We’ve invited each of the metro mayors to reflect on the first six months of their mayoralties. Here, the mayor of the West of England discusses his time in office so far
The publication of the UK Industrial Strategy demonstrates that Government clearly recognises the importance of places and prosperous communities, and the role of regional mayors in delivering economic growth.
My first six months as Mayor have focused on engaging with our constituent authorities and key partners to develop a strategy to deliver inclusive growth for all. This means the West of England is perfectly positioned to develop and deliver a regional industrial strategy. In our region, we know our businesses, key sectors, the skills that are needed, and the challenges we face in terms of infrastructure.
Our draft strategy has three principal areas of focus that are clearly in line with the five foundations of productivity in the Industrial Strategy:
We are already thinking about how we address the ‘grand challenges’ identified in the Industrial Strategy. We are developing an energy strategy, which will maximise the advantages of a shift towards clean growth, and a digital strategy, to ensure that our region remains at the forefront of the artificial intelligence and data revolution.
Of course, we face many challenges, but devolution is already providing huge opportunities. As a region, working together, we have demonstrated that we have clear and ambitious plans and Government is recognising this by investing in our future.
In the budget, the West of England Combined Authority secured over £80 million for new transport infrastructure.
I’ve been talking to the Secretary of State for Transport for some time about how investing in rail will make a huge impact on getting our region moving, so I was delighted to see the rail strategy, and its strong focus on our region.
The Chancellor’s announcement of significant investment into housing was also very welcome, as we are already working towards an ambitious housing deal.
Early next year, our £4 million innovation pilot, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, will get underway. This aims to support social housing tenants already in work into secure, more meaningful and better-paid careers. This supports one of my key ambitions of improving job opportunities for all. I want to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or personal circumstances, can access support to develop workplace skills so that they can fulfil their potential.
Since May, I’ve been able to meet with all the other regional Mayors and it is clear from our conversations that devolution has and will continue to provide more opportunities for our region. By building effective partnerships with central, regional and local government and business, we can increase our influence, maximise opportunities and achieve our ambition of boosting economic growth for all.
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