Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to address the regional productivity gap in the North East.
The objective of Government’s Industrial Strategy is to increase productivity and drive growth across the United Kingdom. We have provided a framework to build on the strengths of different places and address the factors that hold others back. This will include investing in key infrastructure projects, increasing skill levels, and backing local innovation strengths.
In the North East the Industrial Strategy will build on the £379.6m million Local Growth Fund awarded to the North East LEP, which will bring an estimated 8,200 jobs and up to £300 million of public and private sector matched investment to the area.