Major investment plans for York and North Yorkshire have been unveiled by the mayor.
Four new funds worth up to £27.5 million over four years will enable the region to innovate, tackle challenges, and thrive, David Skaith says.
They have been shaped by input from businesses, organisations and individuals across York and North Yorkshire.
These are the four funds:
- Vibrant and Sustainable High Streets Fund (£10m): aims to rejuvenate high streets across York and North Yorkshire, boost business resilience, help traders to grow and stage events that attract people to high streets.
- Carbon Negative Challenge Fund (£10m): aims to support projects that can help York and North Yorkshire become England’s first carbon negative region. The emphasis will be on innovation, including trialling new approaches
- Business Innovation Fund (£5m): aims to achieve greater, faster progress in delivering economic opportunity by providing the right conditions to attract new investment and support businesses to be more innovative, productive and resilient.
- Skills Innovation Fund (£2.5m): aims to ensure there are opportunities for all – boosting the range of courses available which also meet the needs of the region’s businesses.
Outline plans for each fund were agreed in principle at a meeting of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority yesterday (Monday).
Mayor Skaith said: “These four funds will enable the region to innovate, to try new things, to tackle challenges head on and collaborate.
“The role of Mayor is brand new for our region, and I see it as a way of bringing people together so that we are all benefitting from devolution.
“The new funds will tackle the key challenges and opportunities we’re being told about by our communities and partners.
“High street businesses need support to thrive, and I know we can build on great work that has happened already in York and North Yorkshire with the carbon negative agenda.
“Businesses tell us they need skills to support their work, and that opportunities can also be unlocked by feeding innovation and driving productivity.”
The Mayoral Investment Fund comes from the region’s devolution deal, worth £540 million over 30 years.
