North East mayor joins bid to attract investment at UK REiiF event

North East mayor Kim McGuinness

New North East mayor Kim McGuiness will join efforts to sell major investment opportunities in the region at the UK’s largest property event later this month.

Ms McGuinness will join the North East delegation at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UK REiiF) event in Leeds, where political and business leaders will attempt to attract investment into schemes like the Gateshead Quays, Durham Innovation District and the Health Innovation Neighbourhood on the former Newcastle General Hospital site.

Around 10,000 delegates are predicted to attend the three-day event, which aims to highlight inward investment opportunities in the UK, generate economic growth, and drive a more sustainable and inclusive culture within the property and construction industries. The Invest Newcastle organisation will be setting up its own pavilion at the event to highlight investment opportunities in Newcastle, Gateshead and County Durham. As well as council leaders, representatives from a number of private sector companies will be present to promote the North East.

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Ms McGuinness will be one of 10 regional mayors from around UK at the event where different parts of the county compete to attract investment into regeneration schemes. The devolution process has given metro mayors billions of pounds of public funding but the political leaders are also tasked with securing outside investment for key infrastructure and urban regeneration projects.

At a preview for the conference, Ms McGuinness said: “It is a momentous day as we take more power from Westminster, bring it back into our region and hand it to our communities to make more of their own decisions. What that signifies is that we are ready to take our place on the national and international stage and bring that investment to the North East.

“We love this region and that’s something I’ve heard over and over again during the election campaign. I hear that from our people and our businesses, and also our leaders. I’m so proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them and go to UK Reiff or anywhere else and say: ‘This is the best place in the world, come and bring your money here. Come and invest here and what we will give you in return is second to none’.”

This week’s event also heard from Durham County Council leader Amanda Hopgood and Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp.

Coun Kemp said: “There are enormous opportunities. I’m really, really excited about what REiiF can bring.

“People last year recognised that Newcastle and the region was the loudest, the most populated and the most ambitious. We’ve got a great story to tell the investment community as a collaboration between the public and private sector.”