Kent County Council has launched a £40 million Government-backed scheme to help boost the east Kent economy and support businesses.
The project, called Expansion East Kent, will aim to create 5,000 new jobs in the area and businesses in Shepway, Dover, Canterbury and Thanet will be able to apply for interest-free loans, provided they have plans to grow their business and employ more staff.
£5 million of the fund is expected to be spent on high-speed rail improvement to London, meaning journey times will be reduced, benefitting commuters. Supported by the government’s Regional Growth Fund, the scheme will be able to provide a lot of businesses with on-going support, helping to create local jobs for years to come.
Paul Carter, leader of Kent County Council, said: “This is a tremendous boost for the East Kent economy. We want to encourage applications from sectors where new investment is particularly important and can yield significant economic benefits.”
