CBI welcomes the new Greater Manchester Local Industrial Strategy

In a watershed moment for the region, this week saw the launch of Greater Manchester’s Local Industrial Strategy. This strategy allows the region to identify its strengths and develop a series of long-term evidence-based priorities on driving productivity – contributing to higher wages and prosperity in the region. Their strategy also goes on to inform national policy making to help unlock regional growth and tackle inter and intra-regional disparities.

The Greater Manchester strategy focuses on a range of core strengths for the region, aiming to boost productivity and put it on the front foot when it comes to tackling the big challenges of tomorrow. These strengths include health care and innovation; advanced manufacturing; digital, creative and media; and clean growth. The strategy emphasises the need to address the foundations of productivity – ideas, people, business environment, infrastructure and places, reflecting the CBI’s submission to the consultation.

The CBI has long been a supporter of the place-based approach, ensuring places can make the most of their distinctive strengths, better coordinate economic policy at a local level, and ensure greater collaboration across boundaries. Importantly the strategy is a jointly agreed document between national and local governments, which could go far in ensuring it’s delivered.

Next steps

It’s key, however, that this strategy goes further than the paper it’s written on and is truly embedded in Greater Manchester’s economic strategy but also in government’s thinking. Collaborative approaches should become the norm and the CBI continues to call for a cross-departmental approach to the Industrial Strategy. With that in mind, the CBI is looking forward to seeing the progress Greater Manchester makes on their skills agenda – which will develop in partnership with government over the next nine months, and on infrastructure with government officials joining the Greater Manchester Strategic Transport Board.

Progress has been slow developing local industrial strategies. It’s therefore key that lessons are quickly learned from Greater Manchester’s experience (and the West Midlands, who published less than a month ago), and best practice can be developed to support other areas in the creation of their strategies. The CBI is already feeding in our experience to BEIS and the Cities and Local Growth Unit – the government departments behind these initiatives and can support members in doing the same.

Beyond that, the government and local areas should consider how these strategies will be implemented and evaluated and should seek to ensure there is the capacity both locally and nationally to deliver the priorities.

Government should look to provide more clarity on the future of devolution. Whilst Greater Manchester has secured a deal and is in a stronger position to leverage support and influence in order to deliver this strategy, other parts of the country are not in the same position and risk falling behind when it comes to the design and delivery of their strategy.

How to get involved

The CBI is developing a piece of work on the future of devolution in England, members can get involved by contacting Hannah Richmond, or by filling in this short survey. Hannah is also coordinating our work on local industrial strategies in the north, many of which will be consulting throughout summer and autumn, please contact Hannah for more information.

The CBI has also established a working group in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire for the upcoming Local Industrial Strategy, if you would like to get involved in this work, please contact Mark Corbett.