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form the substance of our Growth Deal 3 bid to Government.
We look forward to negotiating a Growth Deal with
Government that will enable many of these projects and
schemes to be delivered.
It is vital that the private sector, our local authorities and our two
world class universities continue to collaborate to deliver our
updated SEP and we are confident that the strong relationships
between companies, local authorities and organisations in our
area will enable us to achieve our ambitions.
We were delighted to present the CWLEP’s updated SEP to
coincide with the recent announcement that £45 million of
funding is to be invested to create an expanded automotive
business zone in Whitley.
The announcement was another major step in helping drive
forward our economy.
Securing £45 million of funding will
enable Coventry &Warwickshire to build on
the success that
has been achieved by our advanced manufacturing sector,
stimulate development and growth in key areas and help
create highly-skilled automotive and advanced manufacturing
jobs in our area and fund improvements to key transport links.
In the last two years the political landscape of this country
has fundamentally changed; the election of a Conservative
majority government in 2015, the emergence of a West
Midlands Combined Authority and, more recently, the outcome
of the EU Referendumwill create new opportunities and
challenges that Coventry &Warwickshire must take and
overcome in equal measure.
The updated SEP has been developed to reflect on progress
since 2014, to provide the tools to further stimulate growth,
and to provide a pipeline of projects and schemes across the
region that will enable this growth.
We are confident this plan has the vision and ambition that
can, with the right support, establish beyond doubt that
Coventry &Warwickshire is the ‘Knowledge Capital of the UK’
and enable the area to achieve its fantastic potential.
The SEP was first published in March 2014 and since then
CWLEP has secured significant support for the area including
£89.4 million of funding through the initial Growth Deals.
This is being invested in a range of projects such as; the
Coventry to Nuneaton rail link, the new access to Coventry
City Centre from the railway station and Warwickshire
College’s Apprenticeship Centre.
This updated plan builds on that progress and identifies further
important strategic initiatives that will address the emerging
economic challenges and opportunities facing the area.
We have established five strategic pillars to allow us to focus
investment around clear priorities. These pillars are: Unlocking
our Growth Potential; Advanced Manufacturing and
Engineering; Growing our SMEs; Growing our Talent and,
(additional to the original SEP in 2014), Culture and Tourism.
The pipeline of projects and schemes that support these pillars
The Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) has made great progress in
the last two years since publishing our Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) in helping to bring added
growth to our area’s economy and building on our track record of success.
FOREWORD
Jonathan Browning, Chairman of Coventry &
Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP)