The UK Government today [Friday 28 September] announced a key milestone has been reached in securing a Growth Deal for Moray.

On a visit to the region, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss formally invited Moray Growth Deal partners to submit plans on their priorities for boosting economic growth and productivity.

The UK Government will work closely with Moray Council, other local partners, and the Scottish Government to develop proposals.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said:

I welcome this progress on a Growth Deal for Moray and we look forward to working with local partners on their proposals.

City region and growth deals are a cornerstone in the UK Government’s long-standing commitment to invest directly in Scotland’s future, giving communities the financial backing to promote economic growth and allowing local partners to develop projects that place Scotland at the forefront of innovation, technology and connectivity.

Our record on such deals for Scotland speaks for itself, having committed more than £1 billion so far.

Speaking after meeting local businesses and visiting the new Macallan distillery and visitor centre, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss said:

The UK Government is backing Scotland by committing more than £1 billion to support Scottish city region deals since 2014. The deals attract new talent to the area, create better access to technology and improving the local transport system.

I’ve invited a bid for a Moray Growth Deal and I look forward to receiving ambitious proposals to unlock growth and productivity in the region.

Moray Council Leader Graham Leadbitter added his support saying:

This news is a real boost for the whole of Moray. The support for a Moray Growth Deal is evident right across the region in our communities, amongst business leaders and from the cross-party support of all of the Council’s political groups. There is still much work to be done but the Minister’s announcement represents a key milestone for the Growth Deal bid.

Moray Growth Deal Business Assembly Chair Michael Urquhart commented:

We are delighted to receive this positive news from the Treasury. The members of the Moray Growth Deal Business Assembly, and indeed, I’m certain the wider business community in Moray, share an ambition to grow our economy and create sustainable opportunities for the people of Moray to live and work here. We are ready to support the Moray Growth Deal bid team to help secure a good deal for Moray.

The visit from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the latest in a series visits to Moray by UK Government Ministers. Exchequer Secretary, Robert Jenrick, was in Moray last month to discuss the Growth Deal with Douglas Ross MP; Lord Duncan held discussions with the Principal of Moray College and David Mundell met with the Growth Deal bid team and a cross section of Moray business leaders in April.

Based on the success of his recent ‘Powerhouse Live: Tour of the North’, Mr Berry visited 2 local firms to chat to the Cumbrian workforce.

His first port of call was Forth Engineering at Maryport, before going onto meet apprentices at the Gen2 training facility at Lillyhall.

The Northern Powerhouse is designed to drive economic growth in the north via investments in skills, innovation, transport and culture.

Jake Berry, Northern Powerhouse Minister, said:

The Northern Powerhouse is all about ensuring economies like Cumbria are able to achieve their full potential, by working together with other towns, cities and rural communities.

To learn about the challenges and opportunities in the area, from those who live and work here, has helped us understand how the Northern Powerhouse can support local and national economic growth in the area.

Sellafield clearly plays a huge role already in the north’s economy, employing more than 11,000 people and spending more than £1.1bn a year in the supply chain.

It is encouraging to see first hand how small businesses like Forth Engineering are diversifying away from the nuclear industry, and I am impressed by the range of high quality apprenticeships being developed here.

Jamie Reed, head of community and development for Sellafield Ltd, said:

It was fantastic to welcome Jake to the area to see first-hand the unlimited potential of our fabulous county.

Sellafield has always been a powerhouse in its own right, but our greatest challenge is ensuring we leave a positive legacy for our community.

This is why we joined the Northern Powerhouse, to rebalance the economy away from London and the South East and connect Cumbria with other northern towns and cities.

Together we can create diverse and resilient communities and drive the economic future of the country.

This is something Sellafield can not do alone, and this visit has highlighted that as businesses, councils, trade unions and politicians, we are all responsible for overcoming the challenges we face.

Forth Engineering was founded in 2000 by former Sellafield apprentice, Mark Telford, he said:

The Minister was interested to learn how having Sellafield on our doorstep has given us a testbed to develop unique skills and technologies, which we are now transferring into other industries.

Our workers also appreciated the opportunity to find out more about the Northern Powerhouse and how it might help create more jobs and opportunities in our region.

As she announced in the House of Commons on 6 September, the Secretary of State has accepted the recommendations made by Sir Trevor Reaney in December 2017 and will cut MLAs’ pay by 27.5% over the next few months, unless a Northern Ireland Executive is formed in the meantime.

The Secretary of State said:

My absolute priority, and the priority of the UK Government, is to restore devolved government at the earliest opportunity. I recognise that MLAs still carry out important work, but it can’t be right that they continue to receive their full salary until the Executive and the Assembly are restored.

I am acting today in line with the powers voted for by Parliament to cut their pay until the Executive is restored. This will be followed by legislation to give clarity to the Northern Ireland Civil Service for the decisions they can make, and my focus on establishing talks between the parties.

I am confident that the plan I set out in Parliament provides the right framework to work with the parties to restore an Executive so that important decisions for the people of Northern Ireland can be made by locally elected politicians.

The pay of staff working for MLAs will not be affected.

The letter from the Secretary of State to MLAs informs them that their salary will be cut by 15% from 1 November, and by a further 12.5% from 1 January 2019 if an Executive has not been restored. Travel allowances have also been reduced, and inflationary pay rises cancelled while there is no Executive to determine otherwise.

Should an Executive be restored, under legislation passed in Westminster in July full salaries will be restored and the power to vary MLA salaries will return from the Secretary of State to a panel appointed by the Assembly.

The partnership will also act to better inform the public who may unknowingly purchase parts from illegal traders. Business sellers who list used vehicle parts now receive a pop up message to highlight that an environmental permit is needed to break vehicles and directs them to Gov.uk where they can get further information.

Sellers on eBay are also being advised to display their permit number, or the name of the sites where they source the parts they are selling, which provides reassurance to purchasers that they are buying from a legal dealer.

The Environment Agency are directly contacting eBay traders who are not displaying their environmental credentials, providing guidance and warning them about undertaking non permitted breaking activities.

Those intentionally operating illegally and not responding to the Environment Agency will find their trading account suspended or removed from eBay.

It has been discovered that some car breakers and traders are not aware of the need to have a permit. They are also unaware of how to properly dismantle a vehicle, dispose of the hazardous waste,deal with fire risks and subsequent risk to the environment.

The new partnership has resulted in an increase in applications for permits to take their business into legal status. The Environment Agency has also benefited from being able to utilise resources and time in tackling illegal car breaking.

Rich Cloke from the Environment Agency said:

Businesses are not always aware they should have a permit and many are reacting positively to the messages we are getting to them. We have seen an increase in businesses subsequently applying for the relevant permit.

This is proving to be a quick and effective way of communicating our message directly with vehicle breakers and parts dealers.

With sellers who continue to trade, the Environment Agency will take further steps including reporting them to the Police and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and making a site visit.

The partnership will also aim to inform the general public who may unknowingly purchase used parts from illegal businesses.

A spokesperson for eBay commenting on working with the Environment Agency said:

eBay’s contribution to supporting the Environment Agency compliance efforts on the sale of vehicle parts sourced from illegal End of life Vehicle (ELV) breakers has significantly increased the level of compliance from business sellers on eBay UK website.

This successful cooperation leads the industry and sets an example of effective collaboration between the private sector and the Environment Agency, rarely seen both offline and online.