Essex County Council - Inward Investment Programme

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At Essex County Council we're already making plans to ensure our county's long-term economic recovery and we are guided by the core principles of Renewal, Equality & Ambition. These three principles will be embedded in all planned activities. We know many of our people, communities and industries have been hard hit by the pandemic and we want to help them bounce back. We're taking this opportunity to create a greener, more productive and fairer economy that is stronger and more resilient than ever before. We're fostering a new entrepreneurial spirit within Essex. Growing our economy means working with local businesses to help them take advantage of new market opportunities. It means attracting investment to improve digital outreach across the county, supporting hard hit businesses to recover economic prosperity, whilst encouraging their plans for the future, as we drive investment into the revitalisation and regeneration of key places. And it means helping the people of Essex to grow and develop or transfer their skills, ready to fulfil the needs of a vibrant new economy, where local manufacturers and suppliers meet the demands of market within UK and internationally. Economic growth is the number one priority for Essex County Council. We want to establish Essex as a great location for the world's top businesses and ensure that it's the best possible place to live and work. Our rich mix of urban, rural and coastal economies, and our growing transport links including an international airport, Freeport East and Crossrail mean we're poised for future success. • Essex is a diverse economy with a GVA of £ 35.861 billion as per ONS (2013) • Strong advanced manufacturing base and supply chain companies / trained workforce. • Excellent transport infrastructure including overseas links through ports, airports and proximity to London & Cambridge. • Post pandemic bounce back, post Brexit and new technology enabled opportunities. We want to ensure that our offer is in tune with commercial expectations, ahead of our competitors, innovative, future proof above all inclusive and benefits our residents. Parallel to the development of the IIP, ECC is preparing a Sector Development Strategy that drives the economic recovery and enables Essex to fully exploit the growth sectors of the future to create a more sustainable, equal, and productive economy that works all in the long term. An interim report will be published in July 2021 setting out the core sectors of focus and we will be engaging with partners to get their input as we work up a final strategy. The key sector of focus is Green Growth, where we want Essex to be known as a Centre of Excellence for the Green Economy.