Local authorities must seek investment help from government experts

COMMENT: We are all aware of the challenges that face us over the coming years, in particular the need to deliver increasing housing numbers and the essential infrastructure that will create new and enlarged villages and towns. [caption id="attachment_873661" align="alignright" width="150"] Liam Fox[/caption] We also know that large sums of money are required to build the hundreds of thousands of homes, plus the roads, rail improvements, schools, medical facilities and other amenities that new and expanded villages and towns across the UK will need. This is why the UK government attends MIPIM, and its presence at the conference demonstrates the strength of government support for the real estate sector. We need to work with international investors to unlock much-needed capital for new development that will improve productivity and economic and social prosperity across the UK. The Department for International Trade’s capital investment team is the government’s mechanism for attracting and supporting overseas investment into large-scale regeneration, infrastructure and energy projects. The team works with local public sector organisations and private sector developers, helping match opportunities to investors interested or already active in the UK. There are many investors from right across the world who wish to invest here, and the opportunities for investors newly considering the UK are abundant. The UK has an open, liberal economy, world-class talent and business-friendly taxation. Government support is substantial in terms of generating the right environments for capital investment and many investors have existing links through our education system. Capital investment‘s large capital investor relations team works alongside our network of embassies all over the world to identify and nurture contacts with these investors, understanding their needs and interests and ensuring they are the right fit for the UK. We seek to identify long-term opportunities, weathering economic cycles and stay the course of the 10, 20 or even 30 years of a large-scale project. Frequently these investors are matched with UK institutions, combining expert knowledge of the locality with the necessary capital investment. But the challenge to local authorities is, do you know what your potential investible propositions are? It is vital to understand what makes a project attractive to an overseas investor and how to package and present it in the right way. Doing this can dramatically accelerate the delivery process. By working closely with local authorities and local enterprise partnerships we can help maximise investment opportunities through our team of regional capital project managers who are ready to navigate you through the process. Our dedicated Invest in Great pavilion at MIPIM 2019 brings together talent and expertise from the Department for International Trade, Homes England, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and Office of Government Property to promote and support what the UK has to offer. So take advantage of the skills and knowledge that exist within government to help with this. Working together we can support the whole of the UK to build homes, attract businesses and expand their offer to the benefit of everyone in the UK.