Call to invest in the East

At the labour party conference in Bournemouth, David Marlow, chief executive of the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), told delegates: “The manufacturing challenge for the government over the coming period is not just about managing the decline of traditional manufacturing industries, but also about investing in the future success of new sectors, clusters and innovative technologies in the East.” Marlow’s words follow the vision that Gordon Brown set out earlier in the week of the conference, for the UK to be a world leader not only in the creative industries, but also in modern manufacturing, by “drawing on the talents of all to create British jobs for British workers.” They also follow a speech from Barbara Follett, the minister for the East of England, who supported EEDA’s case for increased investment. “Manufacturing is not a declining industry,” added Marlow. “It is merely transforming. But as it transforms, we need to move peoples’ perception of manufacturing away from the misleading 20th century stereotype of what it was. There are fantastic opportunities in the whole of the UK, particularly the East of England, as manufacturing is transforming into a lean, innovative and diverse 21st Century industry.”