Wirral Council leading the pack when it comes to creating new enterprises

Nov 7 2012 by Helen Hunt, Birkenhead News

NEW development in Wirral has put the borough’s council at the top of the pack when it comes to creating new enterprises.

The authority says that it has contributed to more new enterprises to the Merseyside region in the last year than any other council – and at a rate of growth that outperforms the regional and national averages.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that Wirral now has 6,915 enterprises, up 255 on the previous year’s figure.

The number represents a 3.8% rise, the greatest recorded in the Merseyside region. Wirral has contributed 34% of the overall increase in the number of enterprises across Merseyside.

The sector with the most enterprises in Wirral is ‘professional, scientific and technical’. There are now 1,175 enterprises in this sector, a 6.8% increase on the previous year.

It is developments like the £60m Marine Point in New Brighton, which has breathed new life into the seaside town with shops, restaurants and leisure businesses, a hotel and a casino, that are making the borough stand out.

Cllr Pat Hackett, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning Strategy said: “We have seen significant successes at locations like Marine Point, New Brighton, and at Wirral International Business Park, which continue to regenerate the local area while providing a base for new investment and growth.

“The ONS figures are promising indicators that Wirral is a healthy environment for new start ups, and particularly in relation to other local authorities in our region.’’

Cllr Hackett added: “Combined with recent reductions in Job Seekers Allowance claimants, this shows that Wirral people are benefiting from Wirral’s ambitious Investment Strategy.”

Wirral council’s Investment Strategy Team has recently secured £5 million of funding from the Regional Growth Fund, to allow infrastructure improvements to be made to port areas for the storage and assembly of wind turbines, for use in Irish Sea offshore wind developments.