Buckinghamshire- UK. Business Information
Buckinghamshire (Bucks) is a slender county, 40 miles long, sweeping from the Thames to the west of London and halfway to Birmingham in the north. It is a mixture of woodlands, parklands and agricultural valleys, and is beautiful, prosperous and successful with an exciting mix of cultures, heritage, diverse communities and thriving business areas.
The picturesque and historic market towns of Buckingham, Princes Risborough, Old Amersham and Beaconsfield add to its character and contrast with Aylesbury, the administrative centre of the County and High Wycombe both main centres of economic activity. It is home to a population of nearly half a million and is set to grow still further, Aylesbury Vale and Milton Keynes being identified as areas of growth. All these features combine to create a strong economic, social and environmental foundation on which to build a successful future.
Buckinghamshire’s economy is presently worth around £5.6b. It has a working age population of 294,000 and unemployment at 1.4%. Around 244,000 people work in the County and there are some 20,000 (8% of resident workers) out-commuting to jobs in other towns in the region. Buckinghamshire is noted for its enterprise culture with a higher than the national average number of new businesses starting up each year who achieve success through the quality of the business support available. The key areas of growth have been in financial and business services and there is a strong public services and health sector. Manufacturing continues to be an important sector for the County.
Situated in the centre of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc that is being promoted by SEEDA for high technology growth, Buckinghamshire is set to rejuvenate its economy and attract the high value-added companies. Silverstone, the home of British motor sport, Stoke Mandeville Hospital with its world renowned Spinal Injuries Unit and Pinewood, the world famous centre for film-making represent the type of high tech activities which the County is looking to attract and grow.
Buckinghamshire, as part of the South East is one of the top ten business locations in Europe. It is home to many international companies such as GE Healthcare, Citrix, Pinewood and Shepperton Studios, Volvo, McCormick, Martin Baker Aircraft, Ercol and Goodrich Power Systems, all have chosen to locate here because of its natural environment, education, quality housing, diverse workforce and access to motorways, airports, railways and low unemployment.
Education and Training: The County is extremely proud of its high educational attainment through its grammar and upper schools and Buckinghamshire can boast the only private university in the country, the University of Buckingham, which majors on entrepreneurship and providing business solutions for growing companies.
Bucks and Chilterns University College, aiming for university status this year, produces graduates able to meet the needs of local employers. Buckinghamshire’s labour force is one of the most sought after for its high skills, adaptability, flexibility and entrepreneurial strengths.
Buckinghamshire has excellent road and rail links with London and the rest of the country. Three major motorways - the M1, M4 and M40 – all run through Buckinghamshire and converge on the M25. The west coast main line from London to Scotland has an inter-city station at Milton Keynes that also provides a gateway to mainland Europe via the Channel tunnel. The southern part of the County has a well developed rail and underground network to London.
Buckinghamshire benefits from its close proximity to both London Heathrow and Luton airports and many service industries for Heathrow are located in the south of the County around Iver, providing local jobs for local people. These airports also provide a valuable link with overseas markets for many of the County’s exporters.
The high quality physical environment, cultural activity, quality of life and distinctive character make the County the place of choice to live, work and have fun.
The Council aims to ‘improve the quality of life and strike the right balance between encouraging prosperity and protecting the environment’. This is achieved through five themes:
Bucks in Business
With success there come challenges – the need to maintain a balanced community and ensure that there is both the opportunity to live and work. To achieve this vision, the Economic Development Team works in partnership to formulate strategies and to represent the needs of Buckinghamshire at regional and higher levels.
Other Blogs and Articles
How networking in business works
Finding work and jobs
Developed by Six22