Mayor welcomes major investment drive for Wisbech and Ely projects

Mayor welcomes major investment drive for Wisbech and Ely projects

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough has welcomed the announcement by International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox to attract more than £2.5 billion of investment into the local area.

Mayor James Palmer said:

“This initiative from the Department for International Trade which is aiming to showcase the opportunities we have in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough for global investment is to be greatly welcomed.

“We have to be outward looking when it comes to attracting investment and we want to tell the world that our area is a great place to do business. That’s especially important in the run-up to Brexit and beyond.

“Both the Wisbech Garden Town and the CAMRO data campus are clearly schemes that will require significant investment. Like the International Trade Secretary, I believe we need to be ambitious and bold when it comes to promoting ourselves, but as Mayor I’m also keenly aware that we need to put better infrastructure in place to attract that vital investment.

“The interim report of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Economic Review (CPIER) highlighted that the economic performance of the Combined Authority area as a whole was stronger than Government figures have suggested. So it’s great to see that the Department for International Trade putting particular focus on schemes in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

“In my role as Mayor I’m keen that we send a message to global investors that we are serious about pushing the economy of the Combined Authority area further and further forward. Schemes like my proposed underground Metro system for Cambridge shows boldness and vision in meeting the challenges that our transport infrastructure is facing now and in the future.

“The CPIER report also supported my view that we need to improve connectivity across our whole economy so that people can better take advantage of the opportunities on offer across the whole of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. That’s why, for example, we need to improve our Fenland rail services, including reopening the station at Wisbech. By putting in place these crucial links we open up more of our economy to more people.

“I have already seen the potential in my role as a business ambassador for our area, and my recent visit to the US to meet fellow Mayors really opened my eyes to the opportunities to forge trade agreements with other parts of the world.

“The message has to be that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is open for business, and this initiative brought forward by the Department for International Trade is only going to help put our area further into the global investment spotlight.”