2. Supporting Levelling Up in Birmingham and the West Midlands
For too long, the UK economy has been overly dependent on London, to the detriment of economic progress across the wider UK and the UK’s total economic output.
For the UK to begin truly ‘levelling up’, London must cede its position of primacy in policy making and public sector delivery, in fields that are integral to the economic progress of the wider UK, notably transport.
This outcome cannot be achieved through the disparate distribution of departmental staff, executive agencies and non-departmental bodies across a UK-wide geography. Instead, the UK must identify a new hub location outside of London, which can act as a focal point for policymaking, delivery and talent agglomeration, across the rail and wider transport sectors.
This location must offer:
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Pre-existing critical mass of expertise to enable efficient and cost-effective delivery
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Superior connectivity to the wider UK
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Ease of access to local cluster of the key industry and academics that are driving innovation and the future of the rail industry
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Alignment with the wider Places for Growth strategy
The only location that offers all of the above and thus a viable alternative to London, is Birmingham, at the heart of the UK.
Rather than creating a token outpost positioned to achieve localised levelling-up in a ‘railway town’, a decision to locate the new GBR HQ in Birmingham, would position the agency as the crown-jewel in a new national capital of transport policy and delivery, and symbolically deliver the systemic change required to catalyse true levelling-up.
Birmingham’s vision for levelling up
"BE BOLD BIRMINGHAM"
This is the strapline at the heart of Birmingham City Council’s levelling up strategy.
Birmingham’s vision is to ‘increase growth and harness it to create a fairer, stronger city, where all citizens share in the benefits, including through a just transition to net zero, where our citizens live longer, healthier and happier lives with opportunities to shape their own lives and communities, and we overcome long-standing inequalities such as child poverty’.
The case for levelling up in Birmingham is clear and significant as it is:
- Third most deprived core city in England
- Among the least prosperous 10% of local authorities in the UK and 90% of wards in Birmingham are more deprived than the national average
- 40% of children living in relative poverty
Birmingham opportunity to level up:
- Youngest city in the UK and in Europe, and significant talent pool
- 1.15 million people, UK’s second largest city – an at scale opportunity
- Active council approach to attract investment to level up – record levels secured
This local strategy for Birmingham reinforces the scale of ambition to level up, by improving the lives and life chances of people and communities across the city.
Levelling up in action
Over the past six years, Local Authorities have come together through the WMCA to accelerate delivery of a shared agenda.
WMCA’s Levelling Up Plans
The WMCA and its unique political partnership have already begun to negotiate a further Deepened Devolution Deal with Government, as announced in the Levelling Up White Paper (LUWP). The WMCA area has a ‘trailblazer’ status, which is a clear reflection of our plans to level up the lives and the connectivity of the most deprived in our region.
Devolution of powers and funding resources to the WMCA is enabling the region to tackle significant infrastructure challenges and allow us to deliver
the biggest transport investment programme for a generation; building on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and arrival of HS2.
Having agreed two devolution deals with Government, WMCA has already begun to negotiate a further deal with Government, as announced in the LUWP.
“Is for a more prosperous and well-connected region – a pioneer creating a greener, inclusive economy that all its residents and businesses can benefit from.”
How the GBR HQ headquarters will support Levelling Up
Locating GBR’s headquarters in Birmingham is the natural choice. It will be nearby the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and in a region that has been selected for “trailblazing” devolution, of which we will take full advantage to drive the levelling up agenda further and faster than anywhere else in the country.