By 2030, Glasgow City Region will have the most Innovative, Inclusive and Resilient Economy in the UK.

Launched in December 2021, our Regional Economic Strategy (RES) was developed in partnership with our eight councils, government partners and agencies. It sets out an evidence base of our economy, the future challenges we collectively face, the opportunities we must grasp and where we need to prioritise our resource.

This strategy demonstrates our ambition to create a truly innovative economy. In addition to the climate emergency, a number of other serious challenges need to be confronted including AI and demographic shifts – all of which require a unified strategic approach. It is also essential that we address the economic exclusion that has for too long blighted our communities.

As a Region we also have the distinct advantage of having an in-house Intelligence Hub which proactively undertakes economic analysis allowing us to monitor the ever-changing economic climate, understand local impacts and implications, and effectively reconfigure our plans and priorities accordingly.

The Action Plan for the Strategy was agreed at August 2022 Cabinet. It sets out the high-level actions which will support the Region’s key economic challenges and ambitions.

An update to the Action Plan was agreed at August 2024 Cabinet. The updated plan takes into account the changing macroeconomic, political, social and environmental context.

In February 2025, Cabinet approved the inclusion of an additional programme which provides a geographic focus on the challenges faced by Inverclyde. The inclusion of this programme followed a review undertaken by the Intelligence Hub of the economic performance of Inverclyde, which set out a case for designating Inverclyde as a Regional priority.