Biggest ever consultation on West Midlands enters final phase

The final phase of the biggest ever consultation into the future of the West Midlands economy is underway. Today, Advantage West Midlands and the West Midlands Regional Assembly have published the draft of the Regional Economic Strategy which outlines new ideas on how to boost the West Midlands economy by £10 billion pounds a year.
The draft is the culmination of months of debate in the West Midlands about ways of improving the region’s economic performance, bringing it up to the national average and generating an extra £10 billion a year. The final version of the West Midlands

Economic Strategy will be published later in the year.

Six events to debate the draft are being held, starting in Wolverhampton, on May 21 and taking in Stoneleigh, Lichfield, Shrewsbury, Worcester and Solihull.
The draft Economic Strategy proposes focusing the billions of pounds of investment that comes into the West Midlands every year on three broad areas – business, people and place which will mean: Developing an enterprise environment where business can access all the support they need to become more competitive and access new markets;
Ensuring people have the skills they need and the opportunities to contribute to the regional economy; Recognising the importance of place - ensuring there are locations for business to invest in and grow and that all communities are economically active.

John Edwards, Chief Executive of Advantage West Midlands said: “The West Midlands is renowned for its reinvention and ingenuity, constantly adapting to changing circumstances and making the most from new opportunities. However, today the region has to work harder and smarter to bridge the gap between the West Midlands and our national and international competitors. “The draft Economic Strategy contains new proposals on how we can improve our economic performance. But it will need everybody in the region to work to deliver them if we want to achieve our goal. “So we want the people of the West Midlands to have their say, to let us know whether they are happy with what is being proposed and where they would like to see changes. “But we also want their support and commitment to implementing the new Economic Strategy over the coming years to improve the economy of the West Midland.”