Title

Marc Brunel-Walker, executive member for economic development and regeneration at Bracknell Forest Council and public sector member of the LEP Forum Bracknell Forest Council must be doing something right to bring in and retain investment from so many world brands. Bracknell Forest is a small authority good at attracting big business with firms such Dell, Waitrose and Honda all choosing Bracknell for their head office location. Bracknell Forest also manages to attract a higher proportion of foreign businesses than any other local authority area in the country. Surprisingly (perhaps) the secret of Bracknell Forest's success in attracting broad international investments and nurturing long term growth lies in looking above the parapets and adopting a regional focus to inward investment and employment growth. Key infrastructure such as highways, housing and education are core responsibilities and big challenges for all councils. Bracknell, together with the LEP and its other Thames Valley Berkshire partners, is adopting a different approach; one which means addressing the issues and challenges together to find solutions which work for the whole region. With all six Berkshire Councils and the LEP less than 20 miles from each other we work together to tackle and manage issues such as transportation and congestion on a region-wide basis rather than merely wasting energy and resources pushing pinch points a few miles down the road into a neighbouring area. Put this alongside a strategic partnership plan for growth and development, and Bracknell Forest will benefit as much as other areas from a planned £700m boost to wages and profits in the region. Locally the regeneration of Bracknell town centre has been boosted by £1.5m of government money sourced via the LEP, cash which is helping deliver more new shops and radical changes to the retail and leisure offer. Schemes such as this often demand vast quantities of public finance; here in Bracknell however things are done differently, and better. The council sets the vision and provides planning and design expertise, while private sector partners deliver the all-important funding and the business acumen so important to this mutli-million pound scheme. This true private and public sector partnership is enabling us to provide a new town centre fit for the 21st century, in ways which will be a model for private/public sector scheme successes for years to come.

Title

ECONOMIC GROWTH

Local authority perspective:

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING