Economy and Jobs

The economic success of Cambridgeshire has made it one of the most attractive places to live and work in the UK. It offers a vibrant commercial network, world-famous research and academic institutions, and a high quality of life, which continues to draw both enterprises and individuals from across the country and around the world to the county.

An important part of delivering sustainable new communities is delivering new job opportunities. However, economic growth cannot take place without the necessary additional affordable and market level houses, and investment in infrastructure, particularly transport.

The growth agenda and the economy are fundamentally linked. Without housing growth and additional infrastructure the local economy will be unable to continue to grow for a number of reasons:

• Employees - If employees are unable to rent or buy a home in the local area they will either have to commute long distances, or simply choose to work elsewhere. Therefore plenty of housing is needed to allow the economy to grow. Currently Cambridgeshire suffers from housing shortages, as research in the Strategic Housing Market Assessment shows.
• Transport - Good transport links are vital to the economy. They get staff to work on time, goods delivered, clients to meetings and link businesses with the rest of the region and beyond. Inadequate public transport, congestion and lack of provision for walking and cycling cause wasted time and resources. Continued investment in transport is therefore essential to Cambridgeshire's continued economic success.
• New developments - Sustainable new communities need businesses based within them. New towns, such as Northstowe, will have new business space built into them to attract companies to the area. A new community doesn't just consist of houses, but must offer job opportunities and space for retail and services to supply the residents. In Cambridgeshire these needs are being planned into new developments at an early stage.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) were responsible for driving the Cambridgeshire economy forward, and developed a Sub-regional economic strategies to guide future investment and enable continued economic growth.

Now the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership seek to ensure to the continued economic success of the county. Read the sub-regional economic strategy here.