Glasgow hailed as 'vibrant hub of diversity' ahead of conference on future

The Scottish Government is hoping to make Glasgow a 'metropolitan region' by continuing to invest in the city.

Wellbeing economy minister Neil Gray is speaking at a conference on Friday to outline how £520million has already been spent in the City Region Deal.

Mr Gray has hailed Glasgow as a "vibrant hub of economic and cultural diversity" ahead of the event.

Conference will look at what next year has in store for Glasgow

The annual State of the City Economy conference will bring together Government, businesses, charities and academics to look ahead to next year.

In his address, Mr Gray will highlight the work undertaken as part of the City Region Deal - an agreement which pledges funding for major projects across Glasgow and the surrounding areas, jointly paid for by the Scottish Government, UK Government and local council.

Ahead of the conference, the minister said: "This city has transformed itself again and again to become a vibrant hub of economic and cultural diversity.

"We will work to empower the region"

"We will work to empower the region to not only drive forward the Clyde Mission, alongside the City Region Deal, but also to make the most of the spending and tax reliefs brought by hosting an investment zone.

"We want to support local government and business to transform the Glasgow City Region in a way that puts the wellbeing of the people first, grows the economy and improves the environment.

"We want to see that compelling vision of the Glasgow Metropolitan Region that you aspire to be. We want to get a feel for how it will work. And we want a taste of what it can achieve."

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