Better West Midlands

Better West Midlands
Name	Better West Midlands
Type	Regional development partnership
Founded	2019
Headquarters	Birmingham
Region served	West Midlands
Leader title	Chair
Leader name	Unknown

Better West Midlands

Better West Midlands is a regional partnership focused on coordinating development, infrastructure, investment and public services across the West Midlands metropolitan area. It brings together local authorities, devolved bodies, civic institutions and private investors to align strategies for regeneration, transport and skills. Operating amid national devolution initiatives and city-region collaborations, the partnership engages with a broad range of stakeholders from local councils to national agencies.

History

Better West Midlands emerged in the late 2010s as part of a wave of city-region collaborations that followed negotiations around the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Midlands Engine, and devolution deals brokered with the UK Government. Its formation drew on precedents set by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Early activities referenced regional strategies like the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership programmes and the Midlands Connect transport strategy. Meetings and agreements often involved figures from the Cabinet Office, representatives from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and local leaders from Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, Wolverhampton City Council and other metropolitan boroughs.

Governance and Structure

The partnership is structured as a cross-sector board incorporating elected leaders from Birmingham City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, and Wolverhampton City Council, alongside business representatives drawn from organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses. It works in coordination with national quangos like Transport for West Midlands and agencies including Innovate UK and Historic England when heritage projects are involved. Governance arrangements echo those used by the Greater London Authority for joint working, with advisory panels drawn from trade unions such as the Trades Union Congress and academic partners including University of Birmingham, University of Warwick, Aston University, and Coventry University.

Policy Priorities and Initiatives

Policy priorities typically include housing and regeneration linked to schemes like the Homes England initiatives, low-emission transport aligned with the Office for Low Emission Vehicles programmes, skills and training in partnership with the Department for Education and apprenticeship schemes endorsed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, and digital connectivity coordinated with the National Infrastructure Commission. Initiative examples mirror national programmes such as the Industrial Strategy and regional frameworks like the Midlands Engine Investment Fund. The partnership often cites collaboration with cultural bodies including Arts Council England and heritage organisations like National Trust for place-making.

Economic Development and Investment

Economic development efforts align with investment streams used by the European Regional Development Fund successor arrangements and with private capital mobilised through institutions like the British Business Bank. Target sectors include automotive and advanced manufacturing linked to companies and clusters represented by Jaguar Land Rover and supply chains associated with the HS2 programme, as well as life sciences connected to university research hubs and agencies like the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Regeneration projects reference brownfield remediation models deployed in places such as Birmingham Jewellery Quarter and enterprise zone mechanisms similar to those in Coventry and the Black Country. International promotion efforts coordinate with bodies such as the Department for International Trade.

Transport and Infrastructure

Transport strategy work interfaces with Transport for West Midlands, the Department for Transport, and regional programmes like Midlands Connect. Priorities include public transport integration across networks serving Birmingham New Street railway station, Birmingham Airport, and interchanges tied to the West Coast Main Line and the Cross City Line. Infrastructure projects coordinate around HS2 legacy planning and align with national rail operators such as Network Rail. Active travel initiatives mirror national cycling promotion driven by partnerships with organisations in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

Community Engagement and Public Services

Community engagement practices rely on stakeholder consultation models used by Local Government Association guidance, neighbourhood planning frameworks guided by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government policies, and public health partnerships with NHS England and local Clinical Commissioning Groups. Public service collaboration spans social care networks influenced by guidance from the Care Quality Commission and welfare support schemes interfacing with Department for Work and Pensions programmes. Arts and culture engagement draws on venues such as Birmingham Hippodrome and institutions like the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Criticism and Controversies

Criticism has centred on accountability and transparency concerns reminiscent of disputes involving other combined authorities such as debates around the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and on tensions between metropolitan centres and surrounding districts similar to issues raised in the Greater Manchester and Tees Valley contexts. Opponents have questioned potential overlap with entities like the West Midlands Combined Authority and the role of central ministries including the Treasury in funding decisions. Controversies have also arisen over prioritisation of large infrastructure projects versus local community needs, echoing debates around HS2 and urban regeneration disputes in areas like the Birmingham Big City Plan.

Category:Organisations based in the West Midlands (county)