February 2018

WARWICKSHIRE MEANS BUSINESS

Welcome from Mark Ryder, Warwickshire County Council head of transport and economy

Hello everyone and welcome to the February edition of Warwickshire Means Business.

The year began with some excellent news that Warwickshire has the fastest-growing economy in the country. Recently-released figures reveal that, since 2009, Warwickshire has recorded the biggest growth in productivity of any local authority area in England.

The region as a whole is buoyant with productivity in the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership area having outgrown every other LEP in the country.

Here in Warwickshire, what the county's workforce produced in a 37.5-hour working week in 2009, it now produces in 29.3 hours - so what it generated in five days in 2009, it now generates in four.

That's brilliant news and testament to the breadth of expertise, enterprise and innovation, all underpinned by a load of hard work, of course, within our business community. But I am sure that nobody is sitting on any laurels and we at Warwickshire County Council are committed to doing everything we can, along with our partner organisations, to build on that momentum.

We are very proud of the work undertaken week-in and week-out by our Transport & Economy teams. The ongoing quest to keep roads clear and bring forward highways and public transport schemes plays a significant part in local productivity and our transport officers are constantly working towards that objective. Meanwhile, our business support team, with a broad range of skills and experience themselves, strive to help businesses already within our county and also attract investment from elsewhere. It was great to see two young members of the team, Steph Williams and Sim Lee, short-listed for the YoungPro 2018 awards - fully deserved recognition.

There is so much going on, driven by our team, to help keep Warwickshire at the top of the growth table. Creating a continuous pipeline of skilled and motivated young people into the business world is essential to future prosperity and our fourth Skills Conference, on March 7, will bring together many key local figures from business and education to discuss the best ways to  that happen. Last year's event was a sell-out so, if you wish to attend, please book now before it's too late.

Thank you for reading the latest Warwickshire Means Business, which is now issued monthly because there is so much going on! If you think there is something we should cover in a future edition, please email brianhalford@warwickshire.gov.uk.

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