A major new piece of research will be released at the Gatwick Diamond Economic Forum on June 15th. Compiled by the respected Centre for Cities think tank, the research will compare the Diamond with a number of similar scale regional economies around the UK, showing how it measures up across a range of business sectors for productivity, direct investment, jobs growth, business starts, and more.
It will also show us how our talent pool compares to the rest of the country for qualifications and skills, and how this is changing, what the jobs distribution and the commuting patterns are in the area, and what this all means for housing affordability and delivery.
The conference will explore the implications of this for business and policy. How does this compare to other city-regions, and why does this matter? It will look at the comparisons with other selected city regions, and discuss the likely on-going changes to the national economy, and implications this is likely to have for future economic growth in the Gatwick Diamond.
As we approach the next 15 years of the Gatwick Diamond, we will use the opportunity to look forward at how our economy might develop in the future. The deep understanding about the past, present and future of the Gatwick Diamond economy will help us understand how we might influence that future for the better.
The debate about how we can move forward, together will be fuelled further by contributions from senior business figures, and local and national government – with Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, and senior politicians from both Surrey and West Sussex County Councils scheduled to speak.
We will also take a look at the “vibrancy” of our regional economy, examining how the Economy benefits society as a whole, taking into account not only financial growth and economic return, but also a wider set of characteristics. A panel of speakers fuelled by a presentation from Ellen Walsh, Practice Leader at Grant Thornton’s Gatwick Office will discuss how the current position of our seven local authority areas compares with the rest of the UK across six baskets of socio-economic indicators. They will, with the help of the audience, debate and share a vision for how Public, Private and Not for Profit organisations in the Gatwick Diamond can collaborate to advance the economy of our region and generate growth and community resilience.
The Forum usually attracts approaching 200 public and private sector leaders, and is, as well as a useful and interesting set of conference sessions, one of the region’s best networking opportunities.
The Gatwick Diamond Economic Growth Forum is on June 15th at the Arora Hotel in Crawley. See www.gdegf.com for more details.
