AS part of the drive to support and deliver employment and business growth across the district, East Northants Council recently appointed Greg Macdonald as the new Head of Economic and Commercial Development.
With over 25 years’ experience across a range of local authorities, Greg has a passion for enterprise and supporting business and employment growth. Greg’s appointment follows the agreement of a new Economic Growth, Tourism and Regeneration Strategy 2017-2010 which has five key aims:
* Securing investment
* Generating quality places
* Nurturing business growth
* Increasing tourism spend and jobs
* Boosting the skills base
The key projects that Greg will focus on to support these aims include:
* Promoting the district to attract investment and jobs into the local economy
* Making the case for investment into key physical, social and digital infrastructure to support economic growth
* Securing employment uses as part of the district’s growth plans
* Maximising the benefits of new investments such as the Rushden Lakes retail scheme due to open this summer
* Ensuring that local companies get access to the best possible business support and advice
* Producing a business charter to align council services behind local economic development
* Supporting key economic sectors across the district with a particular focus on the visitor economy and the Nene Valley
* Championing apprenticeships and promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship as core skills for current and future generations
* Bringing forward a new Enterprise Centre to help businesses start up or grow
* Developing and delivering plans that will improve and sustain the vitality and viability of our existing town centres
Greg’s role also involves looking at how the council can be more commercial in order to make the best use of resources and generate income, all of which will help it realise its ambition to be self sufficient from Government funding by 2020.
Successful delivery of these projects will require working with a range of local and strategic partners across the public, private, voluntary and community sectors and ensuring effective engagement of local communities. To this end, Greg will be getting out and about over the next few months to promote a new economic vision and set of priorities for the district and to develop the joint working arrangements that will help drive delivery.
For more information, contact East Northamptonshire Council on 01832 742014 or visit www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk