Buckinghamshire Council jointly hosts visit from Science Minister Lord Vallance

Buckinghamshire Council has today (Friday 20 March) jointly hosted a visit from UK Science Minister, Lord Vallance.

Lord Vallance visited Silverstone Park and Enterprise Zone in the north of the county to view the scope of work going on at the site as a world leading destination for high performance innovation in engineering, sport, science, technology and leisure.

Buckinghamshire has three Enterprise Zones – at Silverstone, Westcott, and Aylesbury Woodlands. These are nationally significant centres for high performance engineering, space technology, and innovation. They attract international investment, create skilled jobs for local people and strengthen the local economy.

During the visit Lord Vallance met with Buckinghamshire Council Leader Steven Broadbent and the Deputy Leader of West Northants Council, James Petter, plus other members of the recently formed Silverstone Vision 2035 Board, whose ambition is to drive forward a co-ordinated approach to boost economic growth and sustainability, placing Silverstone firmly on the global map as a centre for excellence and innovation in its field and generating ongoing investment and improvement for local businesses and residents.

Buckinghamshire Council took a lead role in developing the Silverstone Vision Board, convening partners and progressing the project. The Board and its partners aims to harness the strength of its combined voice to continue lobbying central government for the investment and infrastructure needed for the future in this region.

Steven Broadbent said: “It was important to welcome Lord Vallance to Silverstone today and shine a light on the fantastic work that is going on within Buckinghamshire and the wider area to progress our vision to firmly establish our region as a world leading destination renowned for business excellence and innovation in growing and emerging technologies.

“It was also a great opportunity to discuss the commitment required from national government in terms of the investment and infrastructure needed to ensure long-term sustainability and economic growth in Buckinghamshire and the overall Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor

For example, we will continue to make the case with Network Rail and the Department of Transport to advance the opening of East West Rail and in particular to commit to the much-needed Aylesbury rail link to open up investment potential in the central part of the corridor. This will improve connectivity for workers, learners and visitors to Silverstone and the surrounding area, bringing benefits to the wider community.”

Last year Buckinghamshire Council launched its Economic Growth Plan, setting out how the council will work with partners to support innovation, attract investment and create job and career opportunities for local residents and held its first Economic Summit, bringing together businesses and leaders from across sectors to collaborate on unlocking the county’s potential. Earlier this week the council also launched the Buckinghamshire Economic Growth Fund, an investment fund designed to support local businesses in growing the economy and generating employment and skills opportunities for local residents.

Steven continued: “Today’s visit was about showcasing how far we have come and the great links and bonds that have been generated as part of our ongoing work to grow the local economy and work collaboratively with partners across the private and public sector to drive forward growth and boost skills, productivity and job creation, enhancing prosperity for all our residents and communities.