The Cornwall Chamber of Commerce will outline its vision next week for how Cornish businesses can steer the development of a new Great South West (GSW) economic zone.
Back in the spring, Local Enterprise Partnerships across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset lobbied for greater Government investment in the south west on par with other UK regions. Their collective impetus was to put the south west on the economic map to rival the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine.
Cornwall Chamber CEO, Kim Conchie, is now calling on businesses to have their say regarding the formation of the GSW as a growing “tour de force”.
To drive this mission forward, Conchie is establishing Great South West Partners among Cornwall Chamber members: The University of Exeter, Foot Anstey, South West Investment Group (SWIG), and Cornish Mutual are the inaugural GSW partners.
The partners will lead a unified voice to Westminster, with the goal of helping steer the south west peninsula towards a prosperous future across three key pillars: rural productivity, infrastructure, and trade & investment.
Conchie said: “The Great South West isn’t a Government diktat, but rather, can be influenced by a unified consensus across the region. Until now, businesses haven’t been engaged with the GSW concept as it’s perceived to be driven by the public sector. This isn’t true.
“We’re urging businesses – of all sizes and sectors – to come together, be vocal, and create a groundswell of support for a prosperous economy; we want to enhance the successes already achieved within Cornwall. My dream for the GSW Partners is to work collaboratively across the south west with businesses to shape policies that work for us.”
The Big Breakfast, held at the Eden Project on October 23, will host special guest speaker, Clive Memmott, chief executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Memmott will share Manchester’s learnings of the Northern Powerhouse, and how Cornish businesses can mould policy to their own benefit, driving change.
Registration for the October Big Breakfast is available via the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce website.
