Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset, today opened the new, 50 hectare Dorset Innovation Park Enterprise Zone at Winfrith, saying, “I am honoured to launch this Enterprise Zone which promises so much and will richly enhance job prospects in my constituency.”
.
The zone is already home to two world leaders in defence technology - Atlas Elektonik and Qinetiq - and hopes to attract many more businesses in the marine, aerospace, defence and energy areas, creating 2,000 new, highly skilled jobs over the next 25 years.
“This initiative and others in the area – up to 60 new jobs being created by a maritime engineering company at Portland Port – are testament to the hard work that is going on across the board to improve people’s career prospects and choices,” said Drax.
“I think it important to note that our country still sits on a financial cliff-edge with a national debt of some £1.8 trillion. That’s costing us in interest some £50 billion a year - a truly terrifying figure.”
“With the pressure on the public sector as never before we as a country must generate more income and therefore more tax to pay for it all.
This enterprise zone and others around the country are an integral part of that plan.”
“Then it’s up to the skill and dash of entrepreneurs and businessmen and women to create prosperity and jobs. We as a Government must create the environment to allow these aspirations to become reality.
It is not our job to run businesses - and it never should be.”
Drax also asked the audience to support Weymouth College, “which offers hope and career prospects to many young people down here.”
“Can I urge business leaders here and those who will come to work closely with the College and back it to the hilt,” he said.
Thanking the event hosts, Atlas Elektronik, Drax added, “No company better epitomizes what we want here and their contribution to the local economy, jobs and prosperity is impressive, to say the least.”
The zone is one of 44 in the UK and benefits from business rates reductions and ultra fast broadband. It is fully publicly owned, and has been developed by Dorset LEP, Dorset County Council and Purbeck District Council.