District to benefit from £10m

9:44am Tue Feb 21, 2012

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Plans to invest £10m in the Newark and Sherwood economy over the next three years were welcomed by Newark Business Club.

The chief executive of the district council, Mr Andrew Muter, speaking at a business club meeting on Friday, outlined plans to build prosperity in the area, which he said was top of their list of priorities.

In the coming weeks the council will finalise its priorities for the next four years, with inward investment its first objective.

Mr Muter said they were looking at how they marketed the area in order to attract investment.

Other objectives include business growth, with plans to establish a £2m loan fund to help companies grow.

There is due to be a £5m investment in infrastructure to get projects such as the Southern Link Road up and running sooner.

The money has come through the Government to support growth and is linked to the Newark Growth Point.

Mr Muter said employability and key areas such as tourism and higher education would also be included in their objectives.

Mrs Sue Tomlinson, of the bereavement charity Sue’s Place, welcomed the council’s plans but asked what role the voluntary sector had in its objectives.

Mr Muter said they valued the voluntary sector and had maintained their contribution to it, but they also wanted groups to think about how they organised themselves.

He was questioned by Nottinghamshire county councillor Mr Keith Girling about investment in broadband infrastructure.

He said a £250,000 investment was planned by the council as part of a county-wide scheme to improve broadband speeds.

Council leader Mr Tony Roberts said, although they were supportive of the scheme, the district had originally been asked to contribute £540,000 at short notice, which represented 6% of their total budget.

He said other councils in more urban areas had been asked to contribute much less.