One of the principal strengths of the M62 corridor is clearly its scale, relative to both UK and other international competing locations.  Between 5.2 million and 6.2 million people are resident along the M62 corridor depending on the definition of the area adjacent to the motorway, some 12.5% of the national population.  The study identified 9% of England’s Information Communications Technology sector businesses and 8% of ICT employees in the broad area surrounding the four principal cities of the motorway.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency and Yorkshire Forward along with four local authority inward investment functions commissioned East West Locations to provide a proof of concept for combined inward investment activity based around an ‘M62 corridor’ running between Liverpool and Hull.

Our team split the geographic analysis into the four broad sub-regions surrounding the main cities of Hull, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.  Each area was subjected to an intensive analysis of official data and a variety of infrastructure information.  A detailed SWOT analysis was then prepared for each metropolitan area followed by an M62-wide SWOT.

To accompany the desk research, consultations with key business development bodies and a sample of digital economy and new media businesses were conducted.  Key issues in developing the digital economy of each area were uncovered alongside an understanding of supply chain and collaborative activity between the M62 corridor areas.  As a result, a large database of companies and ICT employment locations was developed for the inward investment agencies and Regional Development Agencies. These organisations and their consultants have continued to draw on the initial study in work to support and develop digital economy clusters further.

The study was an important first step at understanding the entire M62 corridor as a single economic entity.  The only previous work available had focused on transport and port infrastructures.  In effect, the study represented an early 'Northern Way' style analysis focused in on one type of activity.  The feasibility of developing cross-regional or cross-authority business development activities in the UK has grown in importance with the popularity of the ‘city region’ concept too.  Our analysis has always and continues to be founded on an understanding of how people live and work across artificially created boundaries rather than taking the standard administrative area approach.  This was a strength that the M62 Corridor study drew on to the full.

Our inputs to the study helped us develop further work along the M62 corridor. Since this time we have worked with Leeds City Council's City Growth team to set out key clusters and activities in the area surrounding the city centre of Leeds. We have been able to extend our analysis of key technology activity in our work for The Mersey Partnership and we have advised MIDAS on various aspects of the Greater Manchester area's economy.

Preliminary analysis of the fit of an M62 ‘group’ spanning two RDAs and four city regions of the UK and the mechanics of inward investment enquiry dealings across this diverse group was also completed towards the end of this study.  This raised important issues around the structure of delivery and management that continue to be current for any city region based regeneration or inward investment initiative.

OUTPUTS

Detailed Study of components of the Digital Economy across the four
city regions of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Hull

High Level Executive Summary document

Presentation to M62 Corridor Steering Group