• Swindon & Wiltshire Economy
• Monday March 24 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Western Gateway Partnership scrapped by government

Western Gateway – the cross-border body representing a regional powerhouse that spans from Swindon in the east to Swansea in the west – has had its funding scrapped by the government, meaning it will not continue to operate after June this year.

The partnership brings together business, academia and leaders from across South Wales and Western England to create economic growth and reach net zero.

It has spearheaded a vision for a better rail network for the area, created the UK’s first Hydrogen Ecosystem, brought in investment into nuclear, and launched an independent commission to explore the potential for a world-leading tidal project in the Severn Estuary.

In October, the body launched a new strategy to double the size of the pan-regional economy by 2050 – adding an extra £250 billion to the UK economy.

But the organisation today (Monday) confirmed that the government has decided to cease funding any pan-regional partnerships which have an English Mayoral Combined Authority within their geography – including the Western Gateway – from 31 March 2025.

More than 100 businesses and academics had responded to the UK Government Consultation on the decision to support continued funding for the Western Gateway Partnership specifically just before Christmas.

But Jim McMahon, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, has written to the partnership, explaining that Mayoral Combined Authority mayors would now play a greater role in bringing together pan-regional areas.

The partnership started as a collaboration between the cities of Bristol, Cardiff and Newport in 2016 and became a government-supported Pan-Regional Partnership in 2019. Twenty-eight local authorities are currently part of the partnership.

Western Gateway Partnership chair Sarah Williams-Gardener said: “This is a hugely disappointing decision from the UK Government.

“Despite representation from Welsh Government calling for talks on how both governments can work together on this, requests to meet from business and locally elected leaders and MPs, they have refused to engage with any of us from our area on this decision.

“It’s been a great journey we’ve been on having delivered hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into key sites across the area; putting together a credible, locally supported cross border economic plan for growth which recognises our natural economic geography; and bringing together leaders from across the political spectrum to deliver for the 4.8million people who live here.

“Whilst the UK Government have decided to put the brakes on this massive economic opportunity, I and our board of local authority leaders are committed to ensuring we can still deliver on our area’s potential.

“The evidence our partnership has uncovered shows that our area can become the fastest growing economy outside of London and we will do what we can to achieve this, with or without the Government’s help.”

Image courtesy of Roman Grac at Pixabay