DECISION-MAKERS across Worcestershire have been urged to focus on the county's "unique offer" to attract major international employers to locate here.

Mark Stansfield, the chairman of the county's Local Enterprise Partnership, has challenged them to "fulfil the dream" by helping deliver 25,000 extra jobs within a decade.

Mr Stansfield, who took over his role in March, was invited to County Hall for a Q&A session with councillors today.

During his talk he reeled off figures revealing the county's economic activity, based on the value of goods and services produced per person, is £18,454 a year - 23 per cent below the England average.

That rate of Gross Value Added (GVA) is also 36 per cent below Oxfordshire, and 22 per cent below Warwickshire.

The major differences are being put down to the rival counties having more major employers like Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Williams F1 and BMW.

The low GVA data for Worcestershire comes despite the county being the third fastest growing in the entire country in recent years, behind London and Oxfordshire, as we exclusively revealed in March.

Speaking during a meeting of the economy and environment scrutiny panel, Mr Stansfield told councillors he was determined to take it much further.

It comes after the county's Strategic Economic Plan, a blueprint for creating the jobs, was awarded an initial £53 million from a 'wish list' topping £250 million between now and 2021.

"One of my observations is, it's alright having a plan but we've got to make sure we deliver on it," he said.

"It will be no good getting the infrastructure in place, better roads and filling our industrial units with low grade warehouses - we have a real opportunity.

"Worcestershire has something quite compelling, it's about making that case for businesses to come and invest here.

"What we've got is a 10-year plan to change Worcestershire, we have a great job to do."

Under questioning from councillors he also said the advance of the web gave Worcestershire a great chance to capitalise.

"You don't have to be in a big city anymore to have a really successful business, with the internet you can have a rural life and do it," he said.

"The rules have changed for our economy now and it's about how we take advantage of that - building the infrastructure isn't good enough, we've got to fulfil the dream we laid down."

He told them the LEP was probably "a month or two" away from launching a huge marketing push to get national and international employers interested in joining Worcester Six, the huge technology park being built off Junction 6 of the M5.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, county council deputy leader and cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure, said: "It's great that we've been the third fastest growing economy but Worcestershire has, in my view, traditionally under-performed.

"We've got to sustain that so we can overtake or even match other areas.”

Other people attending the panel meeting said they felt extremely positive about the county’s potential.

Cassie Bray, head of business development at the Herefordshire and Worcester Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s important to reflect the really good stuff we’re doing in this county, in Worcestershire we’ve achieved an awful lot.

“We’re one of the eighth biggest chambers in the country out of 52, behind areas like London, Manchester – that shows the level of business engagement out there.”

* To see what we said about the Government's initial Growth Fund offer to Worcestershire when the £53 million was announced last year, and find out what it included go HERE.

To see how that cash sum was topped up with another £7 million back in January, click HERE.

For details on how Worcestershire's economy has been the third fastest growing in the UK, see HERE.