‘Western Gateway’ a step closer to reality
PLANS for a new economic partnership between the west of England and south Wales have moved a step forward with the launch of a new website and prospectus explaining the cross-border initiative.
The Western Gateway, which was launched by ministers in November 2019, is a plan to boost local economies by encouraging collaboration between authorities on either side of the channel - stretching from Swansea, Cardiff and Newport to Bristol, Bath, Swindon, Gloucester and Cheltenham - and create a powerhouse to rival the North and Midlands.
The new prospectus has been developed through discussions between councils, businesses, local enterprise partnerships and city regions, and outlines the vision and the ambitions for the economic partnership.
It also sets out the scale of the Western Gateway’s plans and identifies strategic priorities including improved transport connectivity between cities and to london; a focus on innovation; and a co-ordinated international approach to trade and investment.
Delivering the vision could add more than £56bn to the UK’s economy by 2030 and help the region achieve a net-zero future, according to the organisations behind the initiative.
The partners say the idea is to focus on “inclusive and clean” economic growth, suggesting the scale and collaboration will achieve more for the people and the wider economies of the countries involved than the constituent parts could achieve alone.
Katherine Bennett, chair of the Western Gateway, 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.”
‘We hope to achieve better outcomes for people’
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.