West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker will use the region’s first Growth Summit in Coventry on Thursday to set out the next phase of his Growth Plan, with reindustrialisation, investment, skills and transport at its centre.
The summit, organised by the West Midlands Combined Authority with the West Midlands Growth Company, will bring together senior business, political, academic and civic leaders a year after the Growth Plan was launched.
Parker will tell delegates that the region is already delivering. In the plan’s first year, he says, 10,000 local businesses have been backed to create 3,000 jobs, mayoral funding has been confirmed for a record 7,237 new homes, including 2,452 affordable or for social rent, and 20,000 young people have moved into training, placements or apprenticeships.
Parker: ‘Real and measurable change’
“This is real and measurable change for our people, communities and businesses,” Parker said. “This is our region demonstrating that we are a key driver of national growth and prosperity. And this summit is about setting out the next chapter of our growth story.”
Reindustrialisation and investment
Reindustrialisation will be the central theme, with the region looking to strengthen supply chains, speed up technology adoption, back advanced manufacturing and make sure workers have the skills to take up new opportunities.
Delegates will also hear how the £3.8 billion West Midlands Futures Fund, designed to line up public and private capital behind major development sites, has already deployed more than £2.4 billion to projects across the region.
Parker will point to transport progress too, including five new rail stations in Birmingham and the Black Country, the Metro extension into Dudley and plans to bring buses back under public control. The summit comes weeks after Chancellor John Healey chose Coventry’s Manufacturing Technology Centre for his first speech in office.
