Steven Lynch, Executive Director, Eastern Powerhouse
"The Kings Speech is an opportunity for fresh thinking on critical issues. The Eastern Powerhouse calls for growth barriers to be removed so we can unleash the East's full potential. Eastern Powerhouse members from the smallest to the largest are continuously telling us that the right tweaks in policy and regulation would have an enormous and positive impact on their ability to grow.
We believe there is a real opportunity right now for an ambitious agenda which will transform our approach so we can enhance the East’s economy, invest in skills for the future, improve Infrastructure and connectivity which will ultimately drive growth and raise productivity in the East and help drive the entire UK"
Our 3 key asks for the King’s speech are:
The UK needs regional policies to address widening productivity gaps. The East of England is the third most productive region but its full potential cannot be realised without a coherent strategy and policies for the region. A unified vision is required to create a Silicon East, we need to understand and decide how best to arrange and develop our assets and resources. Government should enable a regional strategy for the East that tackles the inequalities of the region by focusing on connectivity, education and economic growth.
Infrastructure is the bedrock of economic success: We must improve transport connectivity within the region, this will close the income gap between coastal towns and global research cities. We must focus on and address energy and water deficits and all the other development and planning constraints on growth. This will dramatically promote the region as a place to work, study and live.
Tackle the skills shortage: We want to see skills and educational attainment higher on this country's agenda; for the East to thrive we need to make sure our local industries are equipped with a higher-skilled workforce. We want to see skills focusing on the future of work, allowing the entire East of England to grow and attract businesses to capitalise on world-class assets and talent.