A regionally thriving economy
Ensuring every region and nation has distinctive, global strengths
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Why it matters
The productivity and income disparities across the UK’s regions and nations – disparities that cause real challenges for living standards – must be addressed now. COVID-19’s impact has not been felt equally across the country and is exacerbating divides. Levelling up our regions and nations can kickstart the recovery, close productivity gaps and boost living standards.
Discover the CBI Clusters Playbook
Want to know more about boosting investment, innovation, prosperity and living standards in your region or nation? Explore our playbook on how firms and government can work together to create world-class business clusters.
Explore the playbookTHE SIZE OF THE PRIZE
What can business and society gain from empowering regions?
A strengthened regional presence
By opening regional offices, and supporting levelling up through local investment decisions, businesses can improve their community profile.
Attract new investment across the UK
Firms can engage proactively with First Ministers, Regional Mayors, Local Enterprise Partnerships and others to help shape business-friendly environments that attract investment.
Take the UK’s economic clusters from good to great
By investing and learning, businesses - supported by the CBI - can write the playbook for successful economic clusters.
How do we do this?
Provide clear, unique and robust propositions for investment
And play to distinctive local strengths and regional comparative advantages.
Take action to boost economic clusters
This has to extend beyond the power sector, with a focus on industry, transport and buildings.
Foster new economic clusters
More are likely to emerge by 2030, such as those created from the UK’s transition to net-zero, and they too will need support.
What the government needs to do
Work with Devolved Nation Administrations to identify collaborations
These opportunities for cross-government collaboration can support job creation, business investment and connectivity.
Help attract businesses to a local area
By forging the underlying conditions that attract firms, such as a skilled workforce, high-quality infrastructure and a business-friendly environment.
Deliver the Levelling Up White Paper
With proposals for delivering more devolution deals and for further devolving power on skills, transport and R&D to Devolved Authorities in England.
Fully back business-led economic clusters
Make this clear in the Levelling Up White Paper and be willing to experiment with regulatory sandboxes and make funding available for co-investment.