A DOCUMENT that outlines the ambition for economic growth in Mid Wales and the injection of up to £200m has been agreed.

The first meeting of the Growing Mid Wales Board was held in cyberspace on Monday, May 11, where the leaders and senior management of both Ceredigion and Powys County Councils rubber-stamped the Strategic Economic Plan and Growth Deal Road Map.

Carwyn Jones-Evans, growth and major development service manager at Ceredigion Council, explained that the document had been split into two parts.

The first part is a strategic economic plan and the second is the growth deal road map.

Mr Jones-Evans said: “It’s to effectively attract the maximum amount of investment from both governments.”

Mr Jones-Evans added that the document had to be tweaked due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When it was written in February,  it gave a snapshot of the rural Mid Wales economy, as it was before the “devastating” impact of the virus on the economy.

Mr Jones-Evans continued: “We’re not at the stage of choosing projects just yet, this document is to take us through to the next stage and underlines that Mid Wales needs this investment.”

Ceredigion council leader, Cllr Ellen ap Gwynn, said: “We were asked by both governments to submit this document by the end of March, that didn’t come to pass because of the virus.

“Hopefully if we get the green light from both governments we will be able to start looking at projects. As we move out of this coronavirus situation we need to look at how we are going to support the economy.”

Cllr ap Gwynn added that she and Powys council leader Cllr Rosemarie Harris would be meeting Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates later in the week and discussions could even start there.

Cllr Harris said: “One of the most important things is that the strategy is not set in stone because who knows what will happen during the next 12 months let alone the length of the growth deal.

“It’s going to be important that we have flexibility.”

The Mid-Wales Growth Deal was first brought up by then UK Government Chancellor Philip Hammond in 2017, and was hoped to be worth as much as £200m.

In October 2019 the UK Government announced a £55 million injection of funding, spread over 15 years for the Mid Wales Growth Deal.

The expectation is that the Welsh Government will also add £55million and another £55million will come from businesses.

A letter will be drafted and sent to both Governments to confirm the the document has been approved.