Swansea BID and the board of Swansea Bay Business Club are mobilising the local business community to urge the Government to sign on the dotted line of the Swansea Bay City Deal as a matter of urgency.
The Chief Executive of Swansea Bid (Business Improvement District), Russell Greenslade, and the President of Swansea Bay Business Club, Hayley Davies, say they are crestfallen that the deal wasn’t signed off, as they had hoped it would be, in the Chancellor’s Budget this week. And, they warn, protracted delays to the City Deal will put the region’s long-term prosperity at great risk.
Swansea BID represents more than 800 national and independent businesses in the city centre and Russell Greenslade said: “Our businesses believe very strongly that the City Deal that has been tabled is a great deal and the right one for Swansea and the wider Swansea Bay region, and that now is the time for it to be approved.
“The business community and local authorities are galvanised to do everything they can to help deliver the positive changes that the City Deal will bring to the area. We fear that this momentum and the confidence among local business about the area’s prospects are at risk if the deal isn’t moved forward promptly.
“Swansea BID and the board of Swansea Bay Business Club will be writing to Welsh Secretary, Alun Cairns, this week to urge him to focus all of his efforts on expediting the City Deal and we urge other members of the local business community to do the same.”
Hayley Davies, President of Swansea Bay Business Club, said: “I really hope that the long-awaited City Deal isn’t in limbo. Aside from the impact that this waiting period has on the local economy, Swansea Bay has an important part to play in reinforcing the economy and boosting productivity in the country as a whole, at a time when we need to focus very sharply on strengthening the British economy in light of Brexit. I know businesses in the region are eager to get on with doing this.”