‘We’ll hold you to your pledge, Boris’
BORIS JOHNSON’S commitment to bring “massive investment” to the South West has been seized upon by campaigners who have pledged to hold the Prime Minister to his word.
Mr Johnson made the promise last week, confirming earlier commitments to the region, in an answer to a question posed by South West Devon Conservative MP Sir Gary Streeter.
The Prime Minister told the region’s most senior Tory he “can be assured that we will be giving massive investment in infrastructure to support the green industrial revolution in the South West...”
The decision to stage the G7 Summit of world leaders in Cornwall in
June is seen as a reflection of the Westcountry’s leading role in green energy and environmentally-friendly technology.
Now business leaders behind the Back the Great South West campaign, championed by the Western Morning News, are looking ahead to the March Budget and calling for the tourism industry – hard-hit by coronavirus and lockdown – to get more support.
David Ralph, Chief Executive of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Our big ask from March’s budget is specific support for the tourism sector.”
Susan Davy, boss of South West Water owners Pennon Group, said it was vital the region spoke “with one voice” to win the backing it needs.
ECONOMIC leaders across the South West are urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to make good on promises for investment, as the region forges ahead with its Covid-19 recovery plan.
Last week, Johnson said the South West’s ambitions to become a world leader in marine and renewable technology would be boosted by Government investment.
A question by Sir Gary Streeter at Prime Minister’s Questions on January 21 asked for assurance that the strategy for ‘levelling up’ does not just involve the north but every region of the United Kingdom, including the South West.
The MP for South West Devon said that the South West has set out its priorities, clean growth and marine high-tech clusters, but it needs continued investment in infrastructure.
In response, the Prime Minister said: “The potential of the greater South West is enormous, particularly in the areas of blue and green technology. My honorary friend can be assured that we will be giving massive investment in infrastructure to support the green industrial revolution in the South West, as well as in all parts of the UK.”
An alliance of business leaders, councils, chambers of commerce, universities and colleges have joined forces under the Great South West partnership, backed by the Back the Great South West campaign, which was founded five years ago by the Western Morning News and Pennon, the owner of South West Water.
Last year, the Great South West launched its prospectus, setting out its priorities to become a clean energy powerhouse and the environmental capital of the UK.
It wants to become a world leader in autonomous marine technologies, grow as a test bed for new technologies and thinking, become a centre for the farming revolution and act as a beacon for rural productivity and tourism excellence. The partnership represents a powerhouse economy worth £64 billion across the peninsula counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset, and it says the region has the potential to generate an extra £45 billion for the UK’s economy and create 190,000 new jobs over the next 15 years.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Great South West partnership had gained momentum with the formation of the All Party Parliamentary
Group (APPG) lobbying for infrastructure priorities. It asked for a £2 million boost to get started on its agenda.
The Government white paper on levelling up, devolution and local recovery has been delayed, reportedly until after May this year and, while the South West is ready to capitalise on its natural assets and areas of expertise, it is looking for more support for its hospitality and tourism industry as it battles to survive the pandemic.
David Ralph, Chief Executive of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which is among the leaders of the Great South West, said: “Our big ask from March’s budget is specific support for the tourism sector. The South West has been disproportionately affected because of its reliance on leisure and tourism and any support needs to have a South West focus for that reason.
“Our prospectus sets out a new plan for tourism and what that could look like in the future and we want to see that as a priority alongside our ambitions for green energy, including offshore wind.”
Data from the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows how the region is one of the most exposed areas to the impact of the Covid-19 fall-out and among those that have been ‘left behind’ economically.
Mr Ralph added: “Most of the energy in discussions over levelling up have been about the North and the Midlands, but that doesn’t trickle down to the M5 and I’m nervous about that.”
He said that the G7 Summit in June should shine a spotlight on Cornwall and the wider region and once again put it square in the public consciousness. He added: “It will be a showcase, undoubtedly, and my hope is that it gets our long-term goals of the A303 corridor, the railway improvements at Dawlish and offshore wind plans over the line.
“We want to start talking about the new economy but we are still talking about the issues that we were calling for 20 years ago.”
Susan Davy, chief executive of Pennon, said: “The South West’s economy has been one of the hardest hit by Covid-19. As one of the largest companies in the region, we believe we have a responsibility to support the local economy and promote the South West.
“We have an opportunity to have a green economic recovery, improving the environment in a unique region where our land, coast, and sea underpins our success.
“Other regions in the UK are already vying for investment from the Government, so its vital the Great South West speaks with a joined-up voice – business coming together with LEPs and MPs, ensuring that the Government delivers on its promises in areas such as transport and digital infrastructure.”
‘We want to start talking about the new economy... but we are still on issues we were calling for 20 years ago’