West’s Mayor bangs drum in Brum
West's Mayor bangs drum in Brum
The West of England’s Mayor has been making the case for our part of the world at a major investment conference in Birmingham, where the Chancellor has highlighted public and private sector investment in the West.
Helen Godwin joined hundreds of national and international investors, senior government ministers, and Mayors from around the country at the first-ever Regional Investment Summit.
In a speech today at the conference, Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, highlighted Lloyds Banking Group recently declaring Bristol as its AI Capital. This is an important moment in the West’s ambition to establish the country’s first AI Supercluster – centred on Isambard-AI, the UK’s most powerful supercomputer.
The Chancellor also celebrated regional investment approved by the Mayor and council leaders last week that committed £38 million towards two new train stations. North Filton and Henbury would both help connect the West Innovation Arc Growth Zone as part of a growing suburban railway network for the region.
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:
“I promised to work with the government to secure more funding for the West, to create more jobs and opportunities for local people. The first-ever Regional Investment Summit was another great chance to bang the drum for our region.
“The Chancellor is backing growth, so I was delighted that Rachel highlighted our investment in new train stations and Lloyds Banking Group naming Bristol as its AI Capital.
“Since May, we have already secured hundreds of millions of pounds of government funding – to get the West moving and invest in our communities. Our new Growth Strategy sets out an exciting future for our region in this new chapter for the West of England.”
Following the summit, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:
“Today’s first ever Regional Investment Summit is delivering what we promised in our Plan for Change—with nearly a thousand jobs and over £10 billion in investment that will flow directly into communities across Britain.
“These announcements prove that when we back our regions and cut red tape, investors respond. That is how we will build an economy that works for working people, in every corner of the country.”
This summit follows hot on the heels of the West’s new Growth Strategy being launched last month and approved last week. It sets out an ambition vision to create 72,000 new jobs and 28% economic growth over the coming decade. In between, the Mayor took the Growth Strategy to government and we saw:
- £40 million announced for Twerton in Bath and Hartcliffe in Bristol over the next decade
- £25 million announced to bolster world-class creative industries in the West
- The New Towns Taskforce recommend Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc as a new town
- Great Western Railway (GWR) confirmed as one of the next rail franchises to be brought back into pu…
As the combined authority works ever closer with North Somerset, the Growth Strategy sets out a future bold for business. With a growing population of more than 1.2 million people and a growing economy already worth £53.7 billion, the West has delivered 21% economic growth over the last decade – a major contribution to the British economy and above the national rate. The Growth Strategy includes an ambition for a £500 million Future Places Fund, using public funding to leverage private investment to unlock land for regeneration and economic development to help deliver our ambitious housing and growth targets.
Since 2019, the West’s economy has grown at four times the national rate. In the last decade, the region has seen the highest job growth of any region (including London) in the everyday economy (+17%), digital and tech (+52%), creative industries (+82%), and clean energy (+140%).
