Councillor Bob Sleigh welcomes £21.4m expansion of Growth Deal

Councillor Bob Sleigh, Leader of Solihull Council, welcomed the expansion of the Government’s Growth Deal – which will see a further £21.4 million coming to the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership area.

Speaking at Solihull College yesterday (29/01) where the announcement was made, Councillor Sleigh, said: “I am pleased that this new tranche of funding will deliver two further major projects for Solihull that will enable us to undertake a number of vital improvements to public transport, cycling and walking on Lode Lane; a major route that links significant economic assets across UK Central, including Birmingham Airport, NEC, and JLR Lode Lane plant and support improvements to the Advanced Life Science facilities at Solihull College.

“As our plans for UK Central coalesce it is important we match our ambitions with the necessary funding to deliver the required infrastructure.

“The Growth Deal is already helping us maximise the potential local benefits from the proposed HS2 interchange station, a cornerstone in our UKC growth plans, by allowing us to identify the priorities for future investment to support the wider growth opportunities.

“UKC offers a series of development sites and economic opportunities that can deliver over 100, 000 jobs, new homes and businesses to the region. The UKC vision builds on our current economic success; makes the most of our nationally significant assets (HS2 interchange station, airport, NEC, Resort World, Blythe Valley etc) and our geographical position at the heart of UK plc.”