Councils and utility providers commit to collaboration
The Strategic Infrastructure Summit, held at Glasgow City Chambers on Monday 18 September, was the first of its kind in Scotland and kick-started a commitment to closer collaboration between all organisations.
The aim is to strategically align projects to deliver enhanced benefits to residents across the Glasgow city region as part of the £1.13 billion City Deal investment.
The Glasgow City Region City Deal is an agreement between the UK Government, the Scottish Government and eight local authorities across Glasgow and the Clyde Valley.
It will fund major infrastructure projects, create thousands of new jobs and assist thousands of unemployed people back to work, as well as improving public transport and connectivity, driving business innovation and growth and generating billions of pounds of private sector investment.
Councillor Tony Buchanan, Leader of East Renfrewshire Council and holder of the Infrastructure portfolio for the Glasgow City Region, said: “The £1.13 billion City Deal investment has provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver a step change in the economic potential of the Glasgow city region and drive long-term growth. By holding this summit, we have gained a better understanding of the investment plans and constraints facing our providers of water, power, gas, transportation and telecommunications. Looking to the future, we are committed to considering how all parties involved can work together to maximise the benefits from their investment plans.”
Douglas Millican, Chief Executive of Scottish Water said: “This summit has provided an opportunity for the different utilities to hear more about the City Deal and input their views on the opportunities and challenges to align investment plans. It’s encouraging that all the organisations involved in the summit are committed to playing a positive role moving forward.”
In February 2017, the eight Glasgow City Region councils launched an ambitious joint Regional Economic Strategy and Action Plan. Between now and 2035, the goal is to realise a strong, inclusive, outward-looking city region economy, benefiting local people, communities and business. A key focus is a commitment to working more closely than ever before with public sector partners, utilities, universities and colleges, the business community and the private sector.
Utility and infrastructure providers represented at the summit were Scottish Water, Scottish Power Energy Networks, SGN, SEPA, BT Scotland, Openreach, Virgin Media, Transport Scotland, Scotrail Alliance and Scottish Futures Trust.
