Staffordshire set for national investment with UKREiiF delegation launch

Staffordshire leaders marked the official launch of a UK-wide event to boost the county and city’s economic growth yesterday.

Both private and public sector organisations came together for the official launch of the Staffordshire the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF 2025) delegation.

UKREiiF is an annual investment profiling opportunity for Staffordshire, attracting some 15,000 delegates from pension funds to developers and partners and government departments including Homes England, the Department for International Trade and the Ministry for Homes, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The Staffordshire delegation will put Staffordshire on a national stage, showcasing its investment opportunities and priorities through its ‘Place to Prosper’ campaign, and engage with and meet key investment and sector leaders which may lead to future investment, supporting our economy to grow, creating more jobs and lifelong learning opportunities for Staffordshire people.

The event took place at Keele University, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, ahead of the three day national expo and conference in Leeds, in May

Alan White, leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: “I am proud of the partnership approach we have built over the last four years to showcase all corners of the county, and this year, the city of Stoke-on-Trent too, including our wider approach to attracting and securing investment opportunities through our Place to Prosper campaign.

“Through our We Are Staffordshire partner delegation, we are collectively and proactively bringing priority sites to market and promoting investment opportunities across Staffordshire.”

The key developments that the delegation will take to market in 2025, included further profiling and calls for support for the A50/A500 growth corridor; increased investment and development opportunities adjacent to the i54 development in South Staffordshire and Wolverhampton, known as the economic growth corridor, and further investment to reimagine town centres, including significant regeneration plans at Gungate in Tamworth, Burton town centre, and Lichfield.

UKREiiF 2023 marked the inaugural event of bringing all eight district and borough councils together as We Are Staffordshire, proving the strength of a joint approach to investment for the County.

Since then, Staffordshire has attended the event under the collective brand ‘We Are Staffordshire’, this year including the city of Stoke-on-Trent as partners, and has attracted significant investment including the £90m Capital and Centric development in Newcastle-under-Lyme, proving the strength of a joint approach to investment for the County.

Pictured from left to right: Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council; Professor Trevor McMillan, VC Keele University; Alan White, leader, Staffordshire County Council and Dan Gallagher, Joint MD, Stoford.