Partner councils to get Region City Deal update

City Hall councillors agreed further work plans on the Belfast Region City Deal at their monthly meeting last week. City Deals are packages of funding for large projects to boost the economy and create better jobs for more people. They involve funding from Westminster, Department of Finance and Local Authorities.

Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Deirdre Hargey said: “The central goal of the Belfast Region City Deal is to deliver more and better jobs; accessible to people from all communities.

“We’re working in close collaboration with our five local authority partners, Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Mid and East Antrim and Newry, Mourne and Down, the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Treasury to agree our priority projects over the summer months.

“And we’ve engaged with politicians, business leaders, universities and colleges to complete a robust analysis of our competitive strengths, economic challenges and our most pressing needs to shape the four pillars of our ambitious proposition: Employability and Skills, Innovation/Digital, Infrastructure and Tourism.

“We’ll be calling on our wider partners over the coming weeks to show their support for our plans, to ensure that we all secure the strongest possible deal for the Belfast City Region.”