Council´s economic team expands

Economic development in North Wiltshire has been given a boost by the appointment of two highly experienced new officers to Wiltshire Council’s economic development team.

Team Leader (for North and Mid Wiltshire), Clive Taylor, who joined the council in May, has a background in planning and urban regeneration.

Before coming to Wiltshire, Clive was a project manager for the Urban Vision Partnership in Salford, Manchester, which was tasked with creating job opportunities for the unemployed in the construction sector through linking vocational training and newly skilled employees into work with contractors on Major Regeneration Projects.

In 2008 the project, which in five years got 1,600 people into work, won the Local Government Chronicle Award for public / private sector partnership.

Previously he has worked in senior economic development roles for two London Boroughs, the Central London Learning & Skills Council and as the deputy chief executive of the national charity The Young Builders Trust.

Clive said: “I’ve worked at the highest level of private sector companies, so I understand that interests and concerns of the business community".

“I also have a wealth of experience in public / private sector partnerships aiming to improve the local economy. Although this idea is new to Wiltshire, in many parts of the country such partnerships have been extremely successful, and of great benefit to the business community and local people".

Joining Clive is Matt Croston, who took up the role of Economic Development Officer in June.

In a previous role with the London Development Agency, Matt worked to maintain London as a top global city by supporting projects related to inward investment, tourism, emerging markets, urban regeneration and transportation infrastructure.

Matt will support the delivery of a portfolio of economic development projects in North and Mid Wiltshire. He will also be supporting the North and Mid Wiltshire Economic Partnerships, and the Chippenham and Trowbridge Visions.