This week, Richard took part in the Westminster Hall Debate on the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. The Oxford to Cambridge (OxCam) Arc is the name given to a cross-government initiative that supports planning for the future made up of the five counties of Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Richard Fuller, MP for North East Bedfordshire, said:
During the debate, I questioned why the government was continuing to pursue a policy of trying to connect our great university cities when there is no evidence of such a strategy successfully driving economic growth anywhere in the world. I argued that our focus should be on driving infrastructure, innovation and growth in and around the centres of educational excellence in Oxford, Cambridge and Cranfield, not between them.
At the same time we should remove the top-down, state-imposed approach that characterises the Spatial Framework, and replace it with more control vested to local parishes and towns, where decisions can be made locally in the interests of, and with the positive engagement of local communities.
More information the government’s planned approach to developing the Oxford-Cambridge Arc Spatial Framework, including a timeline for delivery, its high level scope, and how the government will work with local partners, can be found here.
