In 1997 the Government set up Regional Development Agencies across England.  The idea was to bring some coherence and a sharper focus to economic development and job creation. For us in North Staffordshire, this means that Advantage West Midlands is the organisation that holds the budget strings for the money that the Government invests in economic development in our area.  We are fortunate in North Staffordshire that we have our own Regeneration Zone to help focus on local needs. 

Working with AWM to get the right sort of investment to North Staffordshire is one of my priorities. Last week I attended two AWM meetings in Parliament.  The first was to have an input into how we plan and get the most out of the London Olympics. It must be remembered that this is a huge opportunity in terms of jobs and business as well as on the sporting field.  The other meeting was about economic strategy across the whole of the West Midlands.

One of the issues about our West Midlands region is that there is not always the same common identity that exists in other English regions such as London or the North East. Nonetheless, a single business identity from Rugby to Leek and from Hereford to Burton must develop if our region is to compete on the same terms as other regions.  It is that common identity which can help employers work together when selling the area’s skills and products on the world stage.  And this is what we need to do in order to secure the jobs and skills and wellbeing to make people feel good about where they live.

There also some more specific challenges. I have given the strong message that we need to have more investment in training and management skills, particularly because we have a higher than average number of manufacturing jobs and inevitably that this an area which is under severe pressure 

The other point is that our economy needs to have a much better transport infrastructure.  At the moment, links are good to London and Manchester, but not so satisfactory between centres within the region. I know that this is holding back our companies, so I am calling for transport links to be looked at and we need more investment in all transport. 

The fact that there is now a greater emphasis on speaking with one West Midlands voice will hopefully give more weight to our arguments for more and better investment in North Staffordshire. In particular, I would like to see more done on the campaign for the relocation of a Government agency away from London or the South East and to North Staffordshire.

I also hope that working together will mean that business will be more aware of the contracts that are coming up.  The Olympics are a huge opportunity, with up to £25billion of contracts up for grabs.  I would like to see constituents here in Stoke-on-Trent benefiting from this event at work as well as spectators and volunteers.  

Business also needs to drive the agenda and I am very interested in what local businesses are doing. They need to be registering which will keep them informed about contracts which are being informed.  If you are from the constituency and have any thoughts or comments, then please be in touch. 

www.wmbusinesscouncil.org.uk