Today the first Rural Commission of its kind was published, aiming to preserve the beauty of Rural North Yorkshire while embracing new ways of living and being. Helen Simpson OBE, chair of the main LEP board has given her full backing:
“We wholeheartedly support the Rural Commission and its findings. As a local enterprise partnership, our role is to seek out and champion the economic opportunities for our region. The commission identifies the economic potential in a net zero economy. We believe that we can go further than net zero and find significant opportunity for greener, fairer and stronger economy by reaching for a carbon negative economy by 2040.
“This opportunity is unique to our region as a ‘giant green lung’ in the North. York and North Yorkshire can become a powerhouse for green economy by utilising the potential of our rural hinterland and natural capital assets of land and sea, coupled with the research and development in bio-economy and renewable energy assets coming out of University of York and Drax for example. These economic opportunities will create higher paid employment opportunities for people in the region.
“Leadership, policy and investment will all play an essential role in the region achieving its economic potential. We also stand by the commission’s findings that digital connectivity is a crucial enabler for our economy. Digital connectivity everywhere is essential for all businesses to thrive, from micros to SMEs to large businesses, whether they are trading locally, nationally or internationally. We support the report’s findings that digital accessibility must be equivocal across the entirety of the rural region and access must be backed up by skills provision.”
Read the report on the North Yorkshire County Council site:
https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/north-yorkshire-rural-commission