the Business Forum and
the Economic Partnership
in Brighton & Hove
Homepage    BCRP Intranet    Funding    Events    Partners     Knowledgebase    Links    About us     Contact us
Key projects
Crime
reduction
 


Licensee
Forum
 

Workforce development 

Transport
 

Business &
climate
change

Property &
Development sites

Business
Improvement
Districts

Housing
 

Strategy
 

Consultation opportunities
 

Shopping & Eating Out
Guide

 

Brighton & Hove Business Forum
8-11 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton, BN1 1EE
Tel: 01273 735442
Email: info@brighton
business.co.uk

© Brighton & Hove
Business Forum

News - 8 March 2005

Heavyweight challenge for the South East Plan

The South East Plan is in danger of reversing the prosperity of the region. This is the message from Business South East, a new high level forum of leading businesses and employer organisations.

Business South East brings together including the CBI, IOD, Federation of Small Businesses, South East Chambers of Commerce and support organisations such as the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and the South East Economic Partnerships  (SEEPs). They represent 380,000 businesses that employ 3.2 million people and each year turn over £390 billion and export £28 billion worth of manufactured goods. They create the wealth that contributes £17 billion net a year in taxes.

Business South East’s Chairman, Jim Brathwaite, commented on the public consultation now being undertaken by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA), which is responsible for drawing up the Plan:

“The Regional Assembly is about to put a questionnaire through 8 million homes in the South East, which appears to stress the negative aspects of economic growth and imply that we can somehow avoid them by standing still. But the key question should be “Do you want growth or do you want to see the economy decline? Staying where we are is not an option – economies, like individual businesses, either go forward or they decline"

“The South East is a successful region to do business in. That benefits the people and enables investment in the environment and infrastructure of the South East. It also supports the quality of life enjoyed in other parts of the UK. But this success must not be taken for granted – it is more fragile than many realise. Unless we provide for the housing, education, health, transport, water, waste disposal and other infrastructure needs of our businesses and people, we put this success at serious risk.

“The South East Plan should send a message to Government that the South East, as a region, is genuinely committed to sustainable growth. Otherwise we provide them with an excuse for not investing in our people and infrastructure. This investment is essential to provide an environment in which businesses in the South East can remain globally competitive and people can continue to enjoy a high quality of life.

“We want sensible planned growth driven as far as possible by increased innovation, productivity and a skilled workforce, with maximum use of already developed but under-used land. But all the analysis suggests that we will still need a larger workforce that will have a right to decent and affordable homes in healthy communities. There are already 150,000 fewer available workers than jobs in the region and the Assembly’s own research forecasts that up to 800,000 new jobs will be needed by 2026.

“None of the three options for housing development being put forward by the Assembly (25,500 p.a.,  28,000 p.a. or 32,000 p.a.) provide for this number of jobs. All three would therefore risk driving away businesses from the South East to more welcoming locations overseas.

“The South East Plan is still at a very early stage. As it develops, over the next 18 months Business South East will continue to press the case, not just for meeting our housing needs, but also for the investment we need in the infrastructure essential to support a prosperous region and high quality of life.”

The Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership (BHEP) is preparing a formal response to SEERA’s South East Plan and it is in the process of widespread consultation with key individuals and business associations. If you would like more information contact Tony Mernagh on 01273 735062 or mernagh@btconnect.com


Read related items on:
Regional Government
South East Plan
Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership
SEEDA
SEERA
Braithwaite, Jim


Browse our business Knowledgebase or search by keyword


Headlines

3 September 2010
Double dip recession watch: house prices fall for second month
3 September 2010
Whitehall gives localities freedom to scrap or create local byelaws 3 September 2010
Brighton & Hove throws its hat in the ring with West Sussex to form a Local Enterprise Partnership [LEP] 3 September 2010
Hove Hosts the Annual World Food and Drink Festival Market 3 September 2010
Alcohol sales decline markedly 2 September 2010
City College seeks successful ex-students for new Gold Award 1 September 2010
Wired Sussex joins Onedigital alliance 1 September 2010
New halls of residence for Brighton University 30 August 2010
Double dip recession watch: GDP growth stronger than expected 27 August 2010
Is your bank treating you fairly? 27 August 2010
New figures show carrier bag use is down 26 August 2010
Bank Holiday Monday demonstrations: statement from Sussex Police 26 August 2010
Astoria Cinema redevelopment plans 25 August 2010
Summer visitor boost for Brighton & Hove 24 August 2010
Disability employment workshop 24 August 2010
Pubs and bars must offer drink in smaller glasses 23 August 2010
Affordable housing scheme in Brighton granted planning permission after 5 Years 20 August 2010
Big issue made simple 20 August 2010
A Council the City Deserves - Phase 2 Consultation 20 August 2010
Mural - a legacy to great partnership working 20 August 2010
Government publishes business growth strategy 19 August 2010
Double dip recession watch: July retail sales surprisingly strong. 19 August 2010
PM pledges to support UK tourism in all its guises 17 August 2010
Only 40 new homes predicted for the city in 2010 16 August 2010
Brighton no longer UK's most cost-effective student city 13 August 2010
Prime Minister backs cheap alcohol ban; Alcohol Concern suggests 150% price increase; Brighton opts for "Save Dave" campaign 13 August 2010
Government scraps the national Place Survey. That's a pity. 13 August 2010
Credit card fraud - a minefield for the uninitiated 13 August 2010
Retail sales up but non-food is struggling 12 August 2010
Construction firms urged to take on apprentices 12 August 2010
New City Employment & Skills Plan to be produced 12 August 2010
CEO leaves the Theatre Royal 12 August 2010
Double dip recession watch: Markets take fright over economic data 12 August 2010
Shoreham Harbour eco-town plan gets a reprieve 11 August 2010
Top Five Stories in July 2010 11 August 2010
What is the value of the night-time economy? 11 August 2010
Brighton & Hove gets younger, Sussex gets older 10 August 2010
Do you have a site that you want to develop for housing? 10 August 2010
Could New Homes Bonus pay for the Brighton Centre? 10 August 2010
New network launched in Brighton