Businesses invited to have their say on Gloucestershire’s economy

Published by

Peter Davison

Businesses are being invited to give their views on what priorities they would like to see included in a new economic strategy for Gloucestershire

Businesses are being invited to give their views on what priorities they would like to see included in a new economic strategy for Gloucestershire.

It covers both priorities for the next five years and longer-term up to 2050. A Gloucestershire Economic Strategy public engagement document has been produced by the county council and GFirst LEP, to provide an overview of the county’s economy and develop priorities and actions.

A seven-week public engagement period, giving residents the chance to comment on the draft proposals, started on Monday 31st July, and ends on Friday 15th September 2023.

All feedback will be considered when shaping the final strategy, which is due to be brought back to the county council’s cabinet for approval in early 2024.

It will replace the current countywide economic strategy which was produced in 2018 and Gloucestershire’s draft Local Industrial Strategy produced by GFirst LEP.

Key topics and priorities which feature in the new strategy include:

Zero carbon – the move towards a net carbon zero economy is one of the main principles of the economic strategy
Inclusive growth – to ensure every resident and business has equal access to opportunities
Skills and employment – drawing on the existing work of the county council, the district councils and LEP to reduce skills gaps in the workforce

Other key areas include supporting sustainable growth, ensuring businesses have the support they need, securing inward investment and improving access and availability to digital technology.

The transition to the green economy is an urgent priority for Gloucestershire and the aim is to meet the 2045 net zero emissions target while promoting economic growth.

The core proposals outlined in the public engagement document include:

Being a vibrant, successful county where communities and businesses flourish by taking advantage of Gloucestershire’s location, characteristics and its economic strengths;
Being an area that attracts high-value investment from the UK and abroad, through a coordinated effort from local partners such as the Western Gateway;
Being renowned for developing industry-changing technology in agri-tech, sustainable aviation and advanced manufacturing;
Maintaining our outstanding landscapes and becoming a leader in biodiversity recovery and conservation.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “The proposals will support communities so all individuals and businesses can succeed, by ensuring that every resident has access to quality education, training and employment, in a safe, healthy and sustainable environment.

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"It also paves the way towards a sustainable future, facilitating a smooth transition to a flourishing green economy. I would encourage residents and businesses to have their say on the draft proposals by taking part in the survey.”

Deputy Chief Executive of GFirst LEP, Dev Chakraborty commented, “This new strategy will pick up where our draft Local Industrial Strategy left off, the evidence base is being updated and the strategy will be reflective on a post Covid, post Brexit and Net Zero business landscape.”

The survey can be found at https://haveyoursaygloucestershire.uk.engagementhq.com/economic-strategy-engagement

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.