The Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) City Deal team has launched the recruitment process for the first Chair of the Regional Economic Growth Partnership (REGP).
The REGP, which is currently being established, will directly advise the CCR Regional Cabinet, and will be responsible for reviewing the Regional Economic Strategy and advising on City Deal Investment proposals. It will also have an advocacy role, promoting the Region as a prime investment opportunity and visitor location.
The successful candidate will lead the partnership, chair board meetings, collate the views of stakeholders, and communicate and represent the recommendations of the partnership to the CCR Regional Cabinet.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Chair of the CCR Regional Cabinet and Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, said: “Establishing the Regional Economic Growth Partnership is a key commitment in our City Deal Heads of Terms. It will play a critical role in looking at the decisions we make, and provide a different perspective from private, public and third sector partners in assessing the effectiveness of our investment proposals.
“This is a central role for the whole City Deal process and we need to ensure that we find a strategic thinker who understands the region and the challenges we face. It goes without saying that whoever takes on this role will need to be politically astute and understand the context of the REGP, be experienced at dealing with numerous stakeholders, and have an extensive network, across sectors, at senior leadership level.
“Our requirements are pretty exacting but this will be a very demanding role, putting the successful candidate in the spotlight and we have to be sure that we find someone who can thrive in these conditions.”
Councillor Huw Thomas, the CCR’s Portfolio Co-leader on Economic Development and Leader of Cardiff Council, said: “The Chair of the Regional Economic Growth Partnership will play a key role in making sure our Cardiff Capital Region Cabinet is making the right decisions. As well as advising us on economic strategy and investment decisions, we also see the Chair as playing a vital role in promoting the city-region to the world.”
The Chair will be appointed on a two-year fixed term basis with the maximum number of terms limited to two. The time commitment will average two days a month, though the level of commitment will fluctuate across the term. Appropriate expenses will be paid for the position. Deadline for applications is October 20, 2017.
The CCR City Deal is set to unlock significant economic growth across the CCR, which includes the ten local authorities of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen and The Vale of Glamorgan.
The aims of the CCR City Deal are to create jobs and boost economic prosperity by improving productivity, tackle worklessness, build on foundations of innovation, invest in physical and digital infrastructure, provide support for business, and ensure that any economic benefits generated as a result are felt across the region.
The CCR Regional Cabinet has already agreed to invest £37.9 million to support the development of a compound semiconductor industry cluster in south-east Wales.
The funding is being generated from the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal’s Wider Investment Fund – and is the first such investment since the £1.2 billion programme was formally signed by the leaders of the ten local authorities in the region on March 1 this year.
The project is expected to leverage up to £375 million of private sector investment over the next five years, and the creation of up to 2,000 high value, high-tech jobs, with the potential for hundreds more in the wider supply chain and cluster development.