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Level up the South West, Pennon tells the government

by Karma Loveday

Devon and Cornwall need ‘levelling up’ as much as the North and Midlands, Pennon Group has said in a call to Government for green jobs and infrastructure for the South West.


In a report published to coincide with he G7 summit in St Ives, South West Water owner and the South West region’s largest employer Pennon found:

  • Devon and Cornwall trail the rest of the UK in terms of productivity – Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has the lowest productivity of any UK subregion, and Devon is the seventh lowest productivity area in the UK;

  • the working age population of the region is declining as a share of the total, with an exodus of young people to larger urban areas, especially London. 70% of 15-17 year olds in Cornwall say they will need to leave the county in order to obtain a good job; and

  • many parts of the region have high levels of empty shops, a key indicator of the health of the high street, reflecting low spending levels and lack of investment.

In Camborne & Redruth the rate of empty shops is 38% higher than the England and Wales average, in Torbay it is 30% higher, and in Plymouth, Sutton & Devonport it is 43% higher.


The report, Levelling Up the Great South West: A G7 Legacy, outlined a five-step policy programme for central Government to support the economic development of Devon and Cornwall and leave a lasting legacy for the wider Great South West region:

transform levelling up into an integrated national project, with economic growth plans for every British region incorporated into a central framework – these plans should be delivered by regional leaders with regional accountability; establish a Transport for the South West body with similar powers to Transport for the North, able to champion transport infrastructure projects across the region; Deliver ultra-fast South West 5G mobile, fibre and wireless broadband through to 90% of the population by 2030; expand the now-doubled public RD&I budget in every British region, prioritising the South West’s portion in the advanced manufacturing and environmental science clusters; and commit to opening up more STEM pathways for students in higher and further education.


Pennon’s chief, Susan Davy, said: “Our region faces big challenges, but the South West’s potential is huge. We can point the way to a high-tech, high-growth, green British future, turning global concerns over sustainability into locally-led economic growth. With expertise in advanced manufacturing, an innovative agri-food sector and some of the best tourist destinations in the country, the Great South West has huge potential just waiting to be fulfilled.”

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