Five years of driving investment for a greener fairer future 

The Western Gateway has reached its fifth anniversary of cross border working to unlock economic growth for South Wales and Western England.  Now, in the face of a UK Government consultation on ending funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, our Director, John Wilkinson, shares his thoughts on the Western Gateway’s key successes and where this work goes next.  

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It’s been quite the five years. Starting as a vision from our local leaders, the Western Gateway was launched as a pan-regional partnership in 2019 as the only organisation of its kind to bring together two different countries within a single economic area, within the UK. 

Since then, we’ve expanded to 28 local authorities alongside university and business representatives, who have come together to plan for how we can deliver sustainable economic growth, which can unlock investment and create new opportunities for our communities. 

Starting from small beginnings, we have been building up our capacity as a partnership to deliver on our unique cross border economy’s huge potential. With a shared economy worth £129bn and the chance to become the fastest growing area outside London, we have been able to prove that our area can collaborate at scale to deliver over £100m of investment in positioning our area at the world leading edge of clean energy innovation. Here are some examples: 

Severn Edge Nuclear  

Starting as a joint bid to bring the UK’s first fusion reactor to the area, the Severn Edge is a collaboration of industry, academia, communities and political leaders led by the Western Gateway, which champions the development of a low carbon energy campus in the heart of the cross-border geography. 

Since launching, the campaign has built up strong support from business, local communities, universities and the national nuclear industry.  The impact has been investment from the likes of Great British Nuclear, Rolls Royce SMR, University of Bristol and Chiltern Vital Group to ensure both sites are at the forefront of developing New Nuclear technology for the UK and the rest of the world.  With world leading skills and academic expertise, this will provide a major boost for the area, building on local supply chain networks and supporting high quality jobs.  

Without this partnership, acting as a neutral voice bringing together local authorities, landowners, industry and academia across administrative borders, the project’s continued success in delivering a dual-site pan-national investment programme could be in jeopardy. 

Rail Vision 2050 

Our area has long been held back by poor transport, affecting productivity and our growth potential. As part of a cross-border economy, regional barriers have meant a disparity in reliable public transport to cross this economic area. 

The Western Gateway’s Rail Vision 2050 and subsequent Rail Deal brought together Transport for Wales, West of England Combined Authority, Western Gateway STB, GWR, CrossCountry Trains, Rail Industry Association Wales & Western and Network Rail to provide a transformative, deliverable and value for money plan which can improve the area’s rail network and our communities. This gives governments in England and Wales a locally supported plan to build a future rail network for the UK.  

Our ‘Rail Deal’ presents a £17bn return for the UK economy, opens network access for 248,000 residents, opens up to 31 new stations and provides an enormous decarbonisation opportunity for UK transport. 

Tidal Energy (Severn Estuary Commission) 

The huge potential of the Severn Estuary, as the third highest tidal range in the world, has the potential to generate around 7% of the UK’s total energy supply. Now with climate change and energy security increasingly important, tidal energy must be considered as part of the energy mix and an export potential for the UK.  

The Western Gateway is the only partnership spanning the Severn to bring together local politicians to build consensus on how this might be achieved. The Severn Estuary is a key feature of the area which would bring investment and help support our energy needs. Without the Western Gateway this opportunity for investment and collaboration will be lost.  

Economic development 

Representing a natural cross border economy, there is huge potential for growth when we work together to overcome the barriers we face, presenting a joint offer to investors improving access to our key growth sectors in South Wales and Western England.  

The last three annual Conventions hosted by the Western Gateway brought together over 1500 businesses, academics and local leaders providing a perfect platform to network with senior public sector leaders and politicians and have important conversations to create new business opportunities and drive growth. Based on event feedback, on average over 90% of respondents said they made new contacts which they intend to follow up with. This has been supported by providing a shared platform for local authorities from across the area at events like UKREiiF, making it easier to invest in our cross-border economy.  

Next steps 

Our partnership of local leaders has proved it works. There are few other spaces where 5 political parties from across two nations willingly collaborate on tackling the long term challenges they face. We bring together the best of Western England and South Wales to deliver for the UK. 

Our goals are to Connect Communities, Support Innovation, Attract Investment and to Boost Recognition. While we wait for the new devolution deals to be completed, our partnership is essential for ensuring that critical energy infrastructure is delivered efficiently and effectively, and investment doesn’t stall. Without our collaboration with globally significant industries, the region risks delays in project delivery and a diminished voice within the UK Government. 

The Western Gateway is playing a leading convening role for some of the most transformational programmes in the UK’s future energy system which can support places like Neath Port Talbot with their long term transformation plans.  

This political, industry and community collaboration could be lost without continued support from the Government, with no current plans in the short term to replace it.  

We remain committed to working with the Government to ensure a future for our cross-border economy and are calling on businesses and local authorities to respond to the consultation. 

Please support the Western Gateway by taking part in the consultation here. The closing date is 16th December, 12:00pm.

If you would like any advice on answering the consultation, we have communications packs available and support from the Western Gateway team. Please email secretariat@western-gateway.co.uk to request.