Chancellor launches study into future of Manchester
Chancellor Alistair Darling today visited Manchester to launch the city's Independent Economic Review, a year-long £1.35m study of its economic potential.
The major report, commissioned by Manchester Enterprises and funded by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, the NWDA and Greater Manchester partners, aims to provide a detailed and rigorous assessment of the city region's economy.
After the launch this morning Darling will tour a variety of projects in Greater Manchester including Media City UK at Salford Quays, accompanied by NWDA chairman Bryan Gray.
The tour then visits the City South Partnership, a new development agency for Manchester set up to drive the knowledge economy and create 34,000 jobs for an area immediately south of the city centre, which will present plans to develop the Oxford Road corridor. From here, the chancellor will also take in a tour of Manchester's University Core Technology Facility, a business incubator established with NWDA and ERDF funding to provide additional incubator space for biotechnology and hi-tech starts ups and SMEs.
Additionally, the Chancellor will tour of a range of projects underway to regenerate east Manchester, including the Ancoats Urban Village project, led by urban regeneration company New East Manchester. He will also launch the 'Dream Jobs' programme for this year's Noise Festival, the first 'virtual' festival of its kind in Europe.
- For background to the Independent Economic Review download a baseline study in the Resource Library.
