Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport, today chaired a meeting attended by Treasury Minister Mark Hoban and key stakeholders from across the region to discuss ways in which the local economy could be improved.
Among the business leaders present were members of the Solent LEP Board who provided further details on the Enterprise Zone project and Regional Growth Fund (RGF) success. Caroline said, “I am extremely pleased to see that the Government has recognised the need for greater support in the South and moved to help unlock the significant potential of growth for SMEs in the Solent”.
The meeting also marked a successful first 6 months for the Solent LEP, who have worked hard to demonstrate there are areas within the region that require support whilst putting together competitive bids. The Enterprise Zone status and RGF success is a testament to all their hard work.
A number of issues were discussed as to how the local economy could be assisted, including ways of boosting the numbers of apprentices working in local firms and how the skills base of workers in the Solent area could be improved.
Caroline added: "The maritime and aviation sectors have the potential to provide many jobs for local people in and around the Gosport peninsula. We must proactively support these industries in order to develop the Daedalus Enterprise Zone as a centre of aviation engineering and marine excellence in its own right, and by doing so will create the economic growth we need".