Industrial Strategy could ‘give vital boost’ to the Black Country

Sarah Moorhouse, chief executive, Black Country Chamber of Commerce

The new Industrial Strategy, unveiled yesterday, could give a vital boost to the Black Country, with investment in skills critical to the region’s growth. That is the view from the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, which welcomed the strategy’s priority support for energy-intensive industries, research and development (R&D) and skills development.

Black Country Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive Sarah Moorhouse highlighted the potential benefits for key sectors operating in Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell, including metal processing, advanced manufacturing, automotive and food and beverage production.

She said: “The Black Country is a manufacturing powerhouse with around 3,000 energy intensive businesses operating here — they need electricity bills to come down and they need them to come down quickly as they have sounded the alarm about uncompetitive energy bills for years.

"The targeted support through the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme is very much welcomed and a positive step forward — but the timescale for this is 2027. We need transitional measures to help our electricity-intensive businesses that will ease long-term cost pressures and it may be that the extension of the Network Charging Compensation scheme is not enough.”

Moving the dial
The Chamber welcomed commitments to R&D and skills development, including the £1 billion Clean Energy Supply Chain Fund and the £450 million skills investment. Ms Moorhouse added: “These are big figures, and we needed the Government to recognise that this is the level of investment required to move the dial. When we ask our members about the challenges they face we hear recruitment is tough, skills is a real issue and the cost of doing business is forever increasing.

“The focus on R&D and skills is crucial for the long-term success of our businesses and we are looking forward to seeing the detail in the coming weeks. The Industrial Strategy can help our region build on its advanced manufacturing base and more training and apprenticeships is a step in the right direction, but we must ensure that these opportunities are accessible to our regional workforce."

The Black Country Chamber of Commerce represents around 1,500 businesses employing a significant number of employees across the Black Country region, which includes Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.