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Stephen Crabb: “It’s an opportunity to put Cardiff into the premier league of cities, with a City Deal of its own driving jobs and growth.”

The Secretary of State for Wales met council leaders yesterday to develop a vision of a City Deal for Cardiff.

The meeting, held in Cardiff, draws together local authority leaders representing the region which stands to benefit from the Deal.

Stephen Crabb said:

To take the City Deal off the drawing board and on to the next stage, we need to build a partnership involving councils, the Welsh Government and the business community. Working together, this group can unlock growth and new jobs not only in Cardiff but across the capital region.

This meeting provides a fantastic opportunity to establish the shape of a potential City Deal – and also understand the problems and hurdles we need to overcome. This is about firing the starting gun on this ambitious and exciting city deal

Cardiff is Europe’s youngest capital city and a City Deal has the potential to unlock a wave of new investment. Let’s make sure Wales doesn’t miss out.

Earlier this week, the Secretary of State met senior business figures to discuss how the private sector could benefit from the Cardiff City Deal.

Mr Crabb held talks with Roger Lewis, Chairman of Cardiff Capital Region Advisory Board and Nigel Roberts, Chairman of Cardiff Business Council,

The opening of discussions around a City Deal were confirmed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget on 18 March. Previous City Deals have involved local and central investment.