Providing a renewed focus to celebrate and deliver on 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute’s key strengths and embrace the opportunities of its rural, natural resource-based economy – this is the purpose of the council’s revised Economic Strategy Action Plan for 2024 – 2027.
The plan focuses on four key areas:
People: Addressing the continuing decline in our economically active population, improving workforce skills and attracting key workers, promoting equal access to education opportunities, and supporting job opportunities in emerging and new industries.
Place: Investing in our towns, rural and remote rural communities, including our islands and peninsulas, to attract new people and businesses. Pursuing external funding opportunities, investing in critical economic infrastructure, such as housing, land for business development, reuse of land and buildings for community benefit, digital connectivity, and transport.
Planet: Delivering net zero and improving our biodiversity by supporting the sustainable growth of clean energy production, woodland, peat, and marine habitat restoration, encouraging green industries to develop in our area, nature-based solutions, and community ownership.
Prosperity: Creating higher wage opportunities, seizing opportunities in the net-zero economy, improving productivity and innovation, empowering communities through ownership and wealth creation, sustaining public services, promoting marine and green economies, enabling the sustainable growth of key sectors such as food and drink, together with revitalising the tourism and hospitality sectors and supporting the growth of the creative industries.
The council’s Policy Lead for Business Development, Councillor Math Campbell-Sturgess, said: “A successful economy is key to delivering many of the council’s priorities and is fundamental to our future quality of life as a place to live, work, learn and visit.
“The local economy is undergoing significant changes and we have distinct short and longer-term opportunities and challenges to overcome. The need for increased collaboration in 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute between the economy, environment, and community, has never been stronger and our updated action plan addresses this.â€