When it comes to references to industry in the UK, most articles talk about the decline of industry, lost to other countries, or more recently, the effects of Brexit. However, in recent years one area of the country has experienced something of a boom in the number of technology companies setting up shop. The South West of England has long been characterised as a quiet location, not necessarily renowned for the levels of industry that the likes of Newcastle, Manchester, or London are associated with. Cities like Bristol have always been hubs of creativity, but never technology. So why are more start-ups flocking to Bristol and the south west?
Technology and the South West
After the recession hit the UK in 2008 many areas throughout the country experienced dramatic downturns in industry as well as levels of employment. Unlike the rest of the country, the south west managed to maintain its employment levels and enjoy a growing market within the technology industries. Who knows the real reasons behind why this trend began to emerge?
Maybe it’s because of the certain sense of autonomy that businesses operating within the technology market experience. Continuously isolationist and not often bound by the same import/export tariffs that other goods experience, it has allowed businesses in the area to operate under the radar and create some of the country’s best technology developments.
What about start-up culture?
Bristol and its surrounding areas have long been a hub for creativity and new ideas. The university town’s geographical location away from the likes of London, Manchester, and Newcastle, means that the city has developed its own habits and its own culture. One of the popular subcultures that has risen in Bristol across the last couple of years is the vehement of technology start-ups setting up shop throughout the region. David Willets, then minister of universities and science recently pinpointed eight of the best technologies of the future. Seven of these were built and developed in the south west.
The many start-ups that have emerged are making the most of the financial incentives in the local enterprise centre known as the temple zone. Already located in an area renowned for its established industrial history, and the former offices of legendary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a thriving tech-culture has emerged on the back of these government incentives. If you’re about to join this booming, creative hub, consider Man and Van in Bristol when you make the move, and start your new life by saving cash on van hire, and multiple trips.
What about other industries?
Who knows whether other areas of the country can make the most of the business incentives and cheaper rates that can be experienced in Bristol, and whether the incentives can be mimicked by other industries?
The technology boom that Bristol and the south west has experienced has created quite a name for the region and created hundreds of jobs. What’s next for the region? Who knows – but tech is a trend that won’t be going away in Bristol and the south-west of England, anytime soon.
