Transforming Telford

“Partnership working is the backbone of our organisation and many others. For us without partnerships we simply would not exist. Transforming Telford as a company is the culmination of both public and private sectors working together for the greater good of Telford.

“The national regeneration agency, English Partnerships, Advantage West Midlands and Telford and Wrekin Council, our founding partners, came together to establish an entity that would drive forward physical and economic development in the town. Our role is effectively to encourage and attract more than a billion pounds of new investment, facilitate the creation of over 10,000 new jobs and help to improve the quality of life for all who live and work in Telford. This is not something that we can achieve on our own.

“Partnerships are vital in helping to drive both the key physical regeneration projects that we are delivering as well as the services that we provide and ultimately are the key to helping us achieve our objectives. For instance with the £250 million redevelopment of Telford Town Centre we are working in partnership with Telford and Wrekin Council, the Hark Group with Apollo Real Estate and the International Centre, to ensure that a top quality scheme is developed that will help achieve our growth plans for the town.

“This multi-million pound redevelopment will need a tremendous amount of coordination; however, with the strong support of our partners we will be able to manage this in an efficient and effective manner.

“Partnership working is also crucial for our investment team, who are helping to shape Telford’s economy by supporting new investors and existing businesses to develop and grow. Networking and sharing information is a key part of their role, helping to put people in touch and encouraging others to also work in partnership.

“The business community in Telford is also very aware of the benefits of partnership working and regularly engages with us on business issues. Together with local and regional organisations we support and host a number of key business networks. These include the Telford Business Partnership (TBP) which is the voice of the local Business and Professional Services sector providing its 120 members with an opportunity to network and develop business relationships; the Business Environmental Support Scheme for Telford (BESST), supported by Envirowise, it is one the of the top resource efficiency clubs in the UK that provides a forum to share best practice in resource efficiency and waste minimisation; the Shropshire Constructing Excellence Club, one of the region’s six industry-led clubs, it aims to provide members with the opportunity to learn from each other, share knowledge, and ultimately improve their business and the Telford and Shropshire Marketing Partnership (TSMP) which supports and promotes the destination to local and national leisure markets through its members.

“I’ve touched on just a few to demonstrate the scale and variety of partnership working in Telford. The common theme however remains the same and that’s ‘working together’ which I cannot stress enough how important this is in the renaissance of our town.”

ENDS