West Midlands unveils £3.2bn blueprint for economic recovery from Covid-19 - The Rugby Observer

West Midlands unveils £3.2bn blueprint for economic recovery from Covid-19

Rugby Editorial 23rd Jun, 2020   0

A BLUEPRINT to ‘kickstart the West Midlands economy and create long-term prosperity for the region and UK’ is today being put to government (Tuesday).

With research suggesting the region could be hit harder than most by the Covid-19 lockdown, Kickstarting the West Midlands Economy: Our Investment Case to Government sets out the region’s ‘immediate actions needed to stimulate economy in the short term, in ways that will also support a long-term sustainable recovery that is both green and more inclusive’.

The region’s political, business, and trade union leaders, who have collectively drawn up the investment plan, today called on Government to work with them to reset, rebuild and recharge the West Midlands.

It is believed the first opportunity to secure some of the funding needed will be next month, when the government is expected to outline the next steps in its economic response to coronavirus.




The region’s blueprint seeks £3.2bn of investment over the next three years to boost recovery for local people and business, and make a step-change in tackling climate change.

It aims to build on the previous performance of the region’s economy, as well as the £2.7bn of government investment secured since 2017.


Mayor Andy Street said: “The West Midlands economy was in good shape before the coronavirus pandemic first struck, and we need to do everything we can to get back on our feet quickly, learning the lessons of our rebound from the financial crash of 2008/09.

“The plan is to build on our previous success and on the multi-billion investment we have already drawn in from government, with the creation and retention of jobs front and centre. We want to keep as many people in work as possible, and for those who fall out we want to create new jobs and offer digital retraining opportunities in sectors such as construction, automotive, and the creative industries.

“As well as safeguarding people’s work in the short-term, we also want to use the opportunity created by coronavirus to re-shape our economy over the longer term, and think more about what we can do to become greener and more inclusive.

“The Government can demonstrate its commitment to the levelling-up agenda by backing this blueprint and continuing to invest in the West Midlands.”

The plan builds on existing success in the West Midlands, and proposes direct support to industry in three key areas alongside a commitment to invest in transport, housing and people, helping to drive a rapid economic recovery that will create or safeguard more than 135,000 jobs and build 35,000 new homes.

The three key business opportunities are:

• Creating green manufacturing jobs by harnessing clean technology and electrification. A £614m investment package, including £250m towards a Gigafactory producing state-of-the-art batteries, will unlock 51,700 green jobs and improve the wellbeing of communities.

• Turning HS2, Coventry City of Culture and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games into jobs for local people by accelerating major infrastructure investment and supporting the recovery of the tourism and cultural sector, unlocking 33,000 jobs with an investment of £306m

• Investing in healthcare innovation, capitalising on the region’s existing strengths as a centre for health research, and using this to improve the region’s health. This aims to create or safeguard 3,200 jobs through an investment of £137m

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