Business News
Our region is finally making real progress
Andy Street is two-thirds of the way through his term as the first elected mayor of the West Midlands. The former John Lewis supremo is standing for re-election in 2020. Here, Gary Phelps, PR and communications adviser to the mayor, talks to Mr Street about his first two years in the mayoral hotseat – and the state of the region’s economy.
M
any politicians claim business credentials, but few have the background
that prepared Andy Street for his role as the West Midlands’ first elected mayor. In 30 years working for John
Lewis he rose from trainee to managing director. As a leader, that grounding
informs his business-like approach, encouraging the West Midlands’ boroughs of Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton to work strategically as team. After two years in the role, he
sees real progress in the region’s economy. “We’ve performed well over last
three to four years,” he said. “If you look at data for the last period it’s all very positive. We saw growth of 3.6 per cent, with 38,000 jobs created in the last year. “However, I do see two clouds on
the horizon. Firstly, there is the uncertainty over HS2,” he says. “If it does not go ahead, I consider that to be a big risk to the property sector. “Then there is Brexit. I’m
unequivocal that we must go ahead with Brexit – the electorate voted for it.
“But I am also clear that a ‘no
deal’ would be damaging to the region because we are the export capital of the UK – 25 per cent of our GDP comes from export of goods. So, we need to get Brexit done, but the focus has to be on trying to get a deal.” One sector keeping a close eye
on developments is automotive. However, Andy is upbeat about the industry’s long term prospects. “We have a recognised
automotive cluster here, with the
highest concentration of jobs in any region,” Andy said. “Around 50 per cent of the UK’s automotive R&D is done within 25 miles of Birmingham. “Last month’s announcement of
investment by JLR in electric vehicle production at Castle Bromwich was great news,” Andy said: “because if we want to reclaim that title of ‘Motor City’, we need to ensure the UK’s electric vehicle revolution is located here. “So, I want to have the UK
battery manufacturing here too. We need a gigafactory in the West Midlands, mass producing batteries for the electric era.” Improving transport
infrastructure has been a central pillar of Andy’s work as mayor, whether it’s winning the £250m needed to extend the Metro across the Black Country, or millions to reopen railway stations that last welcomed passengers in the mid Sixties. “Transport infrastructure is really important,” Andy said. “So that skilled people can travel to areas where jobs are being created, and so that businesses can be encouraged to open up in areas they previously couldn’t access. And he sees significant progress
in rectifying the skills gap that has frustrated employers for years. In 2007, 20 per cent of the
workforce in the West Midlands has no qualifications, a figure that has been brought down to 11 per cent. This has been achieved through retraining in areas like digital and construction, and in the growth in apprenticeships. “We’re seeing apprenticeships at
all levels now, including degree- level apprentices” Andy said. “Uniquely in the West Midlands we
‘If we want to reclaim that title of ‘Motor City’, we need to ensure the UK’s electric vehicle revolution is located here’
18 CHAMBERLINK September 2019
West Midlands mayor Andy Street is standing for re-election in May 2020
have the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Scheme, which allows us to spend the unused apprenticeship levy paid by big firms more sensibly. “The unspent levy from just
HSBC and Lloyds is paying for 800 apprentices at small firms. So, my plea to Chamberlink readers is if you’re a big levy-paying company and you’re not using all of it get in touch, because we can use it.” Andy faces re-election in May
next year and is determined to continue the work he has started. He said: “After 40 years of
relative decline in the region we’re now making real progress, but I have this sense of enormous distance still to go. So, in May I shall be saying ‘the plan is working
- stick with us.’ The evidence of growth is there to see – but we need at least another four years to build on what we’ve begun.” That evidence is perhaps most
clearly seen in an economic milestone the West Midlands recently passed. “In the data for the latest three-
year period, the West Midlands economy grew faster than any other region in the country – including London,” Andy smiled. “That’s very significant, because
since the upturn started in 2010 London has always been the strongest and we have always been second. “Now we’re in number one position, which is a first. I think that’s the right place for us to be.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
