Published at 15:41, Wednesday, 19 August 2009

ALL four chairs of the county’s economic delivery boards have now been appointed to the board of Cumbria Vision.

New private sector members have also been appointed to bring fresh expertise on the important issues of energy, businesses and enterprise.

Brian Wilson, chair of West Cumbria Vision delivery board; Murray Easton, chair of Barrow Vision delivery board; Bryan Gray, chair of Carlisle Renaissance; and Mandy Dixon, interim chair of Eden and South Lakeland Delivery Board, have all become Cumbria Vision directors.

Independent member George Beveridge, deputy managing director (transformation and support) at Sellafield Ltd, has been appointed to advise on energy while John Hudson, managing director of BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, will advise on business and enterprise.

The leaders of Cumbria’s district councils have also been appointed along with Bill Jefferson OBE, chair of the Lake District National Park Authority, and Deborah McLaughlin, North West Regional Director of the Homes and Communities Agency.

Chairman Roger Liddle said: “Cumbria Vision now has a strong partnership involving all the main players allowing the focus to shift to what is most important to the businesses and communities of Cumbria – getting on with the job of delivering major regeneration projects across the county.

“We now have four delivery boards tasked with the delivery of key regeneration projects, focusing on our major strengths of low carbon energy and our unique ‘destination’ – not just as a place to visit, but a place to live, learn, work and invest.

“With an effective system in place we now expect major activity on the ground over the coming years, bringing forward projects and initiatives that will help build a robust and sustainable economy and truly establish Cumbria as a powerful economic engine for Britain.”

Bill Lowther OBE, Chair of Cumbria Strategic Partnership; Robin Burgess, managing director of CN Group, publishers of The Whitehaven News; and Richard Mrowicki, Head of Stakeholder Relations at the NDA, have all retired from the Cumbria Vision board.

Coun Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for economic development, said: “Now we’ve got the board in place we can really get on with the work of regenerating Cumbria, creating jobs, boosting the economy and delivering for the businesses and people in our county.”

Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk