Skip to page content

The Greater Essex Business Board Manifesto

Click to slide down

Home » Home » Greater Essex Business Board » Manifesto

The Greater Essex Business Board Manifesto 

The Greater Essex Business Board (GEBB) has launched its manifesto. Greater Essex: Globally Connected, Powered by Ambition is a bold vision for the region’s future, shaped by businesses and driven by growth.

Rooted in ambition and informed by the insight of the business community, the manifesto focuses on unlocking the full potential of one of the UK’s most dynamic regional economies.

With a £55 billion economy, 94,000 businesses and 878,000 jobs, Greater Essex is already a major engine of growth. Yet the opportunity is even greater. If the region performed in line with the wider South East, it could generate up to £8 billion more in economic output every year, underlining the scale of what can be achieved.

Read Greater Essex: Globally Connected, Powered by Ambition

The manifesto launch comes at a time of significant change for the region, as Greater Essex prepares for a new era of devolved decision-making and future governance arrangements. GEBB — created by business, for business — is committed to working closely with the new Mayor and the councils emerging from Local Government Reorganisation to ensure business voices help shape the region’s future.

Greater Essex: Globally Connected, Powered by Ambition sets out clear priorities for the next Mayor and demonstrates how devolved powers and funding can act as a catalyst for sustainable growth and shared prosperity across the region.

It reflects the ambition and expertise of Greater Essex’s business community and sets out a clear plan to unlock the region’s full potential.

Greater Essex is an area of huge opportunity and untapped potential.

One of the largest and fastest-growing economies in the UK, it is a dynamic, thriving entrepreneurial and creative region with significant assets upon which to build.

There are already significant investments happening in Essex and this is a time of real momentum with billions committed.

These include £1.1 billion at London Stansted Airport, creating more than 5,000 permanent jobs, up to £1 billion at DP World London Gateway, the £9 billion Lower Thames Crossing, and clean-energy and offshore opportunities at Freeport East and Thames Freeport.

The manifesto reflects the ambition and expertise of Greater Essex’s business community and sets out a plan to build on this momentum and unlock the region’s full potential.

GEBB, as the voice of business, will champion investment, innovation, and inclusive prosperity – driving Greater Essex to become a national and international economic leader.

The message of the manifesto is simple:

Greater Essex is ready. Greater Essex is ambitious. Greater Essex is open for business.

Read the manifesto in full

The manifesto sets our four priority areas for action:

Infrastructure for Growth

Encourage long-term investment in rail, road, energy and freight capacity, including the establishment of Integrated Transport and Power Accelerators.

Inward Investment

Positioning Greater Essex as a global gateway offering unrivalled connections, supported by two Freeports, two international airports and world-class connectivity.

Skills

Establishing Greater Essex as the UK’s test-bed for skills innovation, including creating a ‘One Essex Skills Front Door’ as well as a Greater Essex Skills & Innovation Fund.

Inspiring Business Growth

Creating a smarter, simpler and unified system of support for SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups, including a single front door for business support.