Leeds City Region Leads in Green Investment Bank Race
The Government has announced plans to create a £3b investment bank to support Green technology. The race has begun as more than 20 cities around the UK bid to host the bank that will only employ around 70 employees, but will have a wider symbolism for the winning region.
Leeds City Region was one of the first cities ‘out of the blocks’, before the formal competition was announced by BIS on 12th December 2011. The bank is designed to accelerate private sector investment in the UK’s transition to a green economy, with the first priorities being:
- Offshore wind power generation
- commercial and industrial waste processing and recycling
- energy from waste generation
- non- domestic energy efficiency
- support for the Green Deal.
Vince Cable said “I want to set up the Bank as soon as possible, so it can start accelerating investments in these key sectors and help British companies take advantage of these opportunities. Setting out the priorities for the Bank and establishing UK Green Investments for April 2012 are a major step forward.”√جª¬ø
The Leeds City Region was launched on 8th September by Greg Mullholland MP and Neil McLean, Chair of the LEP Board, who presented the case to a local business audience. They were joined by Alice Owen (ARUP) and Paul Wynn (Kelda) who explained why their businesses support the Leeds City Region bid. Shortly after the official launch the message was taken to Westminster and presented to an audience of Yorkshire MPs including current, former and shadow front-benchers. Philip Hudson (Drax) and Stephen Martin (Clugstons Group).
The central resource of the bid is the Green Investment Bank Leeds City Region website and blog that went live in early october, edited by Melanie Taylor of Leeds City Region. THis is a fantastic site that carries news and information about the region and the bid in particular, supported by the main partners, The Chamber ( Leeds, York and North Yorkshire) CO2 Sense and Financial Leeds.
Leeds City Region is the perfect location for the bank, with a unique combiation of renewable industry and expertise, academic excellence and the leading professional services sector outside Lonon. The Leeds City Region bid already enjoys cross-party support from the region’s MPs. Greg Mulholland MP recently led a debate in Parliament, during which Yorkshire MPs from all three main parties spoke out in support of the bid. Mr Mulholland said “The selection process outlined for the Green Investment Bank today shows that the Leeds City Region has exactly the right ingredients to deliver on the government’s aspiration’s for the Bank. As a global leader in the financial services and low carbon sectors, our bid will demonstrate why the Leeds City Region offers a unique base for this important new initiative.”√جª¬ø
The business case for the Region
Greg Mullholland MP and Neil McLean, Chair of the LEP Board, presented the case to a local business audience. They were joined by Alice Owen (ARUP) and Paul Wynn (Kelda) who explained why their businesses supports the Leeds City Region bid.
Originally posted 2011-12-17 00:00:00.
