Success of region born out of collaboration and parnerships

A high level panel of business experts gave their verdict on the region’s economy at a special event.The business leaders were speaking at a business breakfast organised as part of the State of the Region initiative.

The campaign, now in its second year, has been organised in partnership with KPMG and Squire Patton Boggs.

And an invited audience of more than a hundred guests heard from Phil Mayall, regional director of Muse, Rownena Burns from the Manchester Science Partnership and Damian Waters, the regional director of the CBI.

Each spoke about the current state of the regional economy and a common theme of the importance of local authorities and public bodies working with business emerged.

Damian Waters said

Damian Waters

In the last couple of years we have seen a growth in city activity and regeneration over the last decade.

The economies of the cities here in the North West are performing well, we are seeing a real boom and growth in professional services as well as property and construction.

So much so that the economy in Manchester is overheating a little bit and there is a challenge around that.

We have also seen in the past couple of years there is a much stronger sense of place, what we are now seeing is there a plan in place and we know where we are heading.

It feels like that we are all signed up to that plan.

Companies from outside the North West want to know what’s going on in the region, what’s happening with devolution and what’s happening with Andy Burnham.

There is a real sense that the cities have got things right and things are moving forward.
We are lucky that we have got combined authorities and mayors who really do want to work with business. We have seen the positive outcomes of that.

Phil Mayall added

Phil Mayall

There are a lot of cranes in the Manchester area at the moment and if we go through the sectors they are all relevantly buoyant. We only build property if there is a demand.

We are a demand led industry, we build things because there is demand.
At the moment in Manchester there is record demand for offices and the residential property market is also in a healthy place.

Councils are now much more forward thinking. The councils in the regions now understand things are not going to happen unless they get involved.

The final speaker Rowena Burns concluded

Rowena Burns

Talking about sectors is not the best way to drive economic growth.

The best way to drive economic growth is when you take a holistic, inter-institutional multi-dimensional approach to the develop of a city or a region.

In building any region science and technology are two of the sectors which are the most important.

This city region is no exception to that.

This has always been a collaborative city and the winning the right to have control over our own budgets for our public services is no accident.

It followed a long-track record of successful partnerships. That success led to the combined authority, the second runway and the regeneration of Manchester city centre.