands-wide delegation – featuring the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) – will exhibit together for the first time at the global property and real estate show MIPIM next week.

Working collaboratively in a dedicated pavilion, the Midlands Engine delegation is the largest of its kind to represent the UK at this year’s event. More...

New member joins LEP Board

Ian Peake, the Principal and Chief Executive of Herefordshire & Ludlow College, has joined the Marches LEP's business-led board and will focus specifically on championing Further Education throughout the region.

Since joining the college in 2004, he has overseen the college’s significant expansion through mergers with Holme Lacy Campus, Ludlow College and County Training. More...

Businesses across the Marches looking to revamp their buildings and create new jobs can apply for grants of up to £100,000 thanks to a new £2.5m fund launched by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The Marches Building Investment Grant (MBIG) is available for eligible businesses to fund extensions, renovations or reconfigurations of commercial premises across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. Click here for more information

More than 150 business support products, schemes and programmes are now available to search on the Marches Growth Hub directory. The Marches Growth Hub is your single point of access to business support information across Hereofordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

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