Regional Infrastructure 06

with much of it having been drained centuries ago to create some of the best agricultural land in the country. And yet the Fens are home to some of the poorest communities in the region. A focus on the Fens will enable us to consider issues relating to agricultural productivity, the tensions between different land uses, the management of water, the importance of biodiversity, and the role that the people, communities and businesses of the Fens can take in tackling climate change.

Resilience is key

Climate change is also an issue for the Coast: East Anglia’s coastline is eroding at the fastest rate in the country. It is also at the forefront of tackling climate change through its role as the ‘Energy Coast’, home to huge fields of wind turbines and other sources of renewable energy. Understanding the role that the Energy Coast can play in the generation of renewable energy and related innovations is another area of interest. The connectivity of the Coast to the rest of the region and beyond is also of interest. Home to a number of ports, including Felixstowe – responsible for 40 per cent of the UK’s container traffic – the area is of national importance to the UK economy. The pre-Christmas backlog of containers at Felixstowe demonstrated the impact that disruptions can have across the country. We need to ensure that economies locally and nationally are taking the full advantage of these assets and that they remain resilient in the face of future economic shocks.

The Cambridge connection

The western edge of East Anglia is also of particular interest. For the last 50 years, we have seen the emergence of the ‘Cambridge Phenomenon’ and the development of the area as a source of comparative advantage in relation to the knowledge economy. Cambridge is often seen as a city of international importance and a success story for the UK. But how do Greater Cambridge’s successes contribute to the wider East Anglian economy? Are Greater Cambridge’s successes spread as far and effectively as possible? Coupled to this, what changes does the greater Cambridge area need to see to ensure that its successes can continue and are not constrained by insufficient infrastructure, housing and access to labour markets? Given the ongoing uncertainty about the future of the OxCam Arc a question also remains about how Cambridge connects more effectively with the surrounding area; should it face west or east, south or north?

Sharing knowledge and learning

The final two themes focus on two specific issues in relation to productivity and the economies of East Anglia. A focus on leading-edge activities and the foundational economy is an opportunity to consider both the cutting-edge businesses in East Anglia alongside the importance of supporting sectors of the economy, such as health and care. As the Coronavirus pandemic has shown, these different areas are significant in their own ways and a likely source of future employment growth, so it is important to consider how productivity issues should be addressed. A question we are particularly interested in is whether we are providing enough opportunities to share knowledge and learning across sectors.

The public sector

Finally, we are interested in how the structure of the public sector in East Anglia affects productivity. East Anglia’s current governance arrangements – like those of many places – have emerged in a piecemeal fashion over time and may face further changes following the publication of the government’s Levelling Up White Paper. Across the region there are questions as to whether these arrangements have an impact on private sector decision-making and investment planning. Equally, there are further questions to be asked around public sector productivity and how this could be improved across the region. We believe our work is essential in drawing together expertise from across the region’s private, public and third sector organisations to map out the opportunities, risks, and linkages between the different functional economies in the region. East Anglia is at the forefront of both the challenges and opportunities of climate change and, as we move into the next phase of work, we are keen that our work can bring forward proposals that allow us to address the former and maximise the latter, driving up both productivity performance and quality of life for all who live and work here.

Owen Garling Owen works at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. The East Anglia Forum is part of the Productivity Institute, a £32 million investment which aims to lay the foundations for sustained and inclusive productivity growth. It is one of eight across the UK, examining productivity issues and stakeholder needs.

REGIONAL PRODUCTIVITY FORUM

productivity.ac.uk/business/eastanglia-productivity-forum/