Download the Partnership's full submission: Industrial Strategy Green Paper Consultation Response.
• The Oxford to Cambridge Region’s innovation-led economy strongly aligns to the strategic objectives set out in the Green Paper and the identified growth sectors, in particular life sciences, advanced manufacturing, clean energy industries, creative industries and defence and digital technologies. With catalytic investment designed to intensify the agglomeration benefits of the region, it has the potential to enhance its already significant GVA contribution from the current £133Bn p.a. (2022, and 7% of UK total), having already grown by 42% over the last 10 years. This presents Government with the best opportunity to accelerate sustained economic growth for the UK.
• The region is a science and technology powerhouse, with enviable globally recognised clusters of research, science and innovation. Our region’s reputation in multidisciplinary collaboration to create solutions and solve global challenges is renowned. The internationally significant, knowledge intensive clusters are a magnet for foreign direct investment but whilst the region has many strengths, our true value to investors relies on our ability to connect, combine and scale those individual strengths.
• We thank the Government for its continued recognition of the unique opportunity our region brings, by confirming its support for transformational infrastructure like East West Rail in the Autumn Budget 2024 and committing £10m to the Cambridge Growth Company to help unlock growth across the corridor of Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge.
• We welcome the government’s mission-driven approach and commitment to net zero. We are also promoting a mission-driven approach to the way that we will deliver growth. The shared vision for sustainable growth will be key as the region’s partners come together to maximise opportunities for the region and capitalise on the enhanced east-west connectivity of East West Rail.
• Integrating environmental sustainability into the emerging growth and sector plans is critical to fully deliver for the benefit for our communities. The region’s new Environment Principles can enhance these plans by promoting clean growth, a circular economy, fostering nature-based solutions to inform sectors and lead to innovative approaches to incorporating green infrastructure into new developments.
• The Government’s intention to reform the planning system at pace, including introducing new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning, has the potential to build and sustain investor confidence for both the public and private sectors by creating an integrated framework for sustainable growth and investment. The aim should be to create long-term spatial investment frameworks that focus on those policies that address barriers to good place-making including infrastructure delivery and investment – e.g. energy, water and transport and skills - providing a clear framework for aligning and prioritising future funding.
More generally, we believe that partnership working at scale, across the whole of the Oxford to Cambridge geography, and especially in and around cities and towns such as Milton Keynes, Bedford, Luton, Northampton and Peterborough, will achieve better economic, social and environmental outcomes. Within the Oxford to Cambridge region, we have a strong track record, over many years, of public-private-higher education collaboration working across the many complex administrative boundaries.
We look forward to engaging with the Secretary of State and his Officials as they continue their engagement on the Industrial Strategy and other emerging policies and sector plans.