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The Western Gateway: Innovating in the South West

Associate Director in our Bristol office, Helen Tilton, considers the importance of the Western Gateway to productivity and innovation in the UK.

The Queen’s Speech raised a key issue for the UK regarding productivity, highlighting that with the exception of Bristol, all of the largest non-capital cities in the UK are less productive than would be expected for their size and huge potential.

There are steps we can take to address this, refocusing and shaping our regions. I have been based in the South West for all of my professional life, and I work with colleagues and contacts on both sides of the Severn estuary and beyond; I am confident that we can ensure that the Western region, as the “Western Gateway” economic partnership, is recognised as being as vital to the UK’s success as the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine.

The region currently has an economy worth £107bn. Bringing together our skills and expertise as a formal collaboration, inclusive of our joint strengths across South Wales and the west of England, will drive shared prosperity for the Western region as a whole.

The South West is already host to innovative centres of excellence in digital and creative hubs, aerospace, and low-carbon technologies, along with leading universities with a proven track record for collaborating with businesses in life sciences, cyber security, quantum and robotics. We are also host to a strong food and drink sector, alongside traditional industries.

We are proud to have a culture of innovation and ‘doing’. The Bristol Housing Festival is just one great example of this, showcasing and facilitating the delivery of a range of fantastic advances that exist in housing and community building. This has encouraged positive conversations beyond the city region about what is possible now, and in the next few years.

23 January 2020