South West regional chairman of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Nick Sturge welcomed the election of Tim Bowles as West of England Metro Mayor – but called for him to now put party politics aside for the benefit of the region’s economic growth.
“It is such an important role for the West of England area – to provide strong and visionary leadership in allocation of the £30m per year and in effective and constructive chairmanship of the cabinet of the three partner local authorities,” said Mr Sturge, pictured left.
“The ability to think holistically, creatively and inclusively is crucial for this role and we hope that Mr Bowles picks up some of the great ideas shared by all the candidates in the hustings during the run-up to the election.
“Now is not a time for party politics – the cabinet of elected Labour and Conservative members is a great asset and one that can and should be built on. Good leadership will be essential to make this most of that opportunity.
“We must, however, make sure that this new Combined Authority is truly effective in stimulating inclusive economic growth - growth that works for everyone over the long term – and that harnesses the respective power of the business, third and public sectors.”
He said the IoD would like to see strong business and third sector engagement – given that this is where the majority of jobs growth will come from – and building on the excellent work that the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and other organisations have done over the last few years.
“We do not want to see simply another layer of bureaucracy – or traditional thinking. The opportunity to deliver creative solutions across the key responsibilities of housing, transport, skills and economic development is exciting – but will be wasted if silos are created,” he said. 
“Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas have a track record in innovation, creativity and independent spirit that is second to none – so we hope that Mr Bowles will embrace and build on this.
“We will be introducing Mr Bowles to the IoD’s new director general Stephen Martin later this month when he visits the region, as we are keen to work with the Mayor to help him deliver sustainable and inclusive growth for theWest of England.
“We encourage openness, collaboaration, innovation and strong leadership – facets of any good leader of an organisation.
“This is a huge opportunity to put the West of England on the map – for the right reasons – and the IoD will provide all the support necessary to the new Combined Authority Mayor to make that happen.”
The South West CBI said partnership working between the new mayor and business could unlock regional growth.
Regional director Deborah Waddell welcomed Tim Bowles’ election and encouraged him to make increasing productivity the cornerstone of his economic vision in the coming months.
CBI analysis shows that if the South West’s productivity grew at the same pace as the region’s best performing area did between 2004 and 2014, the gain to its economy could be £14.8bn by 2024.
It also said improvements to infrastructure had an important role to play. In the South West, 63% of firms are dissatisfied with the state of their infrastructure, and 50% believe further devolution could help it improve, according to recent CBI surveys. 
Ms Waddell, pictured, said: “The new mayor will have responsibility for growing the region’s economy at a critical time for both the South West and the UK as a whole.
“Working in partnership with businesses of all sizes and sectors from across the area will help establish priorities for raising productivity, such as improvements in infrastructure and education. This matters as increasing productivity is the only sustainable route to higher wages, and therefore living standards.
“We look forward to working closely with Mr Bowles as he develops his economic vision in the coming months to help unlock more jobs, investment and prosperity for the region as a whole.”
Property agents JLL called on Mr Bowles to address the skills shortage in the region’s construction industry if it is to meet the housing and infrastructure needs of our local communities.
Bristol-based JLL regional lead director Simon Peacock, pictured, said: “Whilst the election of our new Metro Mayor should mean a more strategic approach to crucial issues such as housing and transport, if the construction skills gap is not tackled, this will stand in the way of the delivery of such projects.”
“The UK lost around 300,000 construction workers in the years following the 2008 financial crisis and, of those remaining, 22% are aged over 50 and 12% are from the European Union. This means skills shortages may be further exacerbated given the government rhetoric around immigration policy, combined with the effects of the falling pound on the earning power of EU workers in their domestic currencies.”
Mr Peacock said one of the consequences of the construction skills gap was rising build costs, meaning that as prices went up, the scale of the housing, infrastructure and other projects that could be delivered reduces.
He added that there is a real opportunity for the Department for Work and Pensions, the new Metro Mayor and Bristol’s Mayor to work together to support the unemployed back into the labour force, in particular the construction industry where skilled workers were so desperately needed.
Hinkley Point C, Europe’s largest infrastructure project on Bristol’s doorstep, would also add pressure to this already stretched labour supply due to its sheer scale.
“I wholeheartedly welcome the move to have more control over local spending and there appears to be a real appetite for South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) and Bristol to make this work. But it’s important that this momentum continues so that challenges around congestion, housing and skills are kept front of mind.
“As well as tackling the skills shortage, we need the Metro Mayor to take a fresh look at co-ordinated land allocation to ensure housing needs can be met at affordable prices and take bolder strategic decisions to meet the region’s transport infrastructure requirements.”
Tim Davies, head of the South West office of property agency Colliers International, also said he hoped that Mr Bowles would “move beyond [party] politics” to focus on economic growth. 
“Tim Bowles ran a positive campaign, and in his acceptance speech highlighted that his number one priority will be working closely with the leaders of Bristol, B&NES and South Gloucestershire councils,” said Mr Davies, pictured.
“This is exactly the sort of approach that will make the role of Metro Mayor a success in the West and will overcome concerns that the new West of England Combined Authority will be an additional layer of bureaucracy and another Avon County Council in all but name.
“My hope is that Tim Bowles will move beyond politics and will be absolutely focussed upon achieving the best for this region and ensuring the growth of the economy of the West through practical collaboration, motivation and inspiration.
“His style of leadership will be key to achieving this. He will need to be a combination of Alex Ferguson, Bobby Moore and Warren Gatland. However, he will also need to be a good team player, as without collaboration then the initiative will suffer from inertia
“As commercial property specialists we are very much aware of the how infrastructure is key to improving access in the region and driving prosperity, so we welcome his manifesto commitment to improving infrastructure in the West – notably the Avon Ring Road, the M4 Junction 18a and the A36/A46 link.
“We also applaud his commitment to easing pressure for greenfield development and to seeking out brownfield sites. These sites cost more to develop, but regeneration of brownfield sites can be an important part of the regeneration of the communities in which they are located and can help to boost the wider economy of the West.”
Pictured above: Mr Bowles is congratulated by Labour’s Lesley Mansell. Photo by Jon Craig
