4. A Prospectus For Action
Three themes offer the greatest opportunities for useful early collaboration:
Connectivity between the two cities is critical. It is an area where the scope for collaboration is most apparent but one which has not received sufficient joint focus in the past.
Transport infrastructure is consistently rated as one of the most important, but difficult, areas for action. The Prospectus does not seek a single, spectacular ‘all-or-nothing’ project but proposes a portfolio of actions in the short, medium and longer term, all combining to enhance inter-city connectivity. The Prospectus also recognises that 21st century connectivity is not simply physical: competitive cities require first-class ‘virtual connections’ too.
The Prospectus directs focus to those key sectors with the potential to make a disproportionate impact on the cities’ – and Scotland’s – productivity and growth. For example, we will support the work of the Financial Services Advisory Board (FiSAB); we seek to enhance both cities’ status as premier UK destinations and gateways to Scotland; and we aim to promote more formalised collaboration to benefit the cities’ creative industries clusters.
The importance of attracting more people to Scotland to live, invest, visit, study and work has become established as a national priority. Glasgow and Edinburgh are Scotland’s international gateways and principal centres of business and culture. Higher education is concentrated here, and is vital to the life of the two cities. For these reasons and more, Glasgow and Edinburgh have a vital role to play in delivering Scotland’s ‘Fresh Talent’ agenda and its associated aims. The two cities already strive to attract and retain visitors, students and residents but,by working together, can do more to their own and Scotland’s benefit.
Action Area 1: Glasgow-Edinburgh Connectivity
| action area | proposed actions |
|---|---|
| Glasgow-Edinburgh journey times | Together with FiSAB, First Scotrail and Network Rail, investigate potential for significant and continuing reductions in city-to-city journey times in the short, medium and long-term. Benchmark against services serving important cities in other countries with a view to targeting the achievement of a ‘world-class’ link. Extend hours of service between the two cities. |
| Service quality (reliability, comfort) | Monitor performance data against franchise criteria. Seek future improvements in targets and performance (through the franchising process and benchmarking against other services). |
| Bathgate-Airdrie line re-opening | Continued joint support for this project. |
| Airport rail links | Joint lobbying and support for accelerated development of rapid direct access from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports to both cities’ centres. |
| Cross-border services | Lobby for improved rail links to London and English core cities. Protect current service levels. |
| Air links | Maintain on-going dialogue about maximising direct air links to key European cities. |
| Road connectivity | On-going monitoring of travel conditions on inter-city route, with a view to identifying traffic management improvements. |
| (Rail) corridor connectivity | Ensure complete wireless coverage along the principal Glasgow-Edinburgh route. |
| Connectivity quality | On-going research into quality and range of electronic connectivity in and between the cities, with a view to maintaining and enhancing world-class standards (e.g. wi-fi, Next Generation Broadband). |
Read Glasgow and Edinburgh city council Leaders’ response to the National Transport Strategy consultation and our recent response to Network Rail’s Rail Utilisation Strategy consultation.
Action Area 2: Key Sectors
| action area | proposed actions |
|---|---|
| Tourism industry collaboration | Promote and discuss collaborative opportunities with each city’s tourism action group (industry-led collaborative event in planning). |
| Major events | Identify target events; consider creating new events (which can’t be delivered alone). Be more pro-active with EventScotland. |
| The ‘cultural offer’ | Investigate how to extend benefits of major festivals, designations (e.g. City of Literature, Celtic Connections). |
| Support implementation of the Financial Services strategy | Engage with the FiSAB. Support for actions identified in Strategy. |
| Screen industry collaboration | Investigate opportunities to build on the Screen Academy Scotland, linking the cities’ film sectors. Identify conference opportunities. |
| External promotion in key sectors | Explore opportunities with SDI for joint promotion of Glasgow and Edinburgh within the Scottish brand - financial services, creative industries, research. |
| Central Government relocations | Lobby Westminster for relocation of key functions (especially those related to key sectors). |
| Collaborative trade development missions | Development of joint programme, building on existing GCC-led (Scottish Development International (SDI) -approved) programme. |
Action Area 3: International Openness and talent attraction
| action area | proposed actions |
|---|---|
| ‘Fresh Talent’ | Promote the importance of Glasgow and Edinburgh’s HEIs as ‘magnets’ for highly-skilled immigrants. Work with the Scottish Executive to deliver city-focused initiatives under its ‘Fresh Talent’ scheme. |
| Discover our diversity | Undertake research with a view to enhancing our understanding of the nature and number of existing incomers, with a view to allowing them to realise their full potential in the cities. |
| Share best practice | Review methods for attracting/supporting/integrating new arrivals. |
| International events | Agree method for dealing with enquiries to, and bids from, individual cities. Develop target list of possible joint-bid events (see actions under ‘Tourism and the Cultural Offer’). |
| Alternate hosting of international lecture series | Alternate hosting of international discussion series (e.g. Lord Provost’s lectures). |
| European networks | Make best use of existing contacts, develop others with specific relevance to collaboration. |
