APPENDIX 5
Untitled
Memorandum submitted by Carrickfergus
Borough Council
As you are probably aware the bulk of public
expenditure on inward investment is directed through the Industrial
Development Board (IDB). Various Councils have in the past benefited
from the IDB's successful efforts to attract foreign investment.
Table E1 below details grant expenditure on Foreign owned companies
for the past two years.
Carrickfergus Council, in its Economic Development
Strategy (1995-1999) have not considered inward investment to
be a major theme for two main reasons. Firstly there has been
a reluctance of the IDB to work with local authorities. Secondly
the funding available to the Council is limited, and without a
close working relationship, it is unlikely that significant outputs
could be achieved. This is a different situation for larger councils.
That situation may change in the future, as
Council consider making more use of its civic and political links
with for example, its sister city in Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
USA.
Policies on location are, in this Borough, driven
again by IDB who own and manage the only "green" land
zoned for Industrial Development. This large site is at the edge
of town and has excellent road, rail and port links. This location
is also near to the only "Central Government" approved
TSN area in the Borough.
In terms of TSN, the Council are very aware
of and have on a number of occasions raised concerns with this
policy. Local knowledge and research would point out that the
only designated ward (Killycrot) is not actually the most deprived.
The emphasis on finding inward investors who match the skill available
in TSN areas is not maybe the most suitable for the region as
a whole.
We are aware that as a borough we have a superb
location (20 minutes from both seaports, 30 minutes from both
Airports, 12 miles to Belfast City Centre and motorway linkages),
excellent industrial infrastructure, excellent skills and a young
growing workforce. On market force above, we should have received
an above equitable share of the inward investment. Yet as the
enclosed table shows, we received not even a share pro-rata with
our population. This can only be attributed to the TSN policy
which instead of creating a level playing field has created a
"tilt" the "other way".
Table E1
IDB-BACKED INVESTMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS BY EXTERNALLY-OWNED
COMPANIES JANUARY TO OCTOBER 1998
| Company | Month
| Number of jobs promoted | Investment £million
| Location |
| Seagoe Technologies | February
| 82 | 2.7 | Craigavon
|
| BT | February | 750
| 9.0 | Belfast |
| Fujitsu | February | 150
| 5.4 | Belfast |
| P&O | March | 45
| 0.3 | Larne |
| Meridian Medical Technology | March
| 46 | 3.0 | East Belfast
|
| Smurfit | March | 81
| 6.3 | Lurgan |
| Nortel | March | 100
| 28.0 | Monkstown |
| Huco | April | 10
| 1.2 | Limavady |
| Webtech | April | 22
| 2.9 | Enniskillen |
| Prudential | April | 403
| 7.2 | Belfast |
| OCC Technology | May | 58
| 4.0 | West Belfast |
| Eurotech | May | 105
| 2.8 | Lisburn |
| Hughes Christensen | May |
54 | 18.3 | East Belfast
|
| Apion | May | 114
| 3.6 | North Belfast |
| Interface Europe | June |
42 | 4.1 | Craigavon
|
| Sensor Systems | June | 90
| 5.4 | Lurgan |
| BBC | July | 100
| 1.7 | Belfast |
| Courtaulds Jersey | July |
38 | 2.8 | Lurgan
|
| Lucas Aerospace | July |
62 | 0.6 | Belfast
|
| British Airways | August |
55 | 0.6 | Belfast
|
| Fiji Footwear | August |
12 | 1.0 | Banbridge
|
| Savile Row | September |
0 | 0.5 | Coleraine
|
| Keystone Lintels | September
| 61 | 4.1 | Cookstown
|
| Celeritek | September | 35
| 2.1 | Belfast |
| Webtonia | September | 44
| 0.4 | Belfast |
| Silicon Systems | September
| 85 | 1.5 | Belfast
|
| Group 4 | October | 68
| 2.0 | Belfast |
| Segue Software | October |
45 | 0.6 | Belfast
|
| Northbrook (Allstate) | October
| 250 | 3.7 | Belfast
|
| Nortel Networks | October |
150 | 4.7 | Belfast
|
| | |
| |
Source: IDB.
24th November 1999
| 
