The event at Slaley Hall in Northumberland showcased the steps the partnership has taken so far and gave stakeholders from Dumfries and Galloway, Cumbria, Northumberland and the Scottish Borders the opportunity to participate and influence the next steps.
Workshops took place covering place and destination, energy, digital, business infrastructure and natural capital.
Earlier this year the five councils which make up the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal signed the ‘Heads of Terms’, securing £85m from the Scottish Government, £265m from UK Government and £44.5m from the local authorities. And ‘detailed work’ is now taking place on the various business cases, which will then need to be approved by government before money is released for projects – with delivery scheduled to start next year.
Specific funding has been confirmed for some projects, including £8 million for a Dairy Innovation Centre in Dumfries and Galloway, £10 million to support natural capital innovation across the Borderlands region, £19 million for the Mountain Biking Innovation Centre at Glentress in the Borders, £15 million for Carlisle Station in Cumbria, £5 million for Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, as well as a £10m feasibility study into the extension of the Borders Railway from Carlisle to Tweedbank. There will also be investment of £31 million in green energy projects, with much needed improvements in digital and mobile connectivity across the region, as well as £7 million to develop key skills needs to boost the visitor economy in the South of Scotland.
A spokesman for the Borderlands Partnership said: “The fact more than 300 delegates attended from across the north of England and south of Scotland shows how much passion and commitment there is for this deal. We still face challenges, but we need to send home the message: the Borderlands economy isn’t broken, it’s just different and requires investment.”
It is anticipated the Borderlands deal will deliver an extra 5500 job opportunities, attract over four million extra tourists and unlock investment in towns across the area, boosting the region’s economy by £1.1 billion.
- Pictured above, Dumfries and Galloway Council chief executive Gavin Stevenson addressed the conference
