Taunton and Wellington Constituency in Action
I am delighted to be supporting the Taunton and Wellington Constituency Office of Gideon Amos MP on economic and strategic planning matters and it is immensely valuable seeing strategy in action.
With a priority to ‘stand up’ for the area, the constituency team are evaluating the local economic conditions to shape what action we need to collectively take to counter-balance negative trends and put Taunton and Wellington on a more sustainable footing for the future.
The Taunton and Wellington area has so many fantastic assets, 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. Are these assets perhaps undervalued or overlooked? Is the constituency missing out on supply chain opportunities for nationally significant projects in wider Somerset or indeed other growth sectors like data and agritech?
Communities have suffered from job losses and the closure or re-location of businesses out of area and that trend is concerning and must be addressed if town centres and communities are to thrive with the services’ they would like to have access to. Whilst garden town status is an acknowledged ‘label’ for Taunton, creating a dormitary town without a strong economic base would not be sustainable. So how do we ensure the economic wellbeing of our communities?
Resetting the agenda and being clear that Taunton and Wellington are ‘open for business’ is now firmly on the table: creating the space for dialogue on how we diversify and strengthen the economy through a new taskforce – In2West. Cross sector collaboration and partnership development will be key to success as well as building a culture of positivity to enable progress to be made – attracting investment and delivering on the ground.
Engagement with established key economic sectors is vital to understand business needs, as well as communication with the real estate market to scope future opportunities for the area and its communities.
On 27th February 2025, Gideon and team welcomed the Minister of State for Defence Lord Vernon Coaker to Taunton to host a round table with our impressive defence sector and then spend time at the UK Hydrographic Office. It was an absolute pleasure to hear first hand of the expertise of our business community and their passion for innovation. The defence sector is critical to UK security and the constituency is proud to host significant businesses and support the ongoing success and growth of this key economic sector.