Member Briefing - West of England MCA Growth Strategy 2025
Member Briefing: West of England Growth Strategy
Published September 2025
The Growth Strategy can be read in full here: https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/aboutus/our-strategy/west-of-england-growth-plan/
What area does the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WEMCA) cover?
• The Mayoral Combined Authority is led by the Mayor, Helen Godwin, and covers the three geographical areas of Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
• The Mayoral Combined Authority also supports the Local Enterprise Partnership, which is business-led, and covers the four West of England councils, including North Somerset Council.
Overall priorities for the West of England
• Social improvements, including:
o Lifting children out of poverty
o Providing affordable childcare
o Supporting young people into work
o Helping with the cost of living
• Economic development, including:
o A transport network that meets the needs of the region
o Better paid jobs
o Building thousands of new houses
o Attracting and supporting more businesses
o Fostering global trade and investment relationships
o Investment in local universities
o Creation of new districts for businesses and people
• Environmental and sustainability goals, including:
o A drive on green innovation and reduction of pollution
o Protection of landscapes and nature
o Supporting climate resilience
Overview: Transport in the West of England
• WEMCA will publish and deliver a new regional transport strategy.
• In the next decade, WEMCA aims for at least 45% of commuting journeys to be made by active travel and public transport.
• They will work to improve the suburban rail network, and deliver mass transit for the West of England.
• They aim to work towards a ticketing system that would allow passengers to move between services with a single ticket; and consolidate timetables across operators.
• They recognise the opportunities around linking transport with housing, and will work with partners to unlock growth opportunities.
• The accessibility of public transport is a priority – making it easier for people to use public transport, and focusing on first/last mile solutions.
Member Briefing: West of England Growth Strategy
Published September 2025
Public Transport and Rail
• Deliver a new, bold, regional transport strategy to get the West of England moving. This will be published in 2026 setting the course for the transport improvements
• Deliver improved buses, giving residents the bus network they deserve. Will work to increase connectivity, accessibility and integration, and rolling out more electric buses
• Improve the suburban rail network by opening new lines and stations, increasing service frequencies making train travel an option for many more residents. Including opening the Portishead line by the end of 2027, connecting over 50,000 to the rail network, and delivering at least £43m per year economic benefit. Broader rail improvements will be vital to delivering developments such as Brabazon
• Deliver mass transit for the West of England, improving connectivity to and between growth zones and along key corridors, and expand public transport choice.
• Make it easier to walk, wheel and cycle – working with Active Travel England and investing to provide high quality infrastructure and training and support to make these ways of travelling the natural choice for shorter trips
• Build the skills needed to deliver our transport vision. We will establish a Skills for Transport Construction Partnership between developers, skills providers and SMEs – ensuring construction across the region opens up job and business growth opportunities for residents and SMEs.
• Make it easier to travel across the network, moving between services on a single ticket and with single timetables across operators. Our improved transport network will be enhanced with integrated ticketing – starting with integration across our bus network and ultimately making it easier for people to move between different modes of transport, creating a mass transit network for the region.
• Working with national Government and transport agencies to ensure our transport network plans unlock the housing growth opportunities across the region. This will include work with National Highways and Network Rail on key opportunities that will unlock housing and commercial development, ensuring they are well linked to public transport hubs.
• Make it easier to use public transport, offering people support to access jobs, training and opportunities, and explore how the transport system can be best used to lift children and families out of poverty.
• Align transport, housing and climate resilience plans to unlock growthensuring all new housing developments have appropriate transport links and infrastructure (including social and environmental infrastructure, access to green spaces, and access to EV infrastructure) that are fit for the future.
Member Briefing: West of England Growth Strategy
Published September 2025
Plans for a mass transit system
• Devolved infrastructure funding will ‘kickstart delivery’, but long-term success will depend on strong public-private partnerships.
• WEMCA will explore new financing mechanisms, including Land Value Capture, green finance, and revenue-sharing.
• Graphics in the Growth Strategy suggest that the potential routes for a mass transit system could link to:
o University of the West of England
o Abbey Wood Ministry of Defence
o Bristol Aerospace Cluster
o Bristol and Bath Science Park
o Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprice Campus
o Central Bath and Bath Spa University
o Filton
o Cribbs Causeway
o Bristol Airport
• Rail upgrades could include:
o A transformed Bristol Parkway station
o Bristol Temple Quarter – continued improvement and investment
Joint priorities with central Government: Transport
• WEMCA and Government will collaborate to enhance transport connectivity across the region. Their focus includes creating a more integrated, reliable, and sustainable transport system that is accessible and affordable for all.
• This involves tackling urban congestion, improving links between market towns and city centres, and ensuring better connections between where people live and employment or training opportunities.
• These efforts are designed to support regional climate and nature objectives, boost accessibility to key growth areas, and help attract and retain a skilled workforce to drive productivity.
Overview: Economic Growth & Skills
• WEMCA will publish an investment prospectus detailing investment opportunities across the region, and update it regularly. A new Business Board will also be set up, and work to identify and tackle barriers to growth around new investment opportunities.
• They hope to agree an Innovation Deal with Government.
• WEMCA will develop a new regional skills strategy; support further devolution in the skills and post-16 space; set up an Apprenticeships for Growth programme to increase apprenticeship numbers; and develop a network of skills academies.
• Invest in renewable energy, including the development of Floating Offshore Wind with Bristol Port; growing nuclear energy capacity; and continue to lead nationally in retrofit services.
Member Briefing: West of England Growth Strategy
Published September 2025
• In the next decade, WEMCA aims to create 72,000 new jobs across a range of sectors.
Priority Growth Sectors
1. Advanced Manufacturing
2. Digital & Technologies
3. Clean Energy Industries
4. Creative Industries
5. Everyday Economy (includes construction, transport & logistics, and everyday economy manufacturing)
Core actions to accelerate a decade of growth
1. Contributing to national economic growth helping our businesses success and creating jobs
2. Connecting the region through public transport & active travel
3. Building affordable and attractive homes in sustainable communities
4. Empowering residents with the skills to access the jobs that will shapes our future
5. Making the West of England the home for green jobs and green growth
6. Lifting children and families out of poverty in the West of England
Priorities for Accelerating Delivery
• Revising the approach to investment – more information provided in the new Regional Investment Strategy.
• Drive social value – WEMCA will launch an updated Social Value Framework to help spending deliver the greatest possible impact for people in the region. The Framework will also align supplier efforts with regional priorities and challenges.
• Work with central Government to further extend devolved responsibilities and powers into the region.
• Explore public service reform, and opportunities to strengthen services.
• Establish new routes to delivery, in partnership with University and Further Education providers.
• Harness the innovative capability of the region.
