Business West, the organisation behind the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Bristol Initiative, has welcomed plans for greater collaboration between Cardiff, Bristol and Newport – but it wants the focus to remain on regional plans which are already in place.
Bristol, Cardiff and Newport this week joined together under the informal title ‘Great Western Cities’ to define priorities for powering the economy of the Severn region. 
It follows a 2014 report called Unleashing Metro Growth which made a compelling case for collaboration between neighbouring cities and identified the ‘Severn Region’ as one of the six ‘power-house city regions’ on which the British economy will rely.
With an economic output just over £58bn, it can challenge the so-called Northern Powerhouse of Northern cities which have grouped together to gain more autonomy and funding from central Government.
Key aspirations of the Great Western Cities include improving transport links and connectivity, increasing business growth and inward investment, increasing skills and employment and making best use of our renewable energy opportunities, particularly the Severn Estuary.
Executive director of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce & Initiative James Durie, pictured, said: “We welcome greater co-operation between these three cities, and it is good to see our leaders thinking at a large, ambitious scale.
“When global investors look at the map of the Severn, these three cities look like close economic partners, and we should act as such.
“Standing shoulder to shoulder in promoting our Great Western Cities to global investors will do much to boost our profile on the global stage. Greater co-operation on a common energy policy and on stronger transport links are common sense objectives which would greatly strengthen both the West of England and Wales’ economy.”
But Mr Durie and his counterpart in the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce urged caution on moving to a cross-border region before businesses have seen real outputs from regional plans already in place in both south east Wales and the West of England.
Mr Durie continued: “This proposal mustn’t come at the cost of brokering the vital local deals needed to secure Bristol’s future – with our neighbouring West of England local authorities. Here, progress is looking much slower than other English city regions, and this should be a cause for concern.
“We mustn’t let the glamour of bigger deals distract us from getting our local neighbourhood working better before branching out.”
At the launch of Great Western Cities Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson said: “It will come as no surprise to anyone that I am a strong believer in cities taking opportunities to be collaborative and inventive to improve the life and prospects of all our citizens.
“I take central Government’s commitment to the northern cities ‘powerhouse’ as a timely opportunity and a challenge for the West to create its own critical mass in terms of population and economy. Electrification of the Great Western line will have a transformative effect on Bristol and the region and we have, working closely with our Welsh partners, a unique opportunity to unlock the renewable energy source of the Severn estuary.
Strengthening working arrangement with our sister cities of Cardiff and Newport means we can grasp all sorts of opportunities that come our way, enabling us to build on our strengths for the benefit of people across the region.”
