Sir John Peace says he is tired of seeing Birmingham’s students leave the Midlands in London and wants to reduce the Midlands dependency on London and the South East.
Speaking at the West Midlands Forum for Growth in Birmingham, the chairman of the Midlands Engine said “We are not going to fix this through national policy, we must work regionally to ensure change and growth.”
He laid out the five priorities that will be the centre of a new report soon to be released by the Midlands Engine:
- A radical transformation of Midlands connectivity – “Not just North to South, not just connecting to London, but East and West,” he said.
- Investing in strategic infrastructure: including digital infrastructure, such as 5G.
- Growing international trade and investment.
- Increasing innovation and enterprise.
- Promoting the Midlands as a great place to live, visit, learn and work.
Peace’s speech was laden with references to the untapped potential of the Midlands, and its need to break away from the influence of London: “My family live here in the midlands, and I am fed up of students in our universities going to London because they think it’s the only place to build a career.”
He said the plan is to close the Midlands GVA gap with the national average by 2030, increasing the size of the Midlands economy from £200bn to £260bn.
To send feedback, e-mail alex.peace@egi.co.uk or tweet @egalexpeace or @estatesgazette
