Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and makes a major contribution to its economy. The city has transformed in recent decades through physical and cultural regeneration with over £2bn investment in the city centre. The Belfast City Region Deal will bring a further investment of £850m to support innovation and job creation.
Whilst the city has flourished culturally and economically, some communities have been left behind with persistent deprivation and inequality, including high child poverty. The Council’s approach to economic growth has a strong focus on tackling the underlying causes of deprivation and recognising the need to provide targeted support to those most in need during these challenging times.
The Belfast Agenda sets a new vision for Belfast in 2035 where all residents benefit from the success of the city by creating new and better jobs, removing barriers to employment, improving connectivity, reducing inequalities, and helping to alleviate the impact of poverty on those most vulnerable.
Here are some of the ways that Belfast is delivering inclusive growth in practice:
Belfast Business Promise
A new inclusive growth city charter accreditation scheme for employers committed to making Belfast a better city. The scheme has eight pledges and is open to all employers, irrespective of size or sector.
Empowering communities through social supermarkets
A city-wide network of 16 social supermarkets that offer a sustainable response to food insecurity by giving people empowered choices on how they manage the entirety of their household budgets. These community-based resources are part of a wider package of cost of living support and also provide, or signpost, important wraparound support and advice to those visiting.
Read Belfast’s blog here.
Belfast Employment Academies
These aim to address the barriers that prevent more people from accessing good work. The programme, designed with sectoral bodies and employers, responds to the needs of industry by providing tailored training in key sectors with high vacancies.