32 locations compete for Green Investment Bank

MORE than 30 locations, including London, Birmingham and Leeds will compete with Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and Warrington, to be the home of the Green Investment Bank.

The Department of Business said a total of 32 towns and cities had submitted bids to win the £3bn new institution which is due to be launched in April. A decision will be announced in the next month.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: ““I am delighted that the Green Investment Bank has fired the imagination of so many public and private sector groups keen to host this world-first institution. They all have a role to play in helping the UK seize the benefits of a transition to a low carbon economy.”

A review panel will now review all the submissions against criteria including cost, existing infrastructure and availability of workforce, and a recommendation will be put to Dr Cable.

Contenders range from Cornwall to Renfrewshire in the west of Scotland. Closer to home, the North West locations face competition from Leeds, Sheffield and Hull in Yorkshire and Stoke-onTrent, Birmingham and Coventry and Warwickshire in the West Midlands.