A new economic strategy to make the most of growth in Carlisle and help attract new investment will be discussed at a meeting next week.

Carlisle City Council has appointed experts Regeneris Consulting Limited to carry out a study to establish growth sectors that the city is best suited to attract in future - and their land and location requirements.

A report prepared for councillors says: "Carlisle has a prosperous economy which is already home to many international and successful brands, with its employment performance experiencing growth of 4.1 per cent since 2009, outperforming the UK average.

"The locational advantages and skilled workforce have helped to power thriving engineering, manufacturing and logistics industries, with the presence of Pirelli, Nestle, McVitie's and Eddie Stobart being testament to this.

"Key employment sectors in Carlisle include health - 16.7 per cent, retailing - 11.8 per cent, manufacturing - 10.3 per cent and transport and storage - 8.1 per cent.

"There has been an 8.2 per cent growth in the working age group over 10 years, with skilled trades and process workers representing a higher proportion of the workforce than England and Wales."

The report concludes: "While Carlisle's strengths appear to be clear, the work by Regeneris will identify sectors of the economy where growth is more likely to take place and where Carlisle has a competitive advantage.

"This in turn will inform the economic strategy to ensure that Carlisle is in a strong position to attract investment and businesses, and thus connect into and capitalise on areas of growth."

The report will be discussed at the Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Panel at the Civic Centre on March 2.