Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Negotiations to secure the biggest investment for south west Wales in a generation are nearing a conclusion. Leaders of the Swansea Bay City Region are preparing to pitch their bid for a ground-breaking City Deal worth more than £1.3billion – an investment that will transform the economic landscape of the area with high-spec digital infrastructure and world-class facilities in the fields of energy, smart manufacturing and innovation in life science. If successful, the City Deal will deliver nearly 10,000 new jobs and increase the value of goods and services produced in the region by £1.8billion. The Swansea Bay City Region includes the local authority areas of Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Pembrokeshire and Neath Port Talbot, joined by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and Hywel Dda University Health Boards, Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity St David’s, and private sector partners. Partners have worked together for over a year to develop and submit a detailed City Deal propos...

Hywel Dda Health Board | Investment in NHS buildings boosts Welsh economy by £1.1 billion Investments in hospital buildings over the last six years have boosted the Welsh economy by hundreds of millions of pounds. Since 2006, the Welsh Government has ploughed £363 million into projects now completed, £227 million in sites currently being developed and committed a further £552 million into projects in planning. Of the 12,318 workforce employed on those sites, nearly 80% (9,811) were Welsh residents.

Carmarthenshire has brought in £15 of outside investment in community programmes for every £1 the county has put in itself. The council’s community regeneration division has secured almost £16million of external programme funding with a county council investment of about £1million. The good news has been reported to members of the county’s regeneration and leisure scrutiny committee. The division has created or assisted 154 enterprises, created or safeguarded 21.5 jobs, helped or advised 1,068 community groups, and improved 108 community facilities. It also addressed issues of household debt of more than £1.4million. The division’s achievements over the year include funding the Carmarthen Food Festival, tackling rural access to services and social exclusion, debt and benefit surgeries, the opening of Felinfoel Community Resource Centre, helping people to get online, and funding projects such as Garnant Family Centre, Burry Port Memorial Park, and Llandybie Public Memorial Hall. The fun...

Schaeffler has invested in several million euros worth of new plant and machinery at its automotive engine components plant in Bynea, Llanelli. The new machinery includes surface coating machines and a 66-tonne deep drawing press, and Schaeffler says it will now be able to produce highly repeatable, superior quality engine parts. The new coatings plant was installed in June while the deep drawing press has just arrived at the factory and is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. Full story from Plant Engineer - http://www.plantengineer.org.uk/article/36192/Schaeffler-UK-invests-in-advanced-coating-plant-.aspx