The Great South West secures £1.5 million to level up the region

The Great South West secures £1.5 million from Government to supercharge its priorities to level up the region through sustainable economic growth.

• In a letter from the Minister for Levelling Up, Neil O’Brien MP, the Government has committed £1.5 million in core funding over the next three years to the Great South West and its activities.
• This comes following the Great South West’s recent prospectus, The UK’s Natural Powerhouse, which sets out plans to deliver net-zero levelling up activities in the region.
• The Great South West is a major economic region – with a population of over 3 million, an economy of £64.4 billion and almost 128,000 businesses.

In a letter to the newly elected co-chairs of the APPG for the Great South West, Simon Jupp MP and Ben Bradshaw MP, the Government has confirmed that it will provide the region with £1.5m over three years to deliver sustainable economic growth in the region.

The Great South West partnership released a prospectus in January 2020, The UK’s Natural Powerhouse, setting out plans to deliver £45 billion to the economy and 190,000 jobs by 2035. The funding will help the Great South West deliver on its five priorities which are to improve rural productivity, increase trade and investment, drive forward the marine and maritime economy, support for our tourism industry and plans to create a green energy powerhouse.

This announcement recognises the hard-fought campaign from MPs, local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, and businesses to ensure the Great South West is recognised as a region of environmental, social, and economic importance, and receives the necessary funds to further its ambitions.

The Great South West partnership will now progress a robust business case to secure this long-term investment for our region.

Commenting, Chair of the GSW APPG Simon Jupp (pictured) said:
“This announcement recognises the incredible diversity of talent, skills and businesses across Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall. First and foremost, credit must go to the former Chair of the Great South West APPG, Sir Gary Streeter MP. Gary’s tireless campaigning for our region undoubtedly helped make this happen. This crucial funding builds on the Government’s recognition of the Great South West in the Levelling Up White Paper. We now have the opportunity to kick-start our plans to bring new jobs and investment across our region.”