Ambitious plans for a new innovation hub that’s set to create 100 new businesses and more than 250 new jobs will help transform Wrexham’s economic prospects.<\/p>\n
More details will be unveiled by the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, Ken Skates, at the next meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP) at the Ramada Plaza on July 14.<\/p>\n
The group is made up of successful businesses and highly skilled professional firms of solicitors, accountants and other business professionals working together to raise the profile of enterprise and expertise that exists in the region and beyond.<\/p>\n
They’re expecting a bumper audience of around 150 people.<\/p>\n
Mr Skates said: \u201cThe Welsh Government has been working with the Welsh Centre for Enterprise to develop the new innovation hub that will support the creation of 100 new businesses and at least 260 jobs in Wrexham between now and 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge opportunity for Wrexham to carve out a distinct identity as a place of innovation and technical excellence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will build on some investments that we\u2019ve already announced concerning job creation in financial services.<\/p>\n
\u201cWrexham has a huge opportunity to become known as a centre of excellence for financial services and innovation and there are also particular strengths in the area in life sciences and the digital economies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very optimistic for the future of the economy in Wrexham. The development of 100 companies with many new jobs associated with that is going to be hugely exciting and will also contribute to the regeneration of the town centre and be enormously beneficial the people of the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will only take one or two of these businesses to flourish as, for example, the Village Bakery,\u00a0 Pendine Park and Moneypenny have done and we could be looking at hundreds more jobs in addition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got great belief in innovators living in and around Wrexham and by supporting them to make their ideas and thoughts a reality we\u2019re hoping that prosperity will be created for a huge number of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Skates, who is the Assembly Member for Clwyd South, added: \u201cWe\u2019re aiming for the innovation hub to a town centre building so it\u2019s accessible to as many people as possible and also contributes to the regeneration of Wrexham.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not able to disclose what building we\u2019re looking at the moment but there will also be a strong link with further and higher education institutions like Coleg Cambria and Glyndwr University as well as existing employers.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrucially, it will have Welsh Government business support. It will also have space for businesses to grow and shared space to enable innovators to develop their ideas together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gill Kreft, the Chair of Wrexham Business Professionals, said: “We are delighted that Ken Skates is able to join us once again, especially as he will be sharing such exciting news.<\/p>\n
“The new innovation hub is not only a vote of confidence in the Wrexham area but also an investment to stimulate and generate future economic success.<\/p>\n
“It will help cement Wrexham’s position as an entrepreneurial powerhouse at the heart of the regional economy. Business is at the heart of promoting our community’s prosperity and this will help transform Wrexham’s economic prospects and act as a catalyst for future growth.”<\/p>\n
Mr Skates will also speak about the latest developments with the North Wales Growth Deal, a vision jointly developed by the region\u2019s six local authorities, business and college leaders to boost the local economy to \u00a320 billion by 2035 and connect with the Northern Powerhouse across the border in England.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI\u2019ve announced that as a Welsh Government we\u2019re going to be creating a specific economic regional development unit for North Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will align well with the new regional way of working with local government and, crucially, the emerging North Wales Growth Deal, which will be subject to negotiations between local authorities and the Welsh and UK governments next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vision for the growth of the economy and of the prosperity of its people has been developed by local authorities and the North Wales Business Council with some exciting prospects and keen to ensure we can maximise the value of all the proposals, in terms of improving public transport, creating jobs and enhancing the quality of our towns and villages.<\/p>\n
\u201cA key component of that growth bid will be the improvement of transport infrastructure right across the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransport improvements have to be decided on a cross-border basis and for that the growth deal in Cheshire and Warrington has to dovetail with and compliment the deal in North Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m keen to ensure the components of each of the deals tie together so that we have major improvements in transport infrastructure, can deliver the vision of a North Wales Metro over the coming decades along with some game-changing integrated travel investment and major upgrades to our roads network.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Skates will also give an update on the new Development Bank of Wales, which is due to be located in Wrexham.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe development bank is a huge project for Wales. And because we recognise the need for it to be an all-Wales service with a presence right across our communities it will be quartered in North East Wales,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA number of locations are being examined in the Wrexham area so that it will be a flagship body not just for Wales but for Wrexham itself and will enable easy access to a development bank that will be challenged with raising the level of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be a huge benefit\u00a0 to those innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders who want to see their businesses grow but, to date, have struggled to get the finance for growth from the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Minister said he was looking forward to speaking again to Wrexham Business Professionals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe organisation is incredibly important to the economy, not just of Wrexham but the region as a whole,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always a pleasure to be with so many friendly faces \u2013 local and regional leaders who are driving our economy to create jobs, wealth and prosperity for the people of Wrexham and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n