Westcountry leaders have called on the Government to honour its promises and invest in the South West in this week鈥檚 Budget.
The Great South West partnership 鈥 an alliance of business, councils, chambers of commerce, universities and colleges 鈥 is demanding Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces 拢2m seed funding to help unlock unprecedented growth in the region.
The partnership represents a powerhouse economy worth 拢64bn across the south west peninsula counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset and it says the region has the potential to generate an extra 拢45bn for the 海角视频鈥檚 economy and create 190,000 new jobs over the next 15 years.
Over recent weeks, the Great South West partnership has gained momentum with the newly-formed All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) having met to re-iterate its infrastructure priorities, and APPG Chair, Sir Gary Streeter, has written to the new Chancellor for his continued commitment to the region, formerly assured by his predecessor.
On Friday, the Great South West鈥檚 prospectus was announced at a South West Business Council meeting at Exeter racecourse in partnership with the Western Morning News鈥 #BackTheGreatSouthWest campaign.
Bill Martin, editor-in-chief of the Western Morning News, called on the Prime Minister to stick to his word on his commitment to the South West made to delegates from the Great South West at Number 10 Downing Street in November.
Mr Johnson told the delegation: 鈥淲e want to address some of the infrastructure issues in the region as well as other vital services. Because it is the mission of my conservative Government to unite and level up the country and the South West has potential in all sorts of areas.
鈥淭he South West campaign is a great one and your region is an absolute priority to me. So I can assure you that we want to support and champion everything you do.鈥
At the conference on Friday Mr Martin said: 鈥淭he Budget is a key moment for the Government, but also for the South West region. The Prime Minister鈥檚 own words are even more significant following the collapse of Flybe.
鈥淚t is time for him and his Government to put the money where their mouths are.鈥
Sarah Moody, Director of Corporate Affairs & Investor Relations at Pennon Group said: 鈥淏ack the Great South West, the campaign founded by Pennon, the Western Morning News and the region鈥檚 business community is now in its fourth year.
鈥淎s a region, we are speaking with one voice and we are asking the Government to make good on its promise to level up across the country. With support and commitment from Government, the region has a compelling vision of what can be achieved 鈥 拢45 billion of growth and 190,000 jobs by 2035.
鈥淲e hope the Chancellor heeds our call for more funding in vital infrastructure and skills that will drive new investment into the region.鈥
David Ralph, CEO of the Heart of the South West LEP, set out the six key areas the Great South West is working towards.
GSW is striving to become the clean energy powerhouse and the environmental capital of the 海角视频, to become world leaders 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.
Steve Hindley, chair of the Great South West, said: 鈥淲hat we can offer is to be the first zero carbon region in the country and a net exporter of clean energy.听
鈥淲hat we are saying to the Government is this is our offer, we want to hear from the Government how they are going to keep promises and to start work on Stonehenge immediately, get the infrastructure in.鈥
The plea from business leaders听
Karl Tucker, Chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 on the record that successive Governments have under-invested in the south west and now is the time to level up with the northern regions and the south-east. We鈥檝e got the potential to lead the 海角视频 as the first carbon-positive economy.鈥
Jim Stewart, Chair of Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership said: 鈥淭he Great South West has united the south west region, creating a clear voice and an ambitious vision for the future. With the government backing this Great South West proposal will bring economic, social and environmental benefits to our region.鈥
Mark Duddridge, Chair of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly LEP said: 鈥淭his week鈥檚 Budget is the first opportunity for the Government to show that it is serious about delivering its levelling up agenda to all parts of the country. The Great South West partners have come together as never before to present a coherent and compelling vision for the advancement of our region, and we hope to see that recognised on 11 March.鈥
John Hart, Leader of Devon County Council and local government lead on the Great South West partnership added:听 鈥淲e are forging a powerful alliance to fly the flag for the Great South West. We want to increase prosperity to our region and respond positively to climate change with a blueprint for clean energy growth. With the Government鈥檚 backing we can and will do it.鈥
'Put us on the map'听
The largest housing association in the South West, LiveWest, which is set to build 7,000 homes across the region over the next five years, is also supporting the campaign which seeks to shine the spotlight on the South West.
Chief Executive Paul Crawford said: 鈥淲e are passionate about putting the South West on the map.
鈥淚t is really important to be clear about where South West sits in terms of its growth and what the priorities are if it is going to succeed economically in the future.
鈥淔or us it is a really good opportunity to work with others to create a compelling narrative for what the South West has to offer, what partners are prepared to contribute but also what support we would need from the Government so the region can flourish.鈥
He added: 鈥淲ith the average home in the South West costing more than 10 times the average salary, there is pressure on people to access housing at an affordable price.
鈥淚t is not just about the volume of homes, but the right homes at the right price points to reflect the economic challenges that many people in the South West have in accessing housing.
鈥淭he economic resilience of the South West suffered a setback this week with the disappointing news about Flybe and we can鈥檛 be complacent. We understand the role regional airports play in contributing to the economic prosperity and connectivity of the regions.
鈥淚t is important the government recognise the importance of levelling up the regions and we are committed to working with them to resolve the housing challenge which is key to the long- term social and economic success of the South West.鈥
