West Midlands mayor Richard Parker presented his Growth Plan at Westminster this week – pressing the case for jobs, investment and opportunity in every part of his region.
Accompanied by MPs, councillors, entrepreneurs and members of his task force, Richard Parker hosted an event in Parliament designed to put the West Midlands at the forefront of Government thinking, highlighting the region’s biggest challenges and his own key priorities.
The Growth Plan sets out flagship projects across the region including key business and industry areas such as: Birmingham City Centre, including the Sports Quarter and Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, Coventry city centre, the Black Country, the Green Innovation Corridor, the Wolverhampton-Walsall corridor and Metro extension connecting Sandwell and Dudley.
Parker said: “We’re here to shout about the West Midlands and make sure that Government and business see the scale of our ambition.
“But it will only succeed if national priorities and local action come together.”
The event was attended by Sarah Coombes, MP for West Bromwich, and the new Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle.
Joe Reeves, CEO of Midland Heart housing association, and Tani Dulay, CEO of Woodbourne Group, who sits on the Mayor’s taskforce, also attended.
Peter Kyle said: “I’ve only been in post a short time, but Richard has already made sure the voice of the West Midlands is loud and clear in Westminster.
“I was delighted to stand alongside him and regional leaders in Parliament, making the case for jobs, investment and opportunity in this region.”
The plans presented to Westminster included:
- economic inactivity being reduced with the addition of 93,000 jobs,
- the region’s economy growing by £17.4billion,
- the delivery of 12,200 homes a year,
- the region becoming carbon-neutral by 2041.
The full plan can be viewed at https://growth.wmca.org.uk/assets/WestMidlandsGrowthPlan.pdf
