Shared Economic Development Service
East Ayrshire Council has now joined North Ayrshire Council to create a Shared Economic Development Service for Ayrshire.
The new service will help deliver key priorities such as the Regional Economic Strategy and the Ayrshire Growth Deal. By working together, the councils aim to:
- strengthen leadership
- share expertise, and
- support sustainable economic growth across Ayrshire
Local teams will continue to support businesses and communities in both council areas and local contacts will remain unchanged.
East Ayrshire Economic Development
Economic Development brings the public and private sectors together to create better conditions for economic growth and job creation.
Our economic development strategy focuses on:
- integrating East Ayrshire within the regional economy
- facilitating economic restructuring
- increasing vibrancy in our town centres
- improving the quality of tourism
- increasing economic participation in our communities
- accelerating the pace of infrastructure improvements
Ayrshire Economic Partnership (AEP)
We are members of the Ayrshire Economic Partnership (AEP). This includes representatives from the three Ayrshire local authorities, Scottish Enterprise, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry and individual business leaders.
We all work together to provide a strategic direction to the economic performance of Ayrshire & Arran.
The Ayrshire Regional Economic Strategy (PDF 11.10 MB) was launched in June 2023 and is the first of its kind. The strategy will see the three councils working with local partners to deliver meaningful and ongoing economic regeneration throughout the region.
The ten-year plan aims to transform the Ayrshire economy by creating wealth for everyone in Ayrshire as a result of generating opportunities for those who want to live, work, learn and invest in Ayrshire.
Together we are developing joint strategies focusing on the key sectors of:
- food and drink
- engineering
- renewables
- tourism
We have also established a joint Ayrshire and Arran tourism team to drive forward the Ayrshire and our Islands Visitor Economy Strategy (PDF 6.26 MB).