The Shaping the Future Partnership was formed in 1997 bringing together the private, public and voluntary sectors to work together to improve the performance of the Norfolk economy. It has proved to be a successful partnership, achieving much, but we believe there is a great deal more that still needs to be done.

The Norfolk economy still lags behind that of the rest of the East of England. The aim of the strategy is to narrow that gap and improve our relative competitiveness. It is the businesses of Norfolk which generate jobs and create wealth. It is therefore crucial that they lead the development of this strategy and are actively involved with the public sector in making it happen.

During the last five years there have been significant changes at local, regional, national and global levels and the need for a county-wide strategy is even more significant today. In 1999 the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) was created and developed the Regional Economic Strategy. The goal of EEDA is for the East of England to be in the top 20 wealthiest European regions by 2010. If the region is to achieve this target each county has an important role to play. It is vital that we make significant improvements in Norfolk, which will contribute to improving regional prosperity. In order to help achieve this the links between the Regional Economic Strategy and the Shaping the Future strategy are strong and mutually reinforcing.

The Shaping the Future Partnership focuses on the economic development of Norfolk. Two other partnerships focus on the social and environmental needs and aspirations of the county. These three partnerships will work together to complement each other's activities through the development of a county-wide Local Strategic Partnership as the Government has requested.

Turning our aspirations into reality requires long-term commitment and a willingness to make hard decisions. We need to balance need with opportunity to ensure that specific needs within Norfolk and the potential of the county as a whole are met.

All the partners believe that Norfolk should be recognised for its distinctive economy as much as its natural and architectural heritage and quality of life. We believe that this revised strategy provides the vision and the means of implementation which enable us to build upon the strengths and the achievements of the partnership. In addition, it aims to take advantage of the opportunities which new technologies and emerging clusters can offer to ensure that Norfolk continues to develop as an excellent place to live, work and do business.

Tim Byles		Hugh Lawson
Chair, Management Board		Interim Chair Stakeholder Forum
Chief Executive, Norfolk County Council		Managing Director, Norwich International