Delivering growth for the West

A year ago, we launched our Growth Strategy, and we talked really ambitiously about what we want to do here in the West of England over the next 10 years. And I'm pleased to say that just a year on, we are well on our way to changing this region and making this region sustainable economically in a way that supports all of us. Growth is never just about numbers. It's about how people feel about their place and a sense of optimism that this place that they call home is gonna deliver for them and also for their families and for future generations. So over the past year, we focused on transport. We knew that that was one of our big barriers to growth. We're working hard to get five new railway stations open and, of course, get the frequency of the trains to support that. We're really making progress around mass transit, and as always, we are prioritising our bus network and making sure that that works for everyone, supported by an active travel network that allows us to travel sustainably and healthily. We're also constantly thinking about how we attract inward investment and how we bring businesses into our region. We know the sectors we want to focus on, and we need to make sure that people know that we're ready and open for business, and we've got the spaces and the talent to support that. We're working hard to think about how we promote adult skills, both for people coming back into the workplace or people that are looking to prepare themselves for a new world of work. And as well as that, we are absolutely committed to being the first NEET Zero region. I don't think any of our young people should be not in education, employment, and training. The West of England has so much to offer, and we're gonna work really, really hard to make sure that everyone can see a place for themselves and an opportunity for themselves to thrive. And we need to build more houses. We have two incredible regeneration sites in Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc and also Bristol Temple Quarter, as well as really exciting work happening all across the region in the Somer Valley, in North Somerset, and around Bristol city centre. We've got sites around Hengrove and also the Western Harbour work that's coming through. So it's gonna take time, but we're making great progress, and I know that working with the partners that we've got all across our region, whether it's businesses, universities, schools, colleges, and of course our council partners, we are really making progress. And I look forward to celebrating what we've achieved so far but also what we'll take into the future.