Economists from Stantec’s Taunton office provided us with local research that shows that we need a bold approach, as in recent years Taunton and Wellington has fallen behind economically and we need to change this. Communities have suffered from job losses and the closure or re-location of businesses out of the area and that trend is concerning and must be addressed if town centres and communities are to thrive with the services they need.

We need to make use of the talent we have coming through organisations such as Bridgwater and Taunton College and the University Centre Somerset and provide opportunities to contribute to our economy locally. BTC scored ‘Outstanding’ across all areas of the college, the approach to studies that provides industry experience and immense employability skills to contribute to our economy must not be overlooked, but we cannot expect to retain these skills locally if the opportunities for employment are not there.

The Taunton and Wellington area has so many fantastic assets that we need to utilise, a location at the heart of the South West, outstanding natural beauty, a university centre with business-led degrees, and exceptional connectivity by road and rail to London, Bristol and Exeter and Bath.

Through In2West we have started these conversations, put together the ‘Taunton and Wellington offer’, and started to look towards the future.