Businesses don’t just work within council boundaries - that’s the message from a new task force set up to boost the North Hampshire economy by encouraging inward investment and improving skills.
Lead councillors and chief executives from councils covering the area have joined forces in a new North Hampshire and M3 Corridor Economic Board, together with regional and countywide bodies and local strategic partnership chairs.
The board aims to take a strategic approach to ensuring that businesses and residents in North Hampshire and the M3 corridor area can take advantage of new opportunities on offer coming out of the recession.
Top of the agenda for the new board is a joint approach to bring new employers, inward investment and national funding to North Hampshire, working with the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and partners to promote and market the area. Improving skills and educational attainment across the sub-region in partnership with schools, universities and the Learning and Skills Council, is also a high priority. Other key areas for the board include tackling transport issues such as congestion at junction six of the M3 and taking co-ordinated action on new housing and business development needs.
Members of the board took the chance to find out about issues and opportunities first hand from local companies when they made up the ‘question time’ panel for A Question of Business at the Be Inspired event in Basingstoke on Thursday (1 October) hosted by Business Link.
Those represented on the board include Basingstoke and Deane, Hart, Rushmoor, Test Valley, Surrey Heath and Wokingham councils, SEEDA, the Government Office for the South East and Hampshire Economic Partnership.
But the board also aims to work with neighbouring councils and other organisations covering West Berkshire and Reading.
Deputy chairman of the new board, Paul Kinvig of Hampshire Economic Partnership, said: “In challenging economic times, it's vital that the public and private sector work together to tackle key strategic issues. This exciting development of partners in North Hampshire working together with drive and enthusiasm and a focus on tangible results is crucial to the region's future success."
The South East has already been identified as a key driver of the UK’s economy. Basingstoke has been highlighted as a ‘diamond’ for economic growth and the board expands this to include neighbouring authorities who share the area’s potential for economic growth.
