Rachael Hamilton MSP has welcomed a letter from Professor Russel Griggs OBE on the creation of a Regional Economic Strategy for the Borders.
The newly established Regional Economic Partnership (REP) brings together local regional and national partners.
A few months ago, in September, the partners agreed that a Regional Economic Strategy should be developed for the South of Scotland.
As part of this work, South of Scotland Enterprise will be taking forward a consultation to listen to businesses, communities and people across the South and hear their views on the future for the region.
SOSE has set out priorities for the financial year in an Operating Plan which will focus on supporting recovery by supporting businesses to adapt and diversify, supporting those businesses facing difficulty due to COVID-19 and supporting communities acquire new assets and develop ideas for the future.
The Borders MSP penned a letter to Professor Griggs asking for bespoke job retention and creation packages alongside economic summits in every Borders town, in a bid to tailor a local response to the issues at hand.
Mrs Hamilton has welcomed the plans for a new Strategy and believes that engagement from all sectors will help boost the fortunes of the Borders at a difficult time due to Covid-19.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“I wrote to Professor Griggs given the circumstances we find ourselves in the Borders with Covid-19, asking for economic summits in every Borders town.
“I wanted to ensure that all was being done to halt rising redundancies and help businesses weather the storm.
“The focus right now must be on protecting jobs and retraining people to find new roles.
“Professor Griggs and the team at SOSE will be seeking views on how to best involve many sectors from across the Borders in driving forward economic recovery.
“I believe that with the right input, the Regional Economic Strategy will bring together expertise from across the Borders and encourage economic recovery”.