South West business organisations are calling on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to boost the region in his vital Spending Review 鈥 but fear losing out to the north of England.
Rishi Sunak will outline the Government鈥檚 spending intentions for 2021-2022 in the House of Commons on Wednesday, November 25, and the South West wants a share of the cash to pump into growing industries such as green energy and lithium mining, medical and advanced manufacturing, and boost the region鈥檚 digital connectivity.
But there are fears the West Country will be overlooked by the Tory administration and that its much vaunted 鈥渓evelling up鈥 agenda prioritises the North where 鈥渞ed wall鈥 Labour seats tumbled to the Conservatives in 2019.
The South West Business Council (SWBC) and key chambers of commerce are calling on the Chancellor not to forsake the region and give it a financial shot in the arm as its battles to cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tim Jones, chairman of SWBC, said there is a fear Westminster may think it has done enough for the South West by approving the .
He said more is still needed and added: 鈥淭he concerns we have are that history might repeat itself and the South West will be ignored, both for new funding opportunities and as any part of the levelling up agenda.
鈥淭he Treasury might also think that they have done enough by confirming the Stonehenge Tunnel allocation.鈥
He said the SWBC鈥檚 informal talks with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) had probed for 鈥渁ny glimmers of light that might benefit the region鈥 and said: 鈥淭here is absolutely no evidence of anything we could rely upon in the near future.
鈥淥bviously this comes at the worst time possible for us because of the huge impact Covid-19 has had on hospitality, leisure and tourism.
鈥淣o one has accurately worked out the financial implications of the decline in this sector and its knock-on effect to local companies, particularly those in the service industries, food and drink and retail. The South West is already 10% behind in our productivity compared with the rest of England.鈥
Stuart Elford, chief executive of Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, called for an economic lifeline from the Government, rather than support solely going North.
鈥淏usinesses will be watching with keen interest what Rishi Sunak has to say this week in his spending review,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his has been a tough time for business and disproportionately so in the South West, which has been more severely impacted by the effects of coronavirus than other parts of the country.
鈥淲e want to see the Chancellor use his review to give a much needed boost to the region and not once again see investment going to the borrowed votes in the North.
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Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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鈥淔or too long the South West has been overlooked and there is a real danger of an East-West divide despite the West Country having so much to offer with world-class medical, technology, environmental and advanced manufacturing businesses based here.鈥
Hew added: 鈥淚t will be interesting to see whether any announcements contain any new money or are recycled schemes already in the system.鈥
And Kim Conchie, chief executive of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, stressed British Chambers of Commerce South West (BCCSW) remain 鈥渧ery concerned鈥 that The Treasury will again overlook the Great South West.
鈥淭he phrase levelling=up seems to apply just to Red Wall northern constituencies, whereas the South West has different and equally applicable 21st Century businesses and sectors to develop for the long term health of the 海角视频鈥檚 economy,鈥 he said.
鈥淲hat we would like to see from the Chancellor is some strategically thought through investment in Floating Offshore Wind, geothermal energy, onshore wind, lithium, digital infrastructure and tech skills which will provide the framework in which businesses can create jobs, prosperity and innovation appropriate to our region.鈥
