South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats have welcomed this week’s announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister of £18.1 million in extra funding for the West of England economy as part of the Government’s regional Growth Deal. This comes on top of the £212.6 million Growth Deal funding announced in July last year.

Leader of South Gloucestershire’s Lib Dem Councillors, Ruth Davis, said: “This is great news for South Gloucestershire and the region as a whole. Among other things, this extra £18 million of funding will be used to expand superfast broadband across the region and address several serious congestion ‘pinch-points.’ There is also an ambition that funds could be used to expand the Science Park at Emerson’s Green, and help deliver the iAero Advanced Technology Centre at Filton.

“All of this will have a big boost for the local economy. The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (which covers South Gloucestershire, Bristol, BaNES and North Somerset) estimates that, overall, the Growth Deal could generate 6,000 new jobs and attract up to £200 million in extra investment for the regional economy over the next six years.”

Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “I am delighted to announce the expansion of the West of En                              gland Growth Deal. A quiet revolution is underway in the West of England and across the country, as Growth Deals signal the death of the culture where Whitehall calls the shots. I’ve seen for myself the difference it makes to give the region more power over skills, over business support, and over infrastructure spending. Growth Deals help create a stronger economy and a fairer society by boosting local economies, and providing more jobs, better transport and affordable homes.”

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