Dozens of business leaders from the West of England will join a delegation led by Mayor Helen Godwin to promote the region at major UK investment conference next month.
They will showcase the region’s strengths and make the case for further investment to unlock new homes, new jobs, and long-term prosperity at the UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds.
Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin at last year’s UKREiiF. Image: Toby Geall
The West of England has an ambitious target for 72,000 new jobs over the coming decade against a backdrop of innovation-driven sustainable and inclusive growth.
The delegation will be armed with an impressive set of figures showing the West of England as the country’s fastest-growing regional economy and the most productive area outside of the capital.
Since 2019, the West’s economy has grown four times faster than the national average and is now worth more than £54bn.
In the last decade, more than 100,000 new jobs have been created across the region – with the highest job growth in its key growth sectors of any combined authority area, including London: creative industries, digital and tech, clean energy, and the everyday economy.
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: “The West of England is proud to be the country’s fastest-growing regional economy.
“Armed with that message, together we’ll be making the case to national and international investors for our part of the world and all it offers, as we continue working to create more jobs, build more homes, and get the West moving through better transport.”
The West of England delegation will be in partnership with headline sponsor YTL UK Group, whose multi-billion-pound investment is breathing new life into the former Filton Airfield as Brabazon emerges as part of the West’s new town.
They will be joined by Bristol City Leap, the clean energy partnership between Ameresco Bristol City Council and Vattenfall investing more than £500m in green infrastructure, and NCC, part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the world-leading innovation centre which helps create almost 800 new jobs each.
A stand-out series of panel discussions and other exciting events are set to take place in the West’s Pavilion at the conference – including a networking reception hosted with Bristol Airport, which is part of the North Somerset Gateway growth zone.
UKREiiF takes place between 19-21 May.