FEATURE
Durham County Council and Business Durham have ambitious plans to put the region on national map
MAKING AN
IMPACT
With major investments planned and ambitions to bring national attention to the area , County Durham has much to look forward to over the coming year .
Despite navigating two years of the pandemic , Durham County Council has secured significant funding for investment and has set out plans reflecting the ambition of the region ’ s largest local authority . The impact of those decisions will be felt as the year progresses .
One of the first announcements to be made is the appointment of Sarah Slaven as managing director of Business Durham , the council ’ s business support service .
Sarah previously held the post of operations director at Business Durham before taking on the position as interim MD in early 2020 .
Since then , Sarah has supported the council ’ s response to Covid-19 and the unprecedented impact it has had on businesses across the county .
This included overseeing the council ’ s additional £ 5m investment through the Durham Business Recovery Grant which has helped 345 businesses , as well as safeguarding over 3,000 jobs .
In addition to the Covid-19 response , Sarah has played a key role in the continued support to business provided by the council through engaging with businesses and facilitating programmes .
Sarah said : “ Taking up the post of managing director permanently , with the opportunity to continue to work with such a talented team , is a great honour .
“ We ’ ve seen , over the last two years , that in working closely with businesses , we get to hear at first hand the help they need to enable them to meet their challenges . I ’ m proud to look back at the support we have been able to deliver .
Boost – construction of the £ 50m expansion of NETPark in Sedgefield is due to start later in 2022 .
“ The news that the council is funding the £ 50m expansion of NETPark phase three is particularly exciting as we seek to expand this key employment site and continue to support the cutting-edge businesses already there .
“ With construction on this site due to begin later in 2022 , there are many things to look forward to for businesses already based here , as well as those looking to move to the county .”
Delivering an inclusive economic strategy that will meet the needs of the people and businesses of County Durham is a major part of the council ’ s plans for 2022 .
A major consultation was launched at the end of January to enable members of the public , as well as business owners , to have their say on how the county ’ s economy should be shaped over the next 10 years .
The strategy will seek to address the economic imbalance the North-East experiences when compared to the rest of the country , putting in place the delivery of inclusive economic growth influenced by the county ’ s residents and employers .
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