'Ambitious' plan with potential to create thousands of jobs approved

LEADING councillors in Northumberland have signed off on a decade-long economic plan they say could create up to 11,000 jobs by 2035.

- JAMES ROBINSON Local Democracy Reporter [e-mail]

> Councillor Richard Wearmouth

The county council's new economic strategy provides the overarching blueprint for economic growth in traditional and emerging sectors.

The plan focuses on providing support for the county's established businesses in areas such as agriculture and tourism, while also boosting new, high growth industries such as clean energy and technology. It comes off the back of the £10 billion investment in a new data centre at Cambois.

Speaking at Tuesday's meeting of the council's cabinet, deputy leader and cabinet member for business

Coun Richard Wearmouth said: "This is a plan that has strong support across all the various parties for the work we have done. It is based on a significant amount of data analysis, looking at our strengths and what we do well, as well as what we might do better in the future.