Last week, I was delighted to welcome Lieutenant General Paul Griffiths, Commander of Standing Joint Command, to Cody Technology Park in Farnborough.
Standing Joint Command is based in Aldershot and has a vital role in keeping our country safe, helping Britain prepare for and respond to threats here at home.
Just a few miles away in Farnborough, some of the country’s most exciting defence technology and innovation is being developed.
Bringing the two together was a powerful reminder of just how much Aldershot and Farnborough contribute to our country.
During the visit, we met local businesses and saw first-hand the technology, skills and expertise being developed right here in Farnborough to support our Armed Forces. It was also a chance to talk about how we can speed up defence innovation, strengthen our national security and create more good jobs and growth locally at the same time.
That matters because Aldershot and Farnborough have always been towns that deliver for Britain.
Aldershot is the Home of the British Army. Farnborough is known around the world for aviation, aerospace, defence and engineering. Today, businesses across our towns are still doing extraordinary work, developing new technology, supporting our Armed Forces and contributing billions to the UK economy.
But I want more people locally to feel the benefit of that success.
That is why I brought together the Aldershot and Farnborough Growth Partnership.
The Partnership brings businesses, schools, colleges, Rushmoor Borough Council and other local leaders around the same table. Its purpose is simple: to turn the strengths we already have in defence, aerospace, engineering and technology into more jobs, skills, investment and opportunity for people who live here.
We took that work forward again this summer at the Farnborough International Airshow. There could hardly be a better place to make the case for our towns. The Airshow puts Farnborough at the centre of a global industry and shows just how important this area is to the UK economy.
The challenge now is to make sure that success reaches beyond the gates of our biggest employers.
I want a young person growing up in Aldershot or Farnborough to be able to see the brilliant careers available on their doorstep and know how to get into them. I want our businesses to have the skilled people, investment and support they need to grow here. And I want government to recognise that investing in our towns is not just good for this community – it is good for the country.
For too long, some of the greatest strengths of Aldershot and Farnborough have been hidden in plain sight.
My ambition is to change that.
These are not towns whose best days are behind them. They are towns at the heart of Britain’s future: in defence, aviation, technology and innovation.
By bringing local people, industry and government together through the Aldershot and Farnborough Growth Partnership, we can build on that success and make sure the opportunities it creates are felt much more widely across our community.
