Mid & East Antrim Borough Council
Reviewing the Mid and East Antrim Manufacturing Task Force
Steer Economic Development was commissioned to conduct a headline review of the Mid and East Antrim Manufacturing Task Force (MTF). The MTF was set up in 2017 with three defined objectives:
- Enabling replacement job creation in M&EA, following those lost directly, indirectly, or through induced effects as a result of JTI Gallaher’s and Michelin’s disinvestment in the Borough;
- Ensuring that the area’s manufacturing expertise was not lost, and developing plans that would improve the area’s competitiveness to protect and grow the economy; and
- Helping realise an inspiring vision for the area as an entrepreneurial, ambitious and forward-thinking economy which was n welcoming of business, committed to investment and working to achieve the best outcomes for its firms, residents and communities.
In the context of these objectives, the review worked to understand:
- Whether the MTF was/remained the most appropriate vehicle to deliver the above objectives
- How successful the MTF and its parts been in achieving its objectives
- Where success had been less than expected in terms of realising objectives
- The lessons that MTF might take forward at this point
This project was managed by Caitriona Lacy and directed by Simon Pringle, and was delivered in August-October 2019, with a final presentation by Simon to the Steering Group on 5 November 2019.
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