Nottingham must not try to revive its lost industrial economy and instead look to science and innovation to create more jobs and prosperity, MPs and business leaders say.
Dozens of powerful people from the city and county met in Westminster on Tuesday for Nottingham in Parliament Day.
Around 100 representatives attended more than 40 seminars, debates and exhibitions inside the Houses of Parliament to attract attention and funding from the Government.
The city’s talent for innovation, education, sport, culture and business was shown off inside and outside the Palace of Westminster.
Some speakers said if Nottingham is to achieve long-term prosperity it should focus on its growing science and technology sector, instead of looking back on its industrial past.
Sir Andrew Witty, chief executive of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, said the city has a good opportunity to build a new economy based on science.
The company has just opened a new lab in Lenton alongside the University of Nottingham to drive global innovation in chemistry.
The city’s £30 million BioCity science park expansion, which overlooks lower Parliament Street near the London Road roundabout, is also nearly complete.
“There’s a lot of talk about the northern powerhouse – but if you look at the manufacturing heartbeat of the country it’s in the Midlands,” said Sir Andrew.
“The city and region have some of our most iconic businesses.
“There’s no reason Nottingham can’t revolutionise chemistry. Some of the work being done already is trailblazing. Within a year we have been able to attract the three top research teams from around the world and Nottingham is now a world leader in research in green chemistry.
“Not everyone wakes up and thinks about it [chemistry] but you should.”
The new lab on Triumph Road is already home to research into fuel cell technology based around turning acids into electricity, which could one day transform batteries in mobile phones.
In contrast the last deep coal mine in Nottinghamshire, at Thoresby, closed in 2015 – marking the end of an industry which once formed the bedrock of the city and county’s economy.
Ken Clarke, the former Chancellor and Conservative MP for Rushcliffe, said: “What I like is that we are looking forward and talking about the new industries we have.
“If you go to the more rust belt towns I still find people are talking about recreating the economy they have lost, like foundries and steelworks, and it does make it very, very hard work.
“The fact we are talking about bio-tech and businesses like Experian is tremendous.”
But he added large infrastructure schemes like the tram network should not be seen as the key to economic security.
“It must be business-friendly infrastructure and investment with a proper plan showing the economic return,” he added.
“More and more trams are good along routes that need them – I’m not convinced they are the answer to economic growth in the region.”
MPs @ChrisLeslieMP and @Mark_Spencer set aside political differences outside Commons for @nottinghamday #NottinghamTogether pic.twitter.com/JviLrZ2E9X
— Notts TV News (@Notts_TVNews) October 25, 2016
Video: Nottingham’s status as a City of Football and sporting hub was showcased on New Palace yard in the shadow of Big Ben, where Sherwood MP Mark Spencer and Nottingham East MP Chris Leslie got in on the action.
Broxtowe’s Conservative MP Anna Soubry said Nottingham had to find a way to send a message to the world it was “open for business” despite uncertainty over how the UK economy will perform after it leaves the European Union.
She said the city must continue to attract skilled migrants and highlighted the city’s two universities and their relationships with China.
But some executives said the city could focus on growth from within.
Missed our Facebook Live from #NottinghamInParliamentDay ? WATCH the full video now on Facebook https://t.co/DZY1sYwFWp #NottinghamTogether pic.twitter.com/swH4wHNrrS
— Notts TV News (@Notts_TVNews) October 25, 2016
David Marlow, chief executive of Nottingham Building Society, said: “We now have 60 branches up from 30, and we’ve increased our staff by 40 per cent.
“There’s clearly economic value and benefits in terms of willing investment in what we already have in Nottingham.”
Nottingham in Parliament Day was planned by the University of Nottingham, whose Vice-Chancellor, Sir David Greenaway, has warned the city also needs to find a way to retain “vitality and talent” instead of losing workers to jobs in London.
