Chester's International Links - The Rationale

There are occasions when questions are asked about the value for Chester of people from the Council travelling abroad and getting involved with international projects and partners.

Chester prides itself as being an international city working on the world stage and welcoming over 7 million visitors each year, many from overseas. We may be small but we aim to punch well above our weight particularly in areas such as European funding, which has been acknowledged by the Audit Commission through CPA. It is part of our long term game plan to gain international recognition and a desire to be an active partner in Europe. To be successful in this we must involve ourselves overseas to gain valuable experience

Chester gains particular advantages from working with its international partners on many different levels. Sending people abroad to work with partners and lobby on behalf of Chester, attracts European and International funding to a significant degree. This in turn helps fund projects at home so benefiting the community. The recent "Water in the Cities" project is an example of a Euro funded initiative, (valued at approx €600,000) which will reinvigorate our river and canal-side environment.

Our expertise and reputation has been recognised even further away. Just recently the Lord Mayor with Andy Farrell travelled to Japan to attend the opening of another new "Royal Chester" hotel at the invitation of the owners "Memolead". This is the second prestigious hotel in Japan to bear the Chester name, helping to raise our profile there. The trip was entirely funded by our Japanese hosts.

Again international recognition came Chester's way, when as part of Chester's aim to be recognised as a World Heritage site, the most appropriately skilled people from our Conservation team, were invited to travel to Lalitpur in Nepal under the "Asia Urbs" programme. Their task was to help advise the local community how best to preserve and display their wonderful archeological and heritage treasures to help attract tourism and income for the future. The entire costs of these visits were born by the EU with technical support from UNESCO. Again Chester's currency was raised by being recognised for its skills and expertise by a word wide organisation.

Chester's international activity also brings a variety of inward investment to the District. Projects such as ECOSERT, LODIS, BRADAN and LEADER PLUS have over the past few years brought Chester €6m. This is at a time when Government grant aid is slowing and there is a limit to how much local taxation can be raised. It also demonstrates what a pro active place we are which impresses others world-wide. It brings benefits to the people of Chester by creating employment, generating wealth and increasing opportunities through our twinning programme to interact with communities abroad in a much closer way than any ordinary tourist could expect........ in short it can help enrich their lives, totally consistent with the Council's Corporate plan..

We must ask ourselves the question, if Chester City Council does not fight in whatever way it can at home or abroad for a better, richer and more prosperous life for the people of Chester, then who will?.