How unlocking Cambridge's growth potential can benefit the region "By any measure, Cambridge is an exceptional city; one that people are drawn to from across the world. Its reputation as a centre of educational enlightenment, innovation, and its extraordinary architecture has always brought the brightest minds to the city. In the 21st Century, Cambridge has broadened its attraction by becoming the leading life science and technology hub in Europe, with the potential to lead the world in the coming years. The next steps for the city are crucial." It has taken a long time for government to recognise Cambridge as the pre-eminent science and technology cluster in Europe, but it seems with the Case for Cambridge, there is hope for the future of the city and for the region. I grew up less than 20 miles from Cambridge and it is, therefore, my home city. I have seen the city change completely from the one I knew as a young man, transformed from a university city with farming as the main industry to one where science and innovation has thrived. The breathtaking speed at which this has happened has caught government, councils and even the university itself on the back foot. Growth has exceeded the ability to plan for this and the consequent pressure on housing and transport, over many years, have contributed to making Cambridge the most unequal city in the UK. Indeed, the cost of housing has forced many Cambridge people to move north into the fens to find housing they can afford. The solution put forward in the case for Cambridge is to establish a Development Corporation and I believe this is a great leap forward. However, this approach must be integrated with sub-regional housing and transport plans, to ensure all interested parties and authorities adhere to the same strategy. Lessons must be learned from the experience of the City Deal for the Greater Cambridge Partnership, which operated outside of the Combined Authority. The leader of the Development Corporation must be chosen carefully. The perfect candidate must be able to liaise across multiple stakeholders, stand up to government, keep the university happy, embrace new technology, be mindful of the history and architecture of Cambridge, be sensitive to environmental issues, build homes that are architecturally outstanding, create a UK Silicon Valley and protect the natural environment in one of the finest cities on earth. By any measure, it will be a difficult role. I am delighted to see that Land Value Capture is included in the document. Nowhere could benefit from LVC more than Cambridge and if there is to be development in the Greenbelt, it must be on this basis. The uplift in land value could pay for the infrastructure needed to link all parts of the city and beyond. Cambridge will need a high-quality public transport system that reaches into and beyond the rural villages of South Cambridgeshire and it is imperative that the remit for Cambridge includes the wider region. The document talks about agglomeration but also suggests that Cambridge has the potential to nurture innovation and talent across the wider area to foster a broader cluster than Silicon Valley. This is a mixed message and one that needs to be properly defined. Cambridge has the potential to become the central hub of a burgeoning region. By upgrading rail routes to increase the regularity and speed of trains, Cambridge could grow its influence significantly. Polycentric growth should be the ambition, but the Case for Cambridge is too narrow in its thinking. It talks about Silicon Valley but doesn’t really grasp the comparison, the Bay area in San Francisco includes several settlements across 1,854 square miles. The case for Cambridge should be the case for the east. My strong suspicion is that this document and government thinking has been heavily influenced by the Independent Economic Review, led by Dame Kate Barker. Before that excellent piece of work, the power of the Cambridge economy was not fully understood. If there were an independent economic review for the east, as there has been in the north and the midlands, I believe the case for Cambridge would be even stronger.  A policy for polycentric growth, connecting cities, towns and villages in the region to the great university would provide the framework for accelerating this growth potential, and distributing the economic benefits more equitably across the region.

Deepening and widening devolution will be the route to growth for the regions and the UK Labour has set out its clearest statement to date about how it will take forward devolution in England. The recent paper, Power and partnership: Labour’s Plan to Power up Britain, includes commitments to build on the mayors and combined authorities that have been established in the past decade. Currently, around half of England is covered by combined authorities, to which central government has devolved some key policy levers like transport and skills. The East of England currently has just one Mayoral Combined authority, covering Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, but Norfolk and Suffolk are scheduled to follow in 2025 having agreed their deals with government. Places with mayors have seen benefits that others without combined authorities have missed out on, with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands having broadened and deepened their devolution deals with additional powers and responsibilities over sub-regional policy. If Labour are to form the next government their priority will be to boost growth in all regions. Plans for devolution are therefore central to Labour’s growth mission. The underpinning rationale for stronger economic growth outside London and the South East, is that achieving this will be more likely if places have the right powers. Labour proposes to give additional levers to mayors, such as greater control over employment support and planning. There is also a commitment to simpler and longer-term funding settlements for devolved areas, which localities have been arguing for. Labour’s plans also emphasise the need for clear strategy, both at the local level through new local growth plans and at the national level through industrial strategy. And it proposes improvements to how the centre can work with mayors and other local leaders. A clear strategy driven from the centre, with a plan that incorporates the role of local government, is crucial if a government wants to tackle longstanding regional inequalities and make devolution work. These proposals are not a radical departure from the current government’s plans. Labour have acknowledged that the Levelling Up white paper gets much of the analysis and diagnosis right. There is little in these plans that the current government would disagree with. And this continuity is to be welcomed. If Labour forms the next government, building on the success of combined authorities and mayors will allow it to make more progress and increases its chances of success. The main difference is that Labour has resolved to go further and faster, with a clear plan for coordination between local and national. The map of devolved areas in England Source: Institute for Government Labour’s plans do not yet represent a comprehensive programme for devolution in government. There is uncertainty about whether Mayors are a condition of any future deals, or whether the role of Mayors will be strengthened to remove powers of veto. There is also no reference to fiscal devolution, as yet. Nor is there any development of the thinking around regions and how, for example, sensible geographies of scale might inform decision making between combined authorities on matters of essential regional infrastructure such as transport, particularly rail. Local agreements will not lead to a complete map for devolution. Labour will need to decide how and when it intervenes to ensure the map makes sense overall.

By James Palmer, Chair, Eastern Powerhouse It is 370 years since Cornelius Vermuyden and his Dutch engineers drained the Fens across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire. The rivers, drains and dykes which his men dug have been simultaneously draining the most fertile soil in the country and providing a network of water that allows the farmers to irrigate their crops during the growing season. In the winter, excess water is stored in the Ouse Washes, creating a vast shallow lake that is pumped into the North Sea via the River Great Ouse through pumping stations that are now reliably powered by electric. To those that live and work in the Fens, this is the natural order of things. The Drainage Boards that are responsible for sections of the Fens, make sure that dykes, ditches and culverts are clear of debris and weeds. They do everything within their power to make sure the Fens continue to be kept dry, in their man-made condition. There is no doubt that the Fens are a remarkable feat of engineering and to see the difference between the Fens today and the landscape before drainage, one needs only to travel to Wicken Fen and walk through the pre-Vermuyden wetlands. An experience I would thoroughly recommend. Water security is a question for our times. As I write this, on the back of an extremely wet winter, the water pounds against the window yet again, the ditch opposite my house has been cleared by my local drainage board and the water runs through it, into the Roman dug Lode across the fields before it joins the Ouse at Ely. It is difficult to ascertain just how much water is being pumped away but some sources say that during a wet winter, the equivalent to the whole of Rutland Water is pumped into the North Sea every 10 days. That’s up to 12 Rutland Waters per winter. What is certain is that the pumping station at St. German alone has the capacity to push 100 cubic metres per second through its pipes. For context, the average home in the UK uses 11.4 cubic metres of water per month. Whatever the exact amount of fresh water is heading to Dogger Bank, it is a vast amount. If only there was something we could do to store this incredible waste. Our Members, Anglian Water, are planning new reservoirs in the Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire Fens and these will certainly add to water security. They are to be welcomed. Large reservoirs, by their very nature, take up many acres – Rutland water is 4,200 acres – and can take many years to build, so what could be done instead? Well, why not build a network of small reservoirs on agricultural land adjacent to all those drains, dykes and rivers? Farmers could be compensated for their land use and for overseeing the maintenance of these independent storage facilities which could be constructed at minimal impact to the environment and at minimal impact to the wider population. Most large farms in the fens already have at least one reservoir and most farm managers are highly experienced in reservoir management. Surely the environment agency could create a plan to hold excess water in reservoirs across the fens? After all, the Environment Agency knows exactly how to build a reservoir and they have an information page on the government website which says it takes 2 years from concept to commissioning a new reservoir. The Chatteris reservoir may not be delivered before 2045, 2 years is space rocket speed of delivery. Of course, all these new reservoirs could not only hold water but be designed with the environment in mind, allowing for the enhancement of wildlife habitats in the industrial agriculture setting of the fens. Each one of these reservoirs could hold 378,500 cubic metres of water, that’s enough to supply 2,800 homes per year. All from water that was once pumped out to sea. Now, that is water management.

Eastern Powerhouse Member, First Intuition, provide their thoughts on reforms to the Apprenticeship system In today's rapidly evolving workforce landscape, with growing skills gaps causing strain on employers and the economy, the need for robust apprenticeship programmes has never been more relevant. However, despite general support for the uptake of apprenticeships from policymakers who continually talk about the critical importance of high-quality apprenticeships and skills to the economy, there is no concrete action to address the factors discouraging apprenticeship uptake and effectiveness. In this article Gareth John, Director of accountancy training firm First Intuition and advocate for apprenticeships and skills, identifies key reforms that he would like the Department for Education to address that would encourage apprenticeship uptake and aid the skills sector. 1. Close the significant gap between the amount raised from the Apprenticeship Levy and the amount allocated to the Apprenticeship Budget Most people might assume these figures would be similar or the same, but in reality, hundreds of millions a year raised from the Levy are not spent on the skills system that so desperately needs it. Our view is that the entire ‘Levy take’ should be used for the purpose it was designed for, supporting the training and development of apprentices. 2. Increase in funding bands for all apprenticeship standards The ongoing review of apprenticeship standards is moving too slowly and is only covering a fraction of the total number of standards being delivered. All providers have seen rapid inflation in costs of delivery in the last couple of years and more and more are finding it impossible to cover these costs with funding bands that remain unchanged. The number of apprenticeship providers that have discontinued delivery in the last year shows how critical this situation is. Given the fact that the salary bills that levy contributions are based on have been inflating why have funding bands not at least increased to cover dramatic delivery cost inflation? 3. Offer alternative training options at level 2 due to the current ‘12 months and a day’ Gateway rule The accountancy sector and others are finding that the requirement for learners to be on-programme for a minimum of a year is proving a big blocker to the adoption of level 2. 12 months and a day is too long when the level 2 AAT qualification can be completed in 4 to 6 months, and when employers do not want to delay the progress of their strongest trainees. This issue is depriving so many young adults of development of critical employability skills and behaviours that they badly need as they enter the workforce for the first time. An alternative funded option for employability skills training should therefore be available at level 2 where programmes can be completed in less than a year. *This article reflects the views of First Intuition, a private education provider operating in the East of England.

The Conservative Party faces an existential crisis. For it to be the election-winning machine it has been for much of its existence, it must do one thing above all to win over the electorate — make the modern-day case for capitalism. A key component of this is ensuring that every individual has a physical stake in society, and I would argue that the easiest way of achieving this is through bricks and mortar and the creation of a new ‘property-owning democracy.’ The crisis I refer to above is encapsulated in the following single figure from the Office of National Statistics: In 2016 just 34% of the adult population aged between 16-34 were owner occupiers[1]. By contrast, in 1995, property ownership for the same age group stood at 54%. So, the question for our party is this: do we move forward and build the new housing our communities and residents need, or do we risk alienating an entire generation of aspirant homeowners? Research by the Adam Smith Institute in 2021, co-published by CT Local, indicated that a commitment from Government to build 2 million more decent homes, with the right infrastructure in place, could lead to 1.6 million people supporting the political party that delivers more housing. As well as being the right thing to do, the reality is that the Conservative Party has always prospered electorally when it promotes a positive agenda on housing . In 1951, Winston Churchill triumphantly returned to Government on a manifesto of property ownership, and his administration fulfilled its pledge to the electorate to build 300,000 houses a year – a policy that was overseen by the future Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. In 1980, it was of course Margaret Thatcher that introduced the ‘right to buy’, which increased property ownership by 12 per cent over just three years. So, how do we meet our residents’ housing aspirations and get spades into the ground in the East of England? The answer is simple: provide councils with the freedoms and flexibilities they need to get on with the job. There needs to be a series of quick and easy wins to support councils in building the homes of the future. Firstly, there needs to be a recognition of the fact that existing backlogs in the planning application determination process are a barrier to building new homes; planning fees, currently set by the Central Government, should be determined by individual local authorities. At present, these fees do not cover the true cost of processing applications. For example, in 2020/2021, 305 out of 343 planning departments operated in a deficit which cumulatively totalled £245 million. Council planning departments also continue to experience recruitment and retention problems due to competition from the private sector. Giving councils the ability to set their planning fees locally would result in the sector being able to compete more effectively on terms and conditions to the benefit of local residents. Whilst the Eastern Powerhouse welcomed recent changes that allow councils to charge increased fees on major applications in exchange for an accelerated decision-making process, we do fear that this will exclude local construction firms across the eastern region who are responsible for smaller scale development. Developers, whatever their size, are key to tackling the housing shortage. Fully devolving the power to set planning fees to local authorities will speed up the decision-making process for all applications and turbocharge the effort to build more housing without costing the Treasury anything. We know that social housing provides families with a secure environment to live in and can act as a bridge to home ownership. Of course, building new social housing also helps to reduce the overall housing shortage and addresses the homelessness surge we are currently sadly seeing. Research from the LGA indicates that for every £1 that is invested in social housing, £2.84 is returned to the wider economy. Likewise, for every social home built, the Government can save £780 in housing benefit. To support councils across the eastern region in building more social homes, the Government could deliver two very quick changes. Firstly, councils could and should retain 100% of their right to buy receipts to build social homes to replace those where people have taken the right steps to home ownership. These right-to-buy receipts staying with councils would be a real boost to the ambition of councils to build more social housing and reduce the use of temporary accommodation. In addition, local authorities also need the long-term financial sustainability of their Housing Revenue Accounts (HRAs). For this reason, we are calling on the Government to allow social housing rents to be set directly by local authorities rather than centrally. Again, this would be at zero cost to the Treasury but would ensure that HRAs have the long-term certainty necessary to deliver more social homes. With this power councils would also be truly accountable to tenants for their management of social housing. To tackle the national housing shortage and create the next generation of homeowners, we need to recognise that it is Local Government that can and will deliver sustainable housing in communities across our country. As a longstanding councillor and party activist who has knocked on thousands of doors over the years, I know that most people don’t fear new housing per se, but rather development that is not well designed and which does not come with the necessary infrastructure that is needed to support the additional demand on public services. Ahead of the general election, The Eastern Powerhouse calls on the Government to deliver these three quick and easy wins, which will boost housing growth and help the next generation of homeowners. In so doing, we will make the contemporary case for capitalism and secure the next generation of Conservative voters. [1]https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7706/CBP-7706.pdf

When I was first elected as a District Councillor back in 2007, I was told that I had joined at an exciting time because the council were about to begin their new Local Development Framework Document.  This was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to decide how and where the district would grow. Except it wasn’t.  Fast forward 5 years and my frustration with what became the Local Plan led me as leader to deliberately allow the plan – which restricted rather than encouraged growth - to remain unadopted, This allowed the planning committee to accept proposals based on their own merits. Over the past 50 years the Local Plan system (or derivations of it) has failed to deliver the number of homes needed in England, yet we steadfastly refuse to change the way we plan for growth. Local Plans can create the illusion of promoting growth while simultaneously restricting housing development. A carefully drawn line in a town hall can turn landowners into lottery winners. Where developers don’t bring forward housing, landbanks arise. When landowners decide not to sell, new lines need to be drawn. What’s more, local authorities need only throw a cursory glance at what their neighbours are doing, which leads to disjointed and incoherent planning across wider geographies. My experience as a local government leader and as an elected mayor has convinced me that a spatial strategy that considers growth across a wider region would be a far better and more positive way to deal with the growth problem. District and small city councils simply do not cover functional economic areas and can neither plan or deliver beyond their boundaries. It is the job of government to deliver regional and national growth. And this requires a credible planning system. Of course, the turnover in housing Ministers – 16 in the past 14 years - has not helped. Beyond this government, we have had much of the same housing policies for the past 40 years. Meanwhile, house prices continue to climb, young people can’t get on the housing ladder, local plans fail us all and there is no strategic plan for businesses to work to. So, we all muddle along accepting the status quo because that’s how it is. It really shouldn’t be like this and it is time to look at the current system and make a change. To an extent, the Secretary of State, Michael Gove has already admitted the Local Plan strategy has failed in the east by creating a Development Corporation for Cambridge which he hopes will realise his plan to build 250 000 new homes. However, a far simpler and more inclusive way to deliver homes at that scale would be to plan regionally and develop public transport links between Cambridge and the rest of the region. By delivering a spatial strategy the East of England could be transformed by polycentric growth. A more convincing and achievable approach that uses Cambridge as a catalyst to further develop the whole region.

If you are looking for announcements in a budget by a Chancellor that have a big positive effect on the East of England then you are really looking in the wrong place. But if you look really hard there might be the odd morsel of hope. Hope that the east is part of the chancellors’ plan for growth and hope that we are finally being recognised as a key driver for the economy. And the truth is that in this budget, there is little to go on but there are some positives, if they are aligned to the usual suspects. Cambridge gets the lion's share, of course, but this time it may be that there are opportunities for other parts of the region that may come from the investment for the city. The government has finally realised that Cambridge is the pre eminent science cluster in Europe and is now backing the city with appropriate investment. Certainly £45m for life sciences will benefit Cambridge which has around half of the 1200 businesses dedicated to the industry in the east but we will be lobbying for investment across the region, using the work we have done for a Life Science Policy for the east as a catalyst and as evidence. The Eastern Powerhouse are pleased to hear the chancellor admit that we have failed to harness the opportunities for manufacturing from the Cambridge phenomenon. This is a failure not of Cambridge but of government policy and to have a chancellor who can see the potential Cambridge has to offer and in Astra Zeneca, a Cambridge based business willing to invest in manufacturing schemes is pleasing. A request to Whitehall, please consider Peterborough, Ipswich, and the towns of the fens and Essex when you plan manufacturing sites. They are close to Cambridge and perfectly placed to deliver. Finally, the chancellor teased us with a promise of £10m for local transport solutions in Cambridge. Quite what this is, he decided not to say but lets hope it doesn’t get lost with the £500m City Deal funding from yesteryear which has thus far proved so impotent when easing congestion in the city. Elsewhere there was little for the east, although the government will point to funding for NHS Innovation and Cleantech and the headline grabbing tax cuts as policies to drive the economy. There was nothing for infrastructure and worryingly, no confirmation of funding for Ely North and Haughley rail junctions. Sadly, I have come to expect that when it comes to funding the regions, government either doesn’t regard the east as a region or doesn’t deem it worthy of a mention, apart from Cambridge.

It is an established fact that investment in vital infrastructure can fuel economic growth. It is also the case that underinvestment in the East of England has had a drag on the region's economy. The East has ambitious goals for infrastructure, but the scale and pace of financing and delivering infrastructure projects - both large and small - is undoubtedly a problem. As a region we are at a critical juncture. Implement a pro-growth plan to supercharge the economy or stagnate and ultimately fall back with increasingly outdated infrastructure. The National Infrastructure Commission, a government advisory board, last October warned in its five-yearly assessment of UK infrastructure that “significant deficiencies” were holding the country back. This included the failure to build a single large water reservoir in England in the past 30 years. Ironically, last week I had the pleasure of attending the Anglian Water conference in which they outlined their business plan to invest £9 billion of essential investment in the East of England. This centred around building two major reservoirs to service the current growth needs of the region, aid the government's energy transition strategy and combat the climate change crisis. However the timeline for development needs accelerating, water scarcity isn’t some distant fear, it’s a present reality. The East has a unique economic geography among English regions. It contains 120 major towns and cities, high agricultural land use but no major urban conurbation or metropolitan centre. Anyone that has lived and worked in the East, knows the desperate need for upgrades to our critical National Infrastructure – from road and rail to water and energy – we must do better.  Future growth is reliant on infrastructure upgrades, here and now. The Eastern Powerhouse has long called for more joined up thinking, the economic opportunities are phenomenal, but we need to make sure that we are linking our housing policy to our energy policy, energy to water and that everything is underpinned by infrastructure. It’s clear, if the UK’s infrastructure is not functioning well, economic growth, innovation, skills, productivity all suffer. We need to understand why the delivery of large infrastructure projects like High Speed Rail (HS2) have strayed off track (forgive the pun) but most importantly how we can fix it. The UK’s slow and costly planning system is well documented and is rightly identified as part of the problem. But these problems are not insurmountable, and they can be tackled regionally. We launched the Eastern Powerhouse two years ago to highlight these issues and bring pressure to bear on the Government to realise the untapped potential in the East. Since then we have worked tirelessly to set out a clear vision of ambitious growth and investment into the region – starting with joined up thinking and long term planning on infrastructure. We aim to get things done, we don’t want to replicate, we want to amplify – work with our partners, bringing public and private partnerships together. Strategic and coherent arguments to government should help deliver projects like the Anglian Water reservoir in a timely manner, this can allow the region to thrive, supporting economic growth and ultimately meeting the needs of future generations. By the end of 2024 we will have a new government - be it Conservative or Labour, it shouldn’t matter. We need to rise above the politics, stop planning on election cycles and start planning generational cycles. So, for the East to no longer have a problem with infrastructure we need a more strategic approach to infrastructure focused on the economic needs of a unique region and a bold long-term agenda.

The construction firm Stewart Milne entered administration last week following other large house builders, such as Merchant Homes, that have struggled in the declining housing market. The sector is facing an unprecedented environment of Covid hangover, rising interest rates and rising costs. The domino effect is just taking shape. Worryingly this is happening as we struggle to build an insufficient volume of new, desperately needed, homes. Construction is the largest industry in the East of England, representing 17% of all businesses and £18bn of output according to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). House building, repairs and maintenance are among the strongest sub-sectors in the region comprising 45% of all output. This presents a solid foundation for a forecasted increase in the volume of construction and government aspirations for development in the East, including a plan to supercharge the Cambridge economy with 250,000 new homes. Yet developments in the sector threaten this growth potential. Industry bodies in the region, such as the Home Building Federation, warned of a slowdown in the housing market back in March 2022.  This has now started to take effect and could lead to an acute shortage of homes. As Professor Noble Francis, Construction Economics Director at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, commented, “There was a sharp fall in house building in December, as house builders continued to focus on cost minimisation and completions for the subdued level of demand rather than starting new developments, after the rise in mortgage rates in 2023 that priced out many buyers, especially first-time buyers.” In the absence of real time data, the production and delivery of UK bricks is a helpful proxy for monthly house building starts. In November 2023, brick deliveries were 9.2% lower than in October and 32.5% lower than a year ago according to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Developers in the East of England have also been further impacted by government proposals to reduce the contamination of rivers and wetlands in protected sites, with Norfolk and the Fens among the most affected areas in the country. Achieving 'nutrient neutrality' by limiting pollution from construction to the water catchment poses another significant obstacle to meeting the region's housing needs. The economic climate, combined with environmental and sustainability targets, means that conditions will remain extremely challenging to the sector, affecting output and employment prospects. James Palmer, Chair – Eastern Powerhouse, said: “Construction is one of the largest industries in the East of England and a number of our EPH members are house builders. Without government support for construction, to assist cash flow challenges, many construction companies will struggle to stay in business. Government has ambitions to build new homes in the region, but the capacity of the house building sector will be significantly eroded if more businesses enter difficulty. We cannot control rising interest rates and inflation. We need to help firms stay in business, to stimulate demand and reverse this market decline.” Andy Hill, CEO - Hill Group, said: "We're staring down a perfect storm of economic pressures, threatening jobs and investment in the East where we already face a critical shortage of homes. While we can't wish away inflation and high interest rates, we can't afford to stand idly by. We need immediate action from policymakers. More investment, expedited planning approvals, and removing the blockers to stalled developments is urgently required to address the region's housing needs."

Download our 2024 Prospectus Ours is a unifying vision for the East of England. We aim to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth across the whole region. Despite being one of the largest and most productive economies in the UK, the region faces underlying challenges such as high levels of deprivation, low skills and incomes, and poor health outcomes. Closing the productivity gap between the East and the Southeast could contribute £36bn annually to the national economy. Transportation infrastructure is identified as a major barrier to growth, emphasising the need for a modern, integrated transport system to connect villages, towns, and cities. Addressing the skills divide through lifelong learning is also crucial for unlocking the growth potential of the workforce. The East is at the vanguard of new sectors like life sciences, advanced engineering, agritech, and renewable energy, presenting opportunities for transformative sustainable development. The Eastern Powerhouse is the vehicle to implement this vision, attracting government and private sector funding, and advocating for comprehensive investment across all communities in the East of England. Our key aims are: Drive economic growth and raise productivity across the East of England Create more higher-skilled and better-paid jobs Raise skills and educational attainment Rebalance investment in R&D and vital infrastructure, including transport and housing Promote the region as a place to work, study, and live Platform the region's world class assets and global reach.

A message by Eastern Powerhouse Executive Director, Seven Lynch Dear members, friends, and supporters of the Eastern Powerhouse, Happy New Year! 2024 – An absolutely critical year for the UK and time for the Eastern Powerhouse to rise above politics and offer a common and unifying vision for the East of England. All our endeavours revolve around connectivity, insight, and advocacy, the three pillars at the heart of our strategy. James Palmer summarised the incredible programme of events, publications, briefings, and meetings that the Powerhouse delivered in 2023. It is a notable list, and I am grateful to our members and our team for their support, energy, and enthusiasm throughout the year. 2024 brings about political uncertainly due to a general election, but for the Eastern Powerhouse, we are laser-focused on the need for a regional agenda, and dedicated to representing and supporting the entire East of England, delivering another ambitious programme in 2024. I believe we hold a shared and unifying vision for the East of England, aiming to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth across the whole region. Despite being one of the largest and most productive economies in the UK, the region faces underlying challenges such as high levels of deprivation, poor transportation, low skills and incomes. However, the East is at the vanguard of new sectors like life sciences, advanced engineering, agri-tech, and renewable energy, presenting opportunities for sustained and enhancing development. The Eastern Powerhouse is the vehicle to implement this vision, competing with other regions, attracting government and private sector investments, and advocating for comprehensive investment across all communities in the East of England. As many of you will know my background is in international trade and relations and I was incredibly honoured to be awarded an MBE for services to the British Business Community in China in His Majesty the King's New Year Honours List. Therefore, I want to bring my international experience to the East, my personal focus for the coming year will be to further the powerhouse’s core mission; maximize the region's assets and unlock growth opportunities for investment. All of which will help to achieve local, national and global impact. The East of England comprises world leading multinational corporations as well as dynamic startups. The East has an enormous opportunity to attract inbound investment as well as support the Government export aspirations of a ‘Global Britain’. I hope in 2024 the Powerhouse can drive the agenda for the East of England to become a global brand for international trade and investment. The Eastern Powerhouse will continue to drive economic growth in the region, raise investment in skills, innovation, transport to enhance productivity across the East, and to champion the interests of our members in 2024. I encourage everyone in the East of England to get involved. In the next few weeks, we will be launching our ambitious plans for 2024, what events, reports, and activities we have coming up– please feel free to get in contact with me if you would like to get involved. All the best, Steven Lynch

James Palmer, Chair, Eastern Powerhouse Dear members, friends, and supporters of the Eastern Powerhouse, Looking back over the past year, I am pleased with the progress the Eastern Powerhouse has made. It’s been 21 months since we launched, and that time has been spent building the organisation and growing our influence. With any new membership group such as ours, there will always be the initial scepticism from some quarters and perhaps nervous glances from others. However, the Eastern Powerhouse has maintained a principled position, our aim is to deliver sustainable growth for the east of England. We do not get into political arguments, nor do we spend our time criticising government and local authorities. The Eastern Powerhouse presents solutions and offers advice to leaders, always asking for investment into our economy; not handouts. Perhaps our greatest success this year was the campaign we led to gain funding for Ely North and Haughley railway junctions. The bottleneck at Ely restricts train journeys for passengers from almost every part of the region and severely limits freight capacity. This is a problem that should have been solved many years ago and whilst funding for the upgrade was announced by Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper less than a month after meeting us in Westminster, we will have to be vigilant and make sure the scheme survives a possible change of government. We have spent a considerable amount of time cultivating relationships with MPs across the region. It can be difficult for constituents to understand why an MP in Suffolk is publicly supporting a project in Cambridgeshire or vice versa but the Powerhouse aims to galvanise support from MPs to grow the economy for the benefit of the whole region and this makes us unique in the east. We have found that there are virtually no policies that are bespoke for our region and have begun lobbying to change that. Specific policies for the east in life sciences and energy could be transformational, as could a regional spatial strategy and an independent economic review. Making the case for a regional strategy to a centralised government is not easy and there are many in London who are opposed to this idea. But all our research points to the success of regional policies in similar countries elsewhere in the world, and the economic case for a bespoke approach is strong. We will, therefore, continue to promote our region and push for the regional policies we know can work. In September the Eastern Powerhouse was delighted to appoint as our new Executive Director Steven Lynch, who came to us with a vast amount of experience after leading the British Chamber of Commerce in China for 12 years. Steven has added significantly to the team and is determined to help grow our international reach over the coming year. With new members joining regularly, including Anglian Water, Aviva, Anglian Components, and East Cambridgeshire District Council, the Eastern Powerhouse has moved from a start-up phase to one of delivery. Our members rightly challenge us to deliver on their behalf and it is a privilege to work on behalf of so many vibrant businesses and their leaders. 2024 promises to be an election year but the Eastern Powerhouse is politically colourblind and will work with whoever is elected to run the country. Our steadfast belief in the strength of the east and the potential of our region cannot be shaken, and we will continue to stand up for the people and businesses of this wonderful part of the world. I would like to wish to all of you a Happy Christmas and have a fantastic holiday. We look forward to hitting the ground running in 2024. We have very ambitious plans, and we will be celebrating more Powerhouse successes with you. All the best, James Palmer