The Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable, visited York on Thursday and took part in a roundtable discussion about the challenges in driving growth through infrastructure delivery. A range of key partners across the city and region discussed their experiences and ideas to enable the region to be an attractive proposition for investors and competitive in industry.

The event was hosted by Mark Perkins, Chief Executive of Shepherd Group Built Environment Division and chaired by Kersten England, Chief Executive, City of York Council. The roundtable included representation from the Homes and Communities Agency, Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, York and North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership, Network Rail, Persimmon Homes, York Economic Partnership and other key organisations involved in delivering development and infrastructure across the region.

The discussion explored key issues relating to delivery of infrastructure for economic development, to identify any gaps in current support from Government, and what economic benefits would arise if the gaps could be filled.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “The Government’s number one priority is helping our economy recover and put it on a more sustainable footing. I outlined an industrial strategy last week that will support infrastructure development by sharpening our focus on the construction sector and public procurement. We will take a long term look at these areas, working in partnership with industry to respond to the challenges ahead so that investment decisions can be made confidently