A new plan has been created to help boost Nottingham’s local economy over the next ten years. Nottingham City Council have worked with partners across the city to create a draft Economic Plan for all private, public and third sector partners, residents, and stakeholders. The ambitions of the plan include the creation of 20,000 new jobs, £4bn in regeneration investment, generating £1bn of additional Gross Value Added (GVA) and developing infrastructure and services for the people of Nottingham. The vision is to deliver a “vibrant, sustainable, and investment friendly Nottingham that promotes inclusion, secures resilience and unlocks prosperity for [its] residents and businesses.” The Nottingham Growth Board, which is a partnership of some of Nottingham’s key businesses, educational institutions, and public sector organisations, will have a role in overseeing the plan. People can now have their say on the proposed plan in a public consultation, which runs until Friday 1 March 2024. The idea behind the Economic Plan is to have:

• A shared vision for improving the economy of Nottingham
• A plan to help the city grow in a fair and sustainable way that benefits all citizens of Nottingham
• A framework of activity to help focus ambition and investment in the city
• A plan for all partners in the city to work towards to create sustainable economic growth

Nottingham is a dynamic city with a young and diverse population, leading creative and digital and life science businesses, and a vibrant visitor economy underpinned by key cultural, heritage and sporting assets. It has significant plans and opportunities for growth of its city centre and neighbourhoods. However, there are areas of challenge, including the city having above average unemployment, low levels of graduate retention and lower than average educational attainment, which are all factors that limit the success of the local economy. To tackle these challenges, the city needs to look at ways to support people to gain skills and remain in meaningful employment, as well as seeking to improve graduate retention, securing future regeneration opportunities, building on greener transport, utilising start-up companies and building on sector strengths. The vision will be delivered by four key ambitions across four themes: People and Skills: To facilitate additional employment of 20,000 new jobs by 2030. The vision is for lifelong learning with an educational offer that aims to improve employment levels and gives residents the skills they need to have successful careers. Enterprise and Investment: To generate £1bn of additional Gross Value added by 2030 in the city. The vision is about sustainable growth in the city, where existing industries are nurtured and new industries are empowered to expand and contribute towards a diverse, growing and prosperous economy. Infrastructure & Regeneration: Develop infrastructure and services to serve a city population of 345,000 and a population across Greater Nottingham of 710,000 by 2030. The vision is to promote areas that are dynamic, green and inclusive, with sufficient quality living space, and excellent physical, transport and digital connectivity. Liveability and Experience: To secure the next £4bn of regenerative investment in the city The vision is for a contemporary, clean and globally competitive city centre with bustling and attractive neighbourhoods that draw residents and visitors to a rich leisure, sporting and heritage experience in Nottingham. Cllr Steve Battlemuch, Portfolio Holder for Skills, Growth, Economic Development and Property, said: “Nottingham has many success stories, including being home to many global businesses. But we know there is more we can all do to improve the prosperity of the city, raising the hope and aspirations of local people, whilst making Nottingham the best place to live and work. “The new 10-year strategy has been created based on significant research, data analysis, stakeholder engagement and input from the Nottingham Growth Board. It aims to tackle the issues impacting our economy now and in the longer term. “I would encourage everyone to have their say on these plans. Engagement is vital to help us plan for Nottingham’s future economy. We want your input so we can create and refine this strategy so it delivers for Nottingham’s economy, and for our residents and businesses that live here now or who will live here in the future.” Nick Ebbs, Chair of the Nottingham Growth Board, said: “Nottingham is a great city. Two world leading universities, enviable cultural assets and high growth businesses in life sciences, digital and creative industries. But there is also another story. A story of deprivation, low productivity, economic inactivity and limited opportunity. “As a city, we need to pull together to build on what is going well and to sort out what is failing. “The city’s newly emerging Economic Plan, which is still in draft form, sets out a roadmap to a more economically successful, sustainable and inclusive future. It can’t fix everything, but it can make a significant contribution. “It is important that the draft Plan is fully informed by local knowledge and insights. I urge everybody to contribute to the consultation invitation. The consultation period is short driven by political necessity so don’t delay.” The public consultation will run from Friday 9 February to Friday 1 March 2024. You can have your say on the Economic Plan in the online survey here. There are two engagement events open for everyone: Tuesday 20th February, 8am to 9am, in-person in the Ground Floor Committee Room at Loxley House; Thursday 22nd February, 6.30pm to 7.30pm online on Teams Webinar.

The Diversity In2 Engineering Apprenticeship and Jobs Fair returns to Derby’s Pride Park, on Wednesday, offering a range of engineering and manufacturing related apprenticeship and job opportunities. There will be over 25 employers on the day, each will have an interactive stand allowing you to learn more about the company, about a career in engineering and help you understand the job and apprenticeship opportunities they have on offer. Attending employers include Rolls Royce, The Royal Navy, JCB, Severn Trent, EON, East Midlands Railway, Expleo, Trent Barton, Loram, Motus Commercials and many more. As well as employer stands, there will also be two workshops on offer to widen your understanding and keep you informed of opportunities. Workshops topics include Green and Future Engineering and Demystifying Apprenticeships. Severn Trent are also running and employability support area, to help you apply for jobs or Apprenticeships at the Fair and get you application and CV ready. The event will help attendees understand opportunities available in engineering, construction and advance manufacturing and equip you with the skills and knowledge to ensure you are well-informed to succeed. Last year the event attracted over 600 attendees and we’re hoping this event will be bigger and better than before. The event is being delivered by Derby Jobs (Derby City Councils recruitment support service) in partnership with D2N2 Careers Hub, SEGRO and Severn Trent. Jade Pearson, New Talent Lead at Severn Trent, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to support such a fantastic event that will help support more people into employment, connecting people with local opportunities. “As a major employer in Derby, we’re looking forward to sharing the current jobs we have available, as well as showcasing our varied apprenticeship opportunities, as we have over 100 apprenticeship opportunities available this year! “We’re excited to be joining other fantastic employers on the day, coming together to inspire and support individuals looking for a career in engineering and showing them what’s available.”

The headline NatWest East Midlands PMI® Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – posted at 51.6 in January, up from 50.7 in December, to signal the fastest rise in output at East Midlands firms since May 2022. Anecdotal evidence suggested the expansion was driven by stronger client demand and a renewed rise in new business. The pace of growth was only marginal, however, and slower than the UK average. East Midlands private sector firms signalled a renewed rise in new orders during January, thereby ending a six-month sequence of contraction. The rate of growth was only marginal, but the second-sharpest of the 12 monitored UK regions. Increased new business was linked by panellists to stronger client demand and new customer acquisitions. January data signalled an uptick in business optimism among East Midlands firms. The degree of confidence was the strongest since last September, despite still being below the series average. Companies noted that motivated sales staff, hopes of stronger client demand and investment in new machinery and facilities boosted positive sentiment. Nonetheless, the level of optimism was weaker than that seen across the UK as a whole. East Midlands private sector firms recorded a seventh successive monthly decrease in staffing numbers at the start of the year. The pace of job shedding picked up from December, but was still only marginal overall. Businesses stated that lower employment stemmed from the non-replacement of voluntary leavers due to cost-cutting efforts, and previously subdued demand which resulted in sufficient capacity to fulfil incoming orders. The fall contrasted with the trend seen across the UK as a whole which pointed towards a slight rise in workforce numbers. January data indicated a further contraction in backlogs of work at East Midlands companies. The pace of decline eased, however, to the slowest since October 2022 and was only marginal overall. Of the 11 monitored regions that recorded a decrease in work-in-hand, firms in the East Midlands registered the weakest fall. Only businesses in London saw a rise in incomplete work. East Midlands firms continued to see a substantial increase in input prices during January, albeit with the pace of inflation slowing slightly from December. The rate of increase was sharper than the series average and in line with that seen at the UK level. Higher costs were attributed to greater wage bills, and increased supplier and shipping prices. Businesses in the East Midlands raised their output charges again in January, thereby extending the sequence of inflation seen since December 2020. Higher charges were reportedly due to the pass-through of greater costs to customers. That said, the pace of increase slowed to the weakest since January 2021 as some companies mentioned discounting and efforts to remain competitive and drive new sales. Rashel Chowdhury, NatWest Midlands and East Regional Board, said: “East Midlands firms signalled a more positive start to 2024 as output expanded at a quicker pace, supported by a renewed rise in new business. An improvement in demand conditions also helped buoy business confidence in the year-ahead outlook, as the level of optimism jumped to a four-month high. “That said, although backlogs of work contracted at the softest rate since October 2022, as signs of pressure on capacity emerge, firms continued to cut employment in a bid to save costs. Despite the rate of increase slowing, input costs rose at a further historically marked pace. Hikes in selling prices softened notably, however, amid reports of discounting and concessions being made, with output charges increasing at the slowest rate in three years.”