Manufacturing Industries: Economic Growth
(asked on 26th October 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to help deliver economic growth through advanced manufacturing in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
Answered by
Blair McDougall
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
BIST is the core engine for reindustrialisation, resilience, growth and good jobs in every postcode. A place-led Industrial Strategy remains our primary framework for supporting manufacturers, attracting investment and helping businesses start, scale and stay in the UK.
Building a skilled workforce is key to the sector’s growth potential. In Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, we have invested in two Advanced Manufacturing Technical Excellence Colleges to provide specialist training and opportunities.
More broadly, the DRIVE35 Supplier Readiness and Transformation Fund, delivered with the West Midlands Combined Authority, supports businesses to scale, diversify, and build critical capacity for EV supply chains.