Representatives from local authorities and private sector companies will be meeting next week to discuss how advanced communications technology can drive forward South West England’s economy.

The South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) is bringing together a range of figures involved in economic development at local authority level to debate how ICT can help unlock the region’s business potential.  he event will take place on Tuesday, December 4 at Somerset College of Arts and Technology in Taunton.  

It follows on from a workshop held in October when invited delegates from hi-tech companies such as Virgin Media Group, Microsoft and the TwoFour Group, along with the South West RDA, considered how far the region has come in terms of advanced ICT. 

At the December event Jeremy Filmer-Bennett from the Devon & Cornwall Business Council will report back on the issues raised by the workshop, and Dr Steve Shepherd from Adroit Economics will explain how investment in ICT could boost the region’s economy by £3bn over the next five years.

Fabian King, Head of Regional ICT at the South West RDA, said: “The workshop in October was very instructive in terms of the future direction of ICT across South West England. 

“We want to make sure that the people in charge of economic development at local authority level are aware of the issues such as skills and next generation access, so that they can really make ICT work for them and the communities they serve.”

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