People
The benefits of economic growth need to be shared by all, including those currently left behind, and facing big barriers to participation. Strong headline jobs growth masks real inequalities within the region, and across different communities.
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All of our residents need to be able to touch, taste and feel the benefits of the rising prosperity that they help to create within the region. This is the basis of inclusive growth, and in the West Midlands we are working to ensure that our residents develop the skills, aspirations and capabilities they need to access and create opportunities in our future economy. To do this, we need to have a sense of the ‘whole person’, and the lives they want to live. Collaboration is key to getting this right: by working with our citizens and partners, we can deliver long, healthy, purposeful lives in comfortable homes, as part of safe, clean, well-connected neighbourhoods.
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The healthy life expectancy gap within the region is significant for men and women alike and is holding back our productivity. In 2015, 20% of the WMCA population lived in the top 10% most deprived areas. For both males and females in the most deprived communities
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there is a shorter healthy life expectancy at birth and a longer period expected to be spent in ‘not healthy’ health. The healthy inequality gap between the most and least deprived areas across the WMCA geography has increased among males to 7.4 years in 2015, whereas for females the gap has decreased to 9 years.
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The determinants of these shorter, unhealthier lives can be found in childhood. 30% of children in the region still grow up in poverty. Mental health disorders for children are at a high level, within the top 20% for England. Almost 25% of children are obese in Year 6. Worse still, our most vulnerable children and young people are heading for the worst outcomes. West Midlands Police and the Prince’s Trust ran a successful programme aimed at 16-25 year-olds in the region at most risk of social exclusion. 66% of participants had experienced four or more of the ten adverse childhood experiences, making them more likely to live with low mental wellbeing, to struggle with relationships, relaxation, clarity of thought, or to feel positive about the future. We continue to delve into this data as part of our work on radical prevention - better intelligence on the needs of our young people will enable all of our partners to design better programmes, and to use their resources in the most effective way
- In 2016, only 6.7% of adults in contact with
sectors and 808,365 in the enabling “secondary mental health services were in paid sectors in 2016. employment across England, a lower gap than the national average (58.9 vs 67.2) but in the West Midlands it is estimated that 70,000 people cannot work due to mental health problems and its estimated to cost the WMCA £12.6bn in mental ill health. - Jobs are increasing and there are currently 2 million people working in the WMCA area, with 1.2m employed in the transformational sectors and 808,365 in the enabling sectors in 2016. 75.7% of employees are earning above the UK living wage.
- Gross Disposable Household Income(GDHI) per person in 2016 was £16,295 and has grown by 8.6% since 2013. The UK GDHI per person is £19,430 and has increased by 8.5%. GDHI per person needs to increase by £3,137 in the WMCA to be in line with the UK.
Key Indicators
Healthy life expectancy will rise to:
- Men - 63.3%
- Women - 63.9%
Current:
- Men - 59.6%
- Women - 60.3%
The overall life expectancy health inequality gap in years between the most and least deprived in the West Midlands:
- Men - 7.4 years
- Women - 9.0 years
- BCLEP - £14,212
- CWLEP - £18,534
- GBSLEP - £16,497
- WMCA - £16,295
- UK - £19,432
Deepening our Evidence Base
Building a shared definition of inclusive growth is a collaborative process and we are establishing an Inclusive Growth Unit to be the engine that drives this ambition. Blending analysis, policy advice and practical action, the unit will promote inclusive growth outcomes with our Industrial Strategy and Public Service Reform programme across the range of our activities. The unit is a collaboration across different sectors of the economy and society blending academic rigour and citizen insight.
From the findings of the Leadership Commission we are building a Youth WMCA Board, to ensure that young citizens can influence how things work in the region. We are learning from the existing TfWM Youth Forum and local initiatives such as Birmingham City Council’s Children in Care Council, to ensure we create the right spaces and the right opportunities for influence.