THE deputy leader of Shropshire Council believes Oswestry can be one of the places to help the county bounce back quickly after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Councillor Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council cabinet member for assets, economic growth and regeneration, believes the county will be a magnet for attractive investment opportunities, new jobs and sustainable growth during the recovery from the pandemic.

Shropshire Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve the council’s new economic recovery, transformation and resilience framework when it meets on Monday, January 18.

The framework will deliver an economic growth plan to ensure the county’s economy is aligned to national and regional priorities.

Cllr Charmley is confident that major towns like Oswestry and Shrewsbury will play a big part in the recovery process.

He said: “There is no hiding that the last year has been extremely tough for every business in the county, but we are well placed to provide a strong economic recovery for the whole of Shropshire.

“I am confident that this economic framework provides ways we can identify and establish, restart, revitalise and regrow opportunities across the county as we address coronavirus, Brexit, digital and environmental challenges with resilience and transformation.

“We want to focus on business growth and survival and investing in our local economy, while also focussing on employment growth, particularly within innovative, digital and environmental sectors.

“We will support our young residents in getting into work and ensure that we have a digitally active and agile workforce, while also promoting Shropshire’s visitor economy and staycation opportunities, which are particularly timely.

“Shropshire is a fantastic, resilient county and well placed to bounce back quickly. There is work going on all over the county to ensure that is the case, from the Business Park Programme to the work happening in major towns like Oswestry and Shrewsbury.”

Part of Shropshire’s economy development is the growth in ‘superfast’ broadband, with coverage increasing from 24 per cent to 94 per cent since 2014.

In order to further develop, the council is now working with government on the new ‘gigabit’ programme planning announced in the Autumn Spending Review which the council will work on to plug the remaining ‘superfast’ gaps in the county.

The council will also focus on the green agenda while working on economic growth.