Levelling up in South Wales and Western England one year on

It is now one year since the UK Government’s Levelling Up White paper was launched, laying out priorities to ensure communities across the four nations are not left behind and can help contribute to a brighter economic future. Katherine Bennett, Chair of the Western Gateway, reflects on the case for Levelling Up and how local leaders in South Wales and Western England are working to achieve this.

There are deprived communities in all corners of the UK that are at risk of being left behind. This is more than simply a North and South issue, but one that impacts communities from East to West.

I chair the Western Gateway Partnership which brings together local leaders, businesses and universities from across South Wales and Western England to work together to achieve the greener, fairer future we all want to see. Not only do we have a substantial case for investment, but we also believe that we have a huge opportunity in our communities.

Our area has substantial pockets of inequality which need better access to skills and jobs.

As an area, we are investing our skills to become the UK’s first Green Energy Super Cluster, powering the UK’s transition to net zero and creating new opportunities to level up communities across our geography.

And we have good reason to think we can achieve this.
We have a long history of innovation as the home of many of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s creations and the world’s first Hydrogen fuel cell. We have world class universities and innovative clusters across both sides of the border.

14 of the 15 world’s largest aerospace manufacturers are based here alongside two major deep sea ports. In total we are home to many of the industries who are at the sharp end of needing new solutions to decarbonise. We have an opportunity to lead the world to find solutions to global problems.

As a partnership of leaders, the Western Gateway is looking to ensure we use our highly skilled workforce to deliver for the whole of the UK.

We are improving collaboration and sharing best practice through the Western Gateway Hydrogen Ecosystem. Hydrogen has the potential to decarbonise many industries which are currently struggling to find technological solutions.

We are working with industry to ensure we are bringing people together from across sectors to find shared solutions and attract investment.

The Severn Estuary sits at the heart of our partnership. With the second highest tidal range in the world and the potential to supply 7 per cent of the UK’s Energy needs with clean, reliable and renewable energy, it has often been looked at as a solution to some of our net zero challenges.

We are launching an independent commission to explore whether the right technology exists to harness sustainable energy in the estuary whilst protecting the important wildlife areas along the coast and under the water.

We also have local commitment to exploring new nuclear as an option which can provide highly skilled jobs and make the most of our areas close vicinity to the development of Hinkley Point C.

With Net Zero as our central aim, we believe we can attract opportunities to help add a further £34bn to the UK economy by 2030.

However we still need support from government if we are to unlock our full potential.

Transport has been a historic issue which has held back communities across South Wales and the South West. We have the least well-connected core city in the UK despite having more journeys between Cardiff and Bristol than Leeds and Manchester.

We are planning to launch a 2050 vision for where our leaders want rail to be to help governments see where the most critical infrastructure gaps are. Our vision will be deliverable, cost effective and transformative for the communities it serves offering the potential for decarbonised transport system to support our Green Energy Super Cluster.

We want to be proactive in chasing opportunities which can have real impact on the 4.4million people who live within the Western Gateway. However, we cannot do this without support from both governments.

Through our partnership, we have a real platform to provide the strategic direction and vision for our economy over the next 50 years.

This can give investors certainty and provide a long term plan to link our ambition to be the UK’s Green Energy Super cluster to communities who are at risk of missing out.

The Western Gateway is ready to ensure that the UK once again is at the forefront of a global energy revolution and level up our economy.