1. Introduction
Overview
This Strategy sets out a long-term plan to support a more prosperous East Sussex: a place where people live and work well, characterised by well-paid work and good opportunities; innovative and thriving businesses; and an excellent quality of life in an outstanding natural environment.
It looks ahead to 2050. But it is also a strategy for now: taking a long-term view and understanding the impact of transformational change helps to inform priorities for action in the short and medium terms.
A strategy for the long term and a strategy for today
This Strategy deliberately takes a long-term view. It looks ahead to 2050, beyond current planning, economic and political cycles.
2050 can seem quite far into the future, especially in the context of the more immediate economic pressures and international tensions prevalent at the time of writing. By then, today’s school leavers will be mid-career. The advance of artificial intelligence and other technologies will have led to new products, services and ways of working, many of which are yet unknown. There will have been several economic recessions and recoveries – as well as ‘black swan’ events that we cannot foresee.
However, 2050 looks closer when we consider some of the fundamental changes that need to be made over the coming decades and the intermediate steps that need to be taken to achieve them. By 2050, the UK is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions (over a 1990 baseline), a target which is well-known and legally binding. We are already well on the journey to achieving this, and significant progress has been made. But to reach the 2050 target, we need to achieve reductions of 68% and 78% in net emissions by 2030 and 2035 respectively (source: HM Government, 2021) – and if these intermediate targets are to be met, there needs to be an acceleration of progress in the short term (source: Climate Change Committee, 2023).
Likewise, we know that, on average, East Sussex’s population will be older in 2050 than it is today: a consequence of great medical advances and improvements in living standards, but with profound implications for the housing, services and working patterns that we will need in the future, and which we need to plan for now.
Looking ahead to where we need to be in the long term can help to clarify priorities today – provided we remain agile and responsive to change.
A strategy for prosperity
Within this long-term context, this is a strategy for prosperity. It is fundamentally focused on sustainable economic growth: how, over the next generation, East Sussex can secure better opportunities and living standards for people who live in the county, and how businesses can develop new routes to value creation. This in turn ought to support a healthier, greener and more inclusive county.
This includes opportunities to innovate, develop new skills and adapt to new technology. But the nature of these opportunities is distinctive to East Sussex’s unique character: the towns, coast and countryside that make it a special place, and the environmental quality that needs to be protected and enhanced for future generations.
Alongside this strategy, there are several plans in place at county and district level focused on the wider determinants of wellbeing (such as health, the natural environment and so on). This strategy does not repeat these wider plans: instead, it complements them, through a clear focus on the county’s economic future.
A strategy for action
Although the strategy has a long horizon, it will guide action in the short to medium term and will have a key role in identifying the actions that need to be taken today if the county’s economy is to address the challenges and opportunities of the coming decades.
It has been adopted by Team East Sussex, a partnership bringing together business, local government and further and higher education to drive economic growth and prosperity across the county. The strategy will support project development, future investment and opportunities for new ideas and collaboration. It will also help to identify where sustainable economic growth can be achieved locally through the devolution of funding and responsibilities, enabling resources to be more clearly focused on the county’s shared priorities.
Strategy structure
The remainder of this strategy is structured in eight main chapters:
- Chapter 2 sets out a ‘spatial picture’ of East Sussex, highlighting the county’s key characteristics and assets.
- In the context of this spatial picture, Chapter 3 focuses on the key long-term economic challenges that East Sussex faces and which this strategy needs to address.
- Building on this, Chapter 4 looks to the future, highlighting the major transformational trends that will impact the economy through to 2050 and setting out some scenarios for the future.
- Chapter 5 brings together the analysis in the preceding chapters, setting out a strategic framework and set of objectives.
- Chapter 6, chapter 7 and chapter 8 then work through this framework in detail, explaining how the strategy will relate to business, people and places in East Sussex.
- Finally, Chapter 9 explains the need for innovation and agility across the board, and it explains how we will apply those principles as we move towards delivery.