Leading figures in West London have joined forces to release a plan focusing on the sub-region’s strengths and call on government to let West London help drive the UK’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Build & Recover plan, created by the West London Alliance, was released last week, and looks to tackle the economic and social issues effecting West London – which include 270,000 residents that were furloughed and 127,000 new Universal credit claimants in the second quarter of 2020.
The plan looks to protect and create thousands of jobs through timely and good quality employment support and skills provision, while driving innovation and embedding a green recovery to help boost the national economy.
David Francis, director of the West London Alliance and Paul Najsarek, Chief Executive of Ealing Borough Council, gave a short update to Capital West London Build & Recover Summit delegates about the plan.
Mr Najsarek said: “It’s an urgent call for action for avoid the long-term scarring impacts COVID, and the economic impact COVID could have on our communities.
“We’ve got loads of strengths here in West London and we are sure those strengths will be relevant for us in the long but we’ve got to make sure we respond to the issues we’re confronting, especially those issues about persistent deprivation and economic exclusion, which existed before COVID, but have been exacerbated and amplified by it.
“We’ve got an ambitious plan as West London authorities. As Chief Executive of Ealing, alongside all the other chief execs and all the leaders, we’re fully committed to it.”
Mr Najsarek added the WLA was working with partners across the public sector, including government, private sector and the communities to establish the plan, establishing a West London economic recovery taskforce.
He added: “We need to work with our communities, not due to our communities.
“We’re powerful actors in the West London economy across the private and public sector and we can do things are going to make a difference together. We’re all very committed to doing that across our partnership.
“We want to make sure that our economy addresses social challenges, and economic challenges in West London.”
You can read the Build & Recover Plan here.
