A new economic partnership across South Wales and the West of England which aims to boost local economies by working together has launched a new website and prospectus.
The Western Gateway, launched by Cabinet Ministers in November 2019, is the UK’s third powerhouse after the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine.
The partnership includes eight cities alongside rural communities in a wide economic area.
The Western Gateway, however, goes one step further than the ‘regional’ powerhouses formed to date, by stretching across South Wales as well as western England.
All partners intend to focus on inclusive and clean economic growth, where scale and collaboration can achieve more for the people and the wider economies of countries involved than our constituent parts could achieve alone.
A new prospectus for the Western Gateway outlines the emerging vision and the key ambitions for the economic partnership.
The prospectus has been developed through discussions between the partnership’s local authorities, businesses, LEPs and city regions.
It sets out the scale of the Western Gateway’s ambitions and identifies the emerging strategic priorities of:
- Connectivity
- Innovation
- A coordinated international approach to trade and investment
Delivering this vision will add more than £56bn to the UK economy by 2030 and help achieve a net zero future.
Chair of the Western Gateway, Katherine Bennett CBE, said: “The proposal we’ve put on the table is one that will deliver the economic boost the region requires to maximise its potential.
“Our prospectus provides an insight into the journey we are undertaking together as a partnership of businesses and authorities, determined to deliver growth from Swansea to Swindon and Cheltenham to Weston.”
Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Councillor Dine Romero, added: “I am delighted that Western Gateway has taken these significant steps forward.
“Working in partnership with other areas is crucial to address the climate emergency and improve people’s lives.
“By working together we can further develop Western Gateway as an area where clean, green business can thrive and a successful economy delivers for all.
“I look forward to working with colleagues to secure the investment from central government needed to make this a reality.”
The Western Gateway prospectus comes ahead of a full vision document for the partnership, following the completion of an Independent Economic Review later in 2020 that will provide an evidence base across the countries, area and regions of the partnership.
You can read the prospectus at www.western-gateway.co.uk.
