The NWBLT calls for strengthened public–private collaboration across the North West to Support Growth
The North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) has published a new paper setting out the principles needed to support stronger collaboration between business and the public sector. It highlights the vital relationship between thriving businesses and successful places and makes the case for a stronger business voice in shaping place-based policy and economic development.
It was developed together with public and private sector senior leaders and partners from right across the region. While recognising the resource pressures and competing priorities that can hinder collaboration, all recognised that meaningful business engagement is not a ‘nice to have’ but an important part of good policymaking and successful delivery. This was accompanied by an enthusiasm to deepen and strengthen engagement toward greater co-design.
It contains a series of principles designed to support more effective public–private co-creation in policy development and delivery than is believed to be the case currently. They highlight a shared responsibility to ensure collaboration between business and government is meaningful, balanced and transparent — enabling more effective partnerships in the years ahead.
Paul Corcoran, Founder of Agent, helped to lead the work and said:
‘Our research, co-delivered with Helm Partners, highlighted the increasing need and growing appetite for better-connected, structured, and considered engagement between public and private sector partners. Co-design should never be an afterthought – rather a crucial part of how we bring leaders’ expertise and valuable intelligence together to shape impactful policies and key decision making’.
Chris Woodroofe, Chair of NWBLT, said:
‘Businesses need places just as places need business. When public and private sectors work together effectively, we can design better policy and deliver stronger outcomes for communities and the economy.
This paper reflects conversations with partners across sectors who share a common purpose: to deliver better outcomes for people, communities and the economy. By setting out clear principles for collaboration, we hope to support more consistent, transparent and meaningful engagement between business and policymakers.’
Click here to download the document.