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The cabinet of Suffolk county council has confirmed its support for the creation of Freeport East, which could bring more than 13,500 new jobs to the area.

Freeport East will generate significant investment into Suffolk and provide a considerable regional economic boost and see the creation of 13,500 new jobs providing employment opportunities for local communities across Suffolk and Essex.

The proposal will be complemented with ongoing skills development and in particular programmes focussed on the young and those who are not in education, employment, or training, thereby supporting the Council's inclusive growth agenda.

A Freeport includes secure customs zones and tax sites where business can be carried out inside a country's land border, but where different tax and customs rules apply. These rules mean Freeports can potentially reduce administrative burdens and tariff controls, provide relief from duties, import taxes, and ease tax and planning regulations.

Freeport East has several unique aspects which make its bid for Freeport status particularly strong. This includes global and regional connectivity, with 36% of all the UK's container traffic passing through the Port of Felixstowe, unrivalled international connections, particularly with Asia, strong connectivity to the Midlands and the North, thereby supporting the government's "levelling up agenda" in these areas.

The bid also stands out as supporting other national objectives such as the development of new technology and the push for clean energy.

The Port of Felixstowe has recently won funding to trial a pilot 5G network and has strong research and development links with Cambridge and Essex Universities. There are also strong links with the energy sector and the emerging hydrogen economy.

Cllr. Matthew Hicks, Leader of Suffolk County Council said, "Suffolk County Council fully supports a bid for a Freeport in our county, this is especially true of Freeport East as so much of the bid is in line with the council's wider objectives around inclusive economic growth, job creation, regional investment and our commitments to the environment and decarbonisation.

"Freeport East is a fantastic opportunity for the Government to show that its commitment to levelling up the country is not just reserved for the Midlands and the North of England.

"To level up successfully the government must recognise the importance of investing in the foundations of growth and wider opportunities at both ends of the A14.

"This is especially true considering that many of the businesses based here are directly responsible for jobs and investment in the north of England, not to mention the reliance on the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich to export goods made in the north to the rest of the world.

"Whilst the final decision about Freeport designation rests with central government, I urge everyone in Suffolk, especially community and business leaders, to give this bid their wholehearted support."

The Government is due to make its final decision about Freeport status later this year after assessment of all bids received nationwide in March.

Freeport East will sit at the centre of a 45km economic zone, encompassing a catchment area around the two ports with an overall population of 726,000 of which at least 431,000 are of working age.

This economic zone will contain three tax and customs sites where businesses will be able to operate and trade under Freeport rules. The sites chosen within this zone to be dual tax and customs sites are:

· Port of Felixstowe Logistics Park

· Gateway 14 (currently an Enterprise Zone and owned by Mid Suffolk District Council)

The benefits of these sites are that they are relatively compact and are close to the ports themselves. Felixstowe Logistics Park is ready for development with planning consent in place and therefore able to progress quickly and accommodate additional economic activity.

The planning application for Gateway 14 has been submitted and is currently going through consultation. All three sites are in strategically important locations and Freeport status would provide the stimulus and catalyst for additional development, new economic activity, and job creation.

Additionally, Freeports will have the opportunity to bid into a £175m fund of seed capital, to support the development of the Freeport, as well as a Freeport Innovation Fund.

As part of this development funding, Government wants to see Freeports contribute to the decarbonisation agenda and achieve net zero status by 2050, this goal is fully supported by the county council.

Several businesses have already given their support for the creation of Freeport East including Ryse-Hydrogen and EDF Energy who are looking to create the Freeport East Hydrogen Hub. This will create 1GW of hydrogen (20% of the 5GW target in the Government's Ten Point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

As a pillar of the Freeport East bid, it could begin to create significant numbers of new jobs within the next 12 months and will demonstrate the UK's Net Zero capabilities in the build-up to COP26, to be hosted in Glasgow later this year