Callum Anderson MP launches new Bletchley Investment Taskforce
The Taskforce aims to drive growth and opportunity for local businesses and residents.
Callum Anderson MP has today officially launched the Bletchley Investment Taskforce, a new initiative designed to unlock economic opportunity, and position Bletchley and Fenny Stratford as attractive investment destinations within Milton Keynes.
The Taskforce brings together influential local organisations, such as Envisics, Milton Keynes Dons, Bletchley Park Trust, and Milton Keynes City Council, as well as those with a national footprint such as Chiltern Railways and Dawn Capital.
An action-oriented group, their mission will be to secure sustained inward investment that creates jobs for local people, drives innovation, and improves Bletchley’s and Milton Keynes’s long-term economic competitiveness.
The taskforce has five core priorities:
- To develop and implement investment strategies tailored to Bletchley’s strengths.
- Promoting Bletchley as a prime destination for domestic and international investment.
- Streamlining the investment process for businesses and entrepreneurs.
- Supporting current investors to grow and thrive locally.
- Removing barriers to investment.
To ensure that the Taskforce remains accountable, the participating organisations have committed to publishing an annual report which will outline progress on investment and jobs, showcase successes, and recommend policy or regulatory changes to support investment.
Callum Anderson MP said:
“Bletchley has a proud past but can have an even brighter future. As part of the UK’s fastest-growing city and soon to be its best-connected town with East West Rail, I want to use my role as our local MP to genuinely raise living standards for local people. There’s so much potential here.
That’s why this Taskforce has such an important role to play in making the case for Bletchley – and I am grateful for their much-valued time and expertise. We’re focussed on growth that works for our communities: more businesses, more jobs, and better wages for people in our town.”
Cllr Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member for Planning & Placemaking on Milton Keynes City Council, said:
“This is a pivotal moment for Bletchley, with Milton Keynes City Council overseeing an ambitious programme of around £30m of collective investment into the town, as well as the renewed focus on the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor with Bletchley at its centre.
It is wonderful to have such a passionate local champion in Callum Anderson MP, who is committed to working alongside the council to drive growth and prosperity, and I hope that this taskforce will be a key part of that for Bletchley.
Neil Hart, CEO of Milton Keynes Dons Football Club said:
“We are delighted to play our part in the Bletchley Investment Taskforce group - led by our local MP Callum Anderson. At Milton Keynes Dons Football Club and across our stadium group we absolutely want to be connected to every aspect of our amazing city, and stand side by side with city stakeholders to drive growth and opportunity in our communities. We were honoured to host the inaugural Bletchley Investment Taskforce meeting in our Boardroom at Stadium MK on Friday 30th May.”
Haakon Overli, Co-founder of Dawn Capital said:
“The name Bletchley has strong connotations for anyone with an interest in computers and computation; we all owe a great debt to Alan Turing. The entrepreneurial and problem-solving spirit in current day Bletchley is as strong as ever. So, when Callum asked me to join the Bletchley Taskforce, it was an immediate and obvious ‘yes’.
At Dawn Capital we’re passionate about building the next generation of global software leaders and this is a great initiative. I’m looking forward to seeing progress and growth in the next few years.”
Full membership
- Callum Anderson MP (Chair)
- Bletchley Park Trust – Iain Standen, CEO
- Bletchley Park Trust – Jacqueline De Rojas, Chair
- Buckinghamshire Business First – Philippa Batting, Group CEO
- CentralArc Angels – Yvette Lamidey, Director
- Chiltern Railways – Richard Allan, Managing Director
- Dawn Capital – Haakon Overli, Co-founder and Partner
- Envisics – Jamieson Christmas, CEO
- Mercia – Amrit Sami, Investment Associate
- Milton Keynes City Council – Sophie Lloyd, Head of Economic Development
- Milton Keynes College Group – Sally Alexander, CEO
- Milton Keynes Development Partnership – Tracey O’Donnell, Managing Director
- Milton Keynes Dons Football Club – Neil Hart, CEO
- Oxford Science Enterprises – Peter Wilder, Head of Property, Operations and Portfolio services