The UK Innovation Corridor has urged the UK Government to support local organisations to boost the country’s investment offer by rolling out the recommendations in the Harrington Review.
Speaking at EXPO REAL on 8 October on how to attract further overseas investment into the region, Jackie Sadek said: “As far as the UK Innovation Corridor is concerned, I would ask the Government simply to implement the Harrington review.”
The Harrington Review was published last year under Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Government. Its recommendations to expand the UK’s place-based offer to investors included:
- Set out a clear Business Investment Strategy focusing on five key sectors – Green Industries, Advanced Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Digital Technologies, and Creative Industries.
- Drive regional growth by building on the success of Metro Mayors and best practice in the devolved administrations.
- Ensure a globally competitive Office for Investment has a proactive approach to investors, a clearly communicated toolkit, and the flexibility to negotiate strategic partnerships
“We need a one stop shop in Government for inward investment,” Jackie said. “We need one office, one organization that can unlock stuff for us nationally, and we need some support in helping the economic growth agenda.
“We stand ready to play our part, but we’ve got to have a bit of support from Government in unlocking the challenges: the planning challenges; the problem we’ve got with utilities; the problem we’ve got with infrastructure; stitching it all together. Never underestimate how even if the Government is short of money, the convening power that can be achieved by local people working together with Whitehall.”
In terms of the new Government itself, Jackie said: “We’ve had a change of Government, and we now feel more stable, and that has imbued more investor confidence. Exactly what shape that takes I don’t think we’ll be able to tell until next year but certainly, the beginnings are very good. People are beginning to feel much more confident about talking to the UK about long-term projects.”
Jackie was speaking while promoting the UK Innovation Corridor on the UK Cities & Partners (UKCAP) stand at EXPO REAL. UKCAP is a powerful collection of the most prominent UK City Regions and leading private sector organisations.
“We feel like a United Kingdom on this stand,” she said. “We’re all collaborating together. We’re all singing from the same song sheet. We are Team UK, and the power of collaboration, I think, is going to going to propel us forward.”
To discuss opportunities in the UK Innovation Corridor, contact John McGill by emailing: john.mcgill@innovation.webfoleo.co.uk
Watch the full interview with Jackie:
