Securing jobs and developing skills for a competitive economy

To reduce out-commuting, you need to work with local employers who are able to provide decent wages. I cannot afford to stop commuting to London as even taking out the travel costs, I'd be approx £15k worse off a year. We need big employers in the area,

You mention "gain wide recognition of Medway as a centre for learning and its student base; and realise economic and place-making opportunities associated with the cluster of universities/colleges in Medway", however the Art College was allowed to close and is now becoming flats! We need to keep creative focus as well as academic.

Lowering rent for businesses in Medway can foster growth and innovation, attracting more big retailers and small businesses. Modern architecture and outdoor spaces are also crucial. Medway's proximity to colleges and universities boosts the area's economy, and improving the public realm for all can attract students and job seekers.

In order to develop skills in the future, I think it is important that Medway social services are better equipped to get children to school. I see children who go to school perhaps one day out of 5, this is something that prevents skills building. Seeing the present situation, I would gauge that massive recruitment in social services is needed and I would suggest a campaign educating parents in the necessity to take their children to school in order to secure them (and society at large) a good future.

Affordable places for new and/ or small businesses to rent.
Education focus should also be towards skilled professions such as electricians, plumbers, hair dressers, etc., - there are different kinds of smart, not just academic smart.
High street shops are closing - prevents tourism, bring high streets back to life with affordable shops.

Always wary of the undefined term "growth" - what does this mean in practice and how do you ensure it is "sustainable"?

Perhaps to be a thriving economic centre the whole stupidity of charging for parking should be reviewed. The proximity of free parking at Hempstead valley and Bluewater shows what a disastrous impact parking charges have on the local commercial and retail centres.

Although creating a competitive economy is a valid goal there are no core services to support this. Public services and the roles needed to uphold industries are completely broken.

Fully support these objectives that are both ambitious and achievable

Fully support these ambitious but achievable objectives

Traditional forms of employment have been changing in the last 100 years, unfortunately the perception of what employment land is has not. The introduction of B8 distribution challenged local authorities in the 80’s and ‘90s as more of these uses came forward. Sport is often overlooked as an employer.

It is estimated that there is a total of 2,018 people employed via sport in Medway with an economic generation of £72.3m into the local economy. There are wider values as well in saving £90.4m in the health economy and generating £7.8m in wider spending with a further £61.9m in volunteering. Looking at statistics for Employee Jobs by Industry (2021) in Medway the figure is better than categories B,C,E,L and S. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157282/report.aspx

https://www.sportengland.org/our-work/partnering-local-government/tools-directory/economic-value-of-sport-local-model/

Chatham Docks is a perfect area to continue to support achieve this goal and should maintain it's protection from development.

Council tax needs to be manageable for businesses. Growth support is needed. Mentoring schemes with business needs establishing. Suitable road rail and communications networks need to be in place. Upgrading of the current road infrastructure.

A range of sites needs to be identified to deliver employment and investment opportunities noting that work practices are changing and buildings need to be flexible to allow different employment uses. Traditional employment sites, such as the Medway City Estate, need to be considered as strategic development opportunities, particularly where waterfront locations can offer high quality redevelopment, making efficient and sustainable use of well located land, whilst having a positive environmental benefit.

Poverty, excessive taxes, regulation and fines for non compliance, loss of freedom and access to jobs lead to the biggest shortening of life span and quality of life. We live in a technological 21st Century society that has risks and is motorised. The oppressive use of risk mitigation under ‘its for the good of the people’ banner becomes a type of communist control with associated loss of freedom. Every proposal must comply with the following standard: Is it necessary, lawful, proportionate and accountable? Capitalism produces wealth and raises every-bodies standard of living. Education should focus on producing skilled trade-persons.

I have noticed that you have included Chatham Docks for closure and development. How can you include this when it will mean the lost of lots of quality employment for local people. I object to the closure of Chatham Docks for development and I think it should be taken out of the local plan for development.

Medway Council - Don’t build housing on Capstone Valley and its surrounding farmland if you want to: - Protect endangered wildlife, including owls and water voles. - Save Medway’s last rural green space. - Prevent Medway from being an overly oppressive and depressing concrete landscape to live in. - Protect an outdoor green space that people who have no choice but to live in poor urban settings can easily escape to and enjoy some peace and tranquility. - Avoid near total reliance on car journeys because any housing in Capstone Valley will be miles from any train station.

Existing employment sites within Medway are often poorly served by public transport and safe walking, wheeling and cycling routes.

Improved bus connections are required between Medway rail stations and the Medway City Estate, Innovation Park and Gillingham Business Park. Similarly the proposed business sites at Kingsnorth and Grain need public transport connections beyond their immediate local communities that operate at times which can service a variety of shift patterns.

Be good to see a focus on green growth. Innovation on how we can reach net zero and make dwellings carbon neutral/negative.

By shutting the Chatham docks, which is currently classified as commercial space, this would not foster local jobs this would remove jobs and also remove 250million of local turnover which is a big boost to the local economy. Shutting the docks would be in direct conflict with with building on engineering and energy industries in the area, which the dock is involved in. Shutting the docks would not develop jobs of the future it would remove them along with the infrastructure. To help create future spaces ArcelorMittal have proposed they could buy the dock and invest in its future.

The Dockyard has clearly been marked for housing but it would be better for employment opportunities.

Where is the focus on jobs for the green economy and appropriate educational pathways in accessible educational institutions? Without such capacity enhancements our towns will become either devoid of young people or ghost towns during the day. This so called compelling future looks great for those moving out of London but dire for the youth. Transport links to stations and or park and ride need to feature at the core of this but are hardly visible. It’s just houses and more houses.

I support this idea wholeheartedly, still no mention of what will be done to encourage exciting, enterprising business to Medway by preventing anti-social behaviour though

Not ambitious enough. Should be wanting to be a regional power within the South East and Thames Estuary, and utilise our strong connections to Europe and London. Gateway waterfront city.

Our client supports the objective of contributing to building a strong, responsive and competitive economy. Specifically, supporting the bullet point that boost the performance of the local economy by supporting local businesses to grow and innovate; and attracting
inward investment and re-locations, through the provision of a portfolio of good quality employment land that meets the needs of businesses; and to secure and extend higher value employment opportunities; and reduce out-commuting.

However, we consider that there are some objectives that need to be tightened to ensure that the overall vision for Medway is not being limited.

In a response to the Development Options consultation, provided in April 2017. It was set out that Medway’s economy is lagging behind the county and national averages, with productivity running at two thirds of the national level, whilst productivity in terms of GVA is the lowest in the South-East region (despite being the largest city in Kent and one of the largest in the South East). We therefore, wish to re-affirm our previous comments:
“We therefore believe it is imperative that the Council reflects, in its Local Plan, the intention to be supportive of those businesses that are able to maintain and contribute to the growth of GVA. Especially where, in the case of AC Goatham and Son and its
growing partners, current annual GVA of the business is £13.75 million. Our client
therefore supports the vision that the Local Plan priorities should (as set out at paragraph
2.12) “boost economic performance through supporting local businesses and attracting
inward investment”.
Furthermore, the Kent and Medway Growth Deal 2014 recognises that to unlock economic potential “backing business expansion through better access to finance and support” should be taken forward in the Local Plan. It is currently not included in the
wording of the strategic economic objective and this is considered an omission.
This representation promotes Bloors Farm which is a large site that has the potential to deliver a mixed-use scheme. On this basis, jobs could be created through the provision of development of this site. This statement considers that there is an omission in the
overarching objective which supports a competitive economy as at fails to mention the construction industry as an important an influential model for delivering growth and supporting a competitive economy in the local area.

Further to this, the provision of a large residential scheme will enable the provision of jobs through the construction of dwellings and associated infrastructure.

The ‘Plan for Growth’ published by HM Treasury in March 2011 recognises that a successful construction industry is vital for sustainable growth in the UK and sets out that this includes the construction and maintenance of homes.
It notes that providing new homes in the right places is vital for future economic competitiveness.

One way to retain employment is not to develop the docks into housing

These suggestions are all valuable, but don't forget to develop green technologies by working closely with the existing Medway communities.

Growth in tourism must demonstrate HOW it will benefit the local economy. The recent application for a winery and visitor centre at Cuxton was initially supported by Medway Council, however, no evidence was provided that the visitors were likely to spend any money outside the winery and so tourism would only benefit the winery business.
Location is the key if tourism is to benefit the local economy.

I agree that Medway should be a centre for learning and the local economy and businesses should be grown BUT with regard to Grain and Kingsnorth, the road infrastructure would be inadequate to support this. With only one feasible route on and off the peninsula, any minor incident or road works causes chaos. The alternative relief route which was proposed in the cancelled HIF project was totally inadequate and impractical. It is difficult to see how this problem can be resolved. Maybe better use of the river as a form of transport might be considered.

Since the closure of Chatham Docks, the skills base has flatlined. Although the University has provided some input, plus Rochester Horsted Business Park's extension there is a decline in major companies coming into the Medway Towns. Re Tourism, Rochester High Street is also suffering as many shops are now cafe's. Many are closed.

How can you support local jobs to grow when there is a desire to close Gillingham port at the expense of 800 jobs.
Just how do you propose to improve the skills of local work force when the council is almost broke? Is private enterprise coming in to do that?