Sheffield Chamber comments on CBI backing for Sheffield

8th June 2017

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Richard Wright said: -We welcome the positive things the CBI is saying about Sheffield and the wider city region.

-It's not often we get the recognition for what we are achieving from other areas or organisations but all of us who live here understand the hard work that has gone into delivering growth and investment, and the momentum we have built up. -I hope that when Paul talks about faster transport links bringing better productivity to Leeds he also understands it also has the same effect on Sheffield. We should also recognise though the absolute need for better connectivity between Sheffield and the wider city region - and between Leeds and its city region - if we are really going to deliver the full potential from investments like HS2 and HS3. -With respect to the Industrial Strategy, his call for a long-term approach is absolutely right. Sheffield Chamber's response to the Green Paper was very much along those lines except that we called for cross government departmental, and cross-party agreement to underpin this. -We all have experience of great plans and strategies coming to a halt because the Treasury or somebody else doesn't agree, or a change in Government causes a total U-turn. We also cautioned against an Industrial Strategy picking sector winners. -The job of Government is to create the ground on which we succeed through things like a good educational and skills programme, good access to finance, a competitive tax and regulatory system. -Leave the task of focusing on priorities to the devolved bodies like LEPs. Our focus is likely to be different to Leeds or Manchester - and it should be, because national, 'one size fits all' strategies do not work. Original article can be found here.