2 minute read with link to full report
The Manufacturing Commission launches ‘Level Up Industry’ report
A report launched by the Manufacturing Commission, the research arm of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Manufacturing, which is chaired by Lord Bilimoria and run by Policy Connect, has called for further government action to level up manufacturing at a local and regional level.
In recent months, the government has begun explicitly referring to “levelling up” the regions of England, with a focus on devolving power and raising the productivity of the whole country. Manufacturing as a sector is undergoing profound change, with the increasing prevalence of technology and disruptive new techniques changing the way people work and the way things are made. This period of flux does however provide an opportunity for government to get it right first time, by bringing together strong local and national interventions with the technology and skills required to facilitate continued growth.
The Level Up Industry report highlights steps the government should take to ensure that British manufacturing is levelled up in all regions / Picture: Getty/iStock
The report considers five key areas in which government can enable growth in manufacturing, and begin a journey towards increasing the productivity of all English regions:
1 – A long-term national productivity target for industrial growth, supported by a strengthened Industrial Strategy Council, on a statutory footing
2 – Strengthened support for cooperation between LEP areas to identify synergies and grow UK supply chains
3 – Better targeting of the increasing R&D spend to maximise return on investment in the regions of the UK outside of London and the South East
4 – Enable SMEs to access the technology to improve their productivity and prioritise skills that meet the demands of the sector
5 – Ensure UKSPF is flexible and can be allocated by local leaders to ensure local and regional demands are met
Effective and joined-up Local Industrial Strategies – sitting within a long-term national framework – offer the basis from which government can respond to these challenges, but this will only be possible if they engage and support employers, work for local economies and adapt to a changing society. To maximise this impact, government will need to think holistically about how local challenges are connected, and how they can be addressed in a way that aligns with the key themes of the wider Industrial Strategy and the challenges facing the country over the next 30 years.
Report author, Ben Carpenter Merritt, said: “Last week we launched Level Up Industry, and are calling for the government to prioritise regional manufacturing as they action their levelling up agenda. Regional disparities are stark between London and the South East and the rest of the country.
“Manufacturing presents the opportunity to close this gap, by providing high quality employment and adding considerable value to regional GDP, but this will only be possible if government act on the seven key areas that we found need support. We look forward to seeing manufacturing front and centre of the levelling up agenda.”
Download the Level Up Industry report below:
