Growth Deal joint plan

The two councils are committed to continuing the joint working arrangements that have delivered success in the past. To this end we have brought forward a Growth Deal which reflects a strategic alliance between the parties and a commitment to turn words into action.

Over the past two decades the borough council and county council have worked together using their complementary powers and responsibilites to redevelop and regenerate former colliery sites to create over 4,000 jobs and 300 new homes - Also, we have partnered in delivering successful community regeneration programmes along with housing renewal.

More recently, our collaborative working can be seen at a strategic level in the Constellation Partnership and at a practical level it has delivered Castle House, the new one-stop place for public services.

We have also worked together to create the opportunity for a large-scale and comprehensive development opportunity at Ryecroft, including joint acquisition of the former Sainsbury's site.

Through the strategic alliance and the governance arrangements set out in this Growth Deal we intend to explore the opportunities to deepen the relationship into real collaborative working which goes beyond co-location of services to drive greater efficiencies and improve customer service. In addition we will explore the most appropriate opportunities for external funding (e.g. the Future High Streets Fund and the SSLEP).