GOVERNMENT plans to give the West Midlands far greater political powers and financial freedom to help drive new jobs, homes, better transport and skills for local people have been welcomed.
The Levelling Up White Paper sets out to establish the region as a national trailblazer for the transfer of ‘London-style’ powers to the regions and into the hands of the people who know their areas best.
The new proposals will see:
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) given control over its allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to improve education and training opportunities
The West Midlands become the UK’s first Smart City Region with funding to drive new digital start-ups in health tech, future mobility and smart energy
Coventry, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell to become Education Investment Areas with focussed support to improve schools
An extension of the region’s successful digital and retrofit skills bootcamps alongside new ones in green skills, professional services, manufacturing and healthcare
An extra £28m for the WMCA to regenerate more brownfield land for new homes and jobs
Wolverhampton to be the first of 20 towns and cities where derelict urban sites will be targeted for redevelopment using a £1.5bn fund
Local leaders having a greater say over how their local railways are run.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said: “The Levelling Up White Paper will help finally address the imbalance of opportunities across the UK.
“Whether it’s building more affordable homes, ensuring better access to qualifications to secure the high-quality well-paid jobs of the future, or the region receiving a greater share of critical research and development funding, the White Paper has set out a clear plan as to how it will build on the progress we have already made in the West Midlands to improve people’s chances in life.”
