Glasgow targets 50,000 new jobs 1000 new businesses

Glasgow City Council has announced plans to have 50,000 new jobs and an additional 1000 new businesses in the city by 2023.

The plan aims to achieve the UK’s most ambitious jobs creation target as well as increase the number of tourists visiting the city from two million to three million each year, growing tourism earnings by almost £185m.

An increase of one million visitors a year will require an additional 2500 hotel beds.

The authority also aims to build 25,000 new homes by 2025 across the city.

The new Glasgow Economic Strategy 2016-2023, unveiled last week by council leader Councillor Frank McAveety, at the 19th annual State of the City Economy Conference, also outlined moves to increase the number of people living in the city centre through a review of the council’s urban planning policy.

The local authority will also call on the Scottish Government to reinstate the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund, enabling cities to bring land back to sustainable use.

Plans were also announced to launch Scotland’s first city innovation district, in the city centre. The area around the Technology and Innovation Centre near George Square already has £150 million initial capital investment and an innovation programme worth £250m.

Glasgow today (Friday, 25 November 2016) announced the UK’s most ambitious jobs creation target.

The city aims to have 50,000 new jobs and an additional 1000 new businesses by 2023.

It will also aim to increase the number of tourists visiting the city from two million to three million each year, growing tourism earnings by almost £185 million.

An increase of one million visitors a year will require an additional 2500 hotel beds.

The growth targets are included in the new Glasgow Economic Strategy 2016-2023 announced today by Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council, at the 19th annual State of the City Economy Conference.

The theme for this year’s conference is Glasgow is ‘Open for Business’.

The city recently launched a major Brexit report and the launch of the new economic strategy offers a clear direction on how Glasgow will meet the challenges of leaving the European Union.

Plans were also announced to launch Scotland’s first city innovation district, in the city centre. The area around the Technology and Innovation Centre near George Square already has £150 million initial capital investment and an innovation programme worth £250 million.

“We plan to deliver 50,000 jobs across all of the city’s employment sectors, from tourism to high tech, from renewables to health and life sciences. This strategy is the most ambitious on record and rightly so because Glasgow is open for business.”

The city recently launched a major Brexit report and the launch of the new economic strategy offers a clear direction on how Glasgow will meet the challenges of leaving the European Union.

Cllr McAveety said: “Glasgow has always faced up to challenges in the past and we will face up to any new challenges that Brexit may pose.”

On the tourism targets, Cllr McAveety said: “Some may say that our aim to increase visitor numbers is a target too far. But we have achieved similar ambitions in the past and we want to be even more ambitious in the future.

“When we pledged to take tourist numbers towards two million we were told that it could never happen. But it has. That is an unassailable fact.”

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stuart Patrick said: “We are pleased to be joint signatories to the city’s fresh economic plan which has been produced after strong consultation with the business community. The plan builds on the excellent work already carried out by the Glasgow Economic Leadership to support the successful diversification of Glasgow’s industrial and commercial base. We also welcome the strong local emphasis on tackling challenges such as productivity and ill health so that the city’s growth benefits as many of its citizens as possible.”