Shropshire Star

Discount on business rates to attract firms to Telford

Firms could get business rate discounts of up to £55,000 a year under plans to lure more companies to Telford.

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Firms could get business rate discounts of up to £55,000 a year under plans to lure more companies to Telford.

Telford & Wrekin Council is proposing a raft of incentives for new businesses following the opening of the new Jaguar Land Rover i54 plant.

Officials say that the borough is ideally placed to benefit from the new plant, which is being constructed just off the M54 motorway.

The i54 plant will create 750 jobs directly and a further 2,200 in its supply chain.

In addition to the borough's readily available development land, lower house prices and excellent rail and road links, the council is looking at a range of further incentives for new businesses.

They include deferring business rates to help start-up firms which will be considered by the council's cabinet on Thursday.

There are already many major automotive suppliers based in the borough. The borough also has 167 hectares of development land, more commercial land than in any other major West Midlands employment area and much of it is on commercial areas such as Hortonwood or the Nedge.

The council also has an agreement with the Homes & Communities Agency which allows it to offer flexible development packages to help new firms grow.

The report says that with the M54 running through the borough and a dedicated railfreight terminal at Donnington, the area has very good transport links.

Training is also being developed involving Telford College of Arts and Technology and the universities of Wolverhampton and Warwick to ensure people have the skills needed.

Council leader Kuldip Sahota said: "We need to make it as attractive and easy as possible for new businesses to come here and we as a council have a key part to play in making this happen to ensure that we win this business for the borough."

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