Advancing ambitions: Creating a sustainable economic future for Sheffield
Author: Tom Bolton, Kieran Larkin & Paul SwinneyDate: 17/10/2011
Sheffield is part of the Centre for Cities’ Partner City research programme. The programme works closely with a small group of cities to inform economic development strategies and improve economic performance. The research focuses on the core question: What are Sheffield’s key growth sectors, and what are the implications of these and the changing policy environment for future economic growth in the city?
Key Recommendations
Main priorities for Sheffield City Council include:
• Work to make Sheffield more attractive to business, including taking a creative approach to disused industrial land, using the Enterprise Zone as a lever to improve environmental quality and using new financial mechanisms such as Tax Increment Financing to lever private sector contributions.
• Work with Sheffield’s two Advanced Manufacturing Research Centres (AMRCs) to advise businesses on marketing Intellectual Property and building international links to sell knowledge as well as products.
• Prioritise skills investment and university links, using Technology Innovation Centre programme funding to bridge the gap between universities and business and continuing to reduce the proportion of the workforce with no qualifications through creative partnerships with Work Programme providers.
