Centre for the New Midlands

What a year 2024 has been! As we close our office for Christmas🎅 our MD Chris Smith takes a look back at what we have achieved over the past 12 months. From our first published research and growing the team, to more events and thought leadership articles than ever, this year has been our biggest year yet. We would like to thank everyone that has been involved with us over the past year, and a massive thank you to our members and sponsors as we wouldn’t be able to exist without you. Finally we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family. We will see you in 2025, keep an eye out to see what we have planned! 👀 Ashley de Sousa Anisha Kaur Smith Halima Sacranie Weightmans Dr Sarah Perry West Midlands Combined Authority Unity Trust Bank Colin Fyfe Serco Megan Cooper Rich Bishop Kagool Dan Barlow Mott MacDonald Tim Fawcett Midland Heart clive benfield University of Warwick University College Birmingham Gallagher Trowers & Hamlins West Midlands Housing Association Partnership (WMHAP) Jadu

‘You never get everything you want in a negotiation – something always gets left on the table.’ I remember Andy Street, the former Mayor of the West Midlands saying this after getting the devolution trailblazer deal for the region and I had these words echoing in my head when reading the Government’s English Devolution White Paper. While there are lots of references to ‘hardwiring’ devolution into politics in the document, there are also reports that some mayors feel a bit underwhelmed with some parts of the negotiations. There’s lots to unpack and here’s a very initial take on just a few of the elements and some personal views.

The Government has today released its 'English Devolution White Paper, Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth". The full paper is available to view by clicking here https://lnkd.in/e_DFPJfb "Widening devolution across England - Our goal is simple. Universal coverage in England of Strategic Authorities – which should be a number of councils working together, covering areas that people recognise and work in. Many places already have Combined Authorities that serve this role. The government will continue to develop new Strategic Authorities collaboratively and in partnership with places. However, in order to ensure that citizens across England benefit from devolution, and to ensure the effective running of public services, we will legislate for a ministerial directive. This will allow the creation of those Strategic Authorities where local leaders have, after due time has been allowed, not been able to make progress. This, combined with our plans to support local government reorganisation, will help align public service boundaries with Strategic Authorities and will ultimately lead to fewer politicians and a more efficient state".

On Thursday 12th December, we welcomed over 80 of our Reimagining the Region members to the Palace of Westminster for our Winter Reception. The evening, compered by Leon Emirali (Consultant and Media Commentator for Sky News and BBC News), is the third year running that CNM has hosted this annual event in the heart of British politics. This year's speakers included Saqib Bhatti MBE MP (Member of Parliament for Meriden and Solihull East) and Taiwo Owatemi MP (Member of Parliament for Coventry North West) who shared some of their experiences of 2024 and what they hope to see/deliver in 2025 for their constituents. With special thanks to our partners, Weightmans LLP and the West Midlands Housing Association Partnership (WMHAP) for sponsoring the event and making it possible. Images of the event can be found by clicking here: https://lnkd.in/emDMD3vV Is it too early for us to book out 2025 Reception? And will you be joining us?! Chris Smith Dr Sarah Perry Jawaid Rehman Jack Kelly Midland Heart House of Commons Arcane Studios Halima Sacranie Anisha Kaur Smith Ashley de Sousa #midlands #westmidlands #coventry #birmingham #wolverhampton #regions #devolution #thinktank #policy

Having sat on the advisory board of the Centre for the New Midlands since its inception, it has been a pleasure to see the Think Tank go from strength to strength in terms of discussing region based policy, societal changes and economic challenges & opportunities, all whilst creating an environment for collaborative discussion and cooperation. So it was with real pleasure that I joined colleagues for CNM’s Winter Reception at the Houses of Parliament tonight, hosted by Taiwo Owatemi MP and Saqib Bhatti MBE, in order to reflect on the achievements and successes of 2024. 2025 will be yet another dynamic year in terms of global, national and regional changes and I look forward to working with colleagues at the Think Tank in contributing to unpacking the issues that emerge and their possible impact. #CNM #Economics

A fantastic event again from Centre for the New Midlands; Chris Smith and Ashley de Sousa Hosted by Taiwo Owatemi at the amazing Palace of Westminster Hearing from two MPs from opposing sides who didn’t bicker or score points, but both passionate about improving our region Great to meet Sue Roberts Fiona Latter MILM, MIoE ; Looking forward to meeting up with Dr Sarah Perry in the New Year! As always enjoyed spending time with Gabriela Matouskova and Rich Bishop ! Professor Guy Daly you were missed! #networking #westmidlands #opportunities

Not long now until our Reimagining the Region Winter Reception at The Palace of Westminster. We are so looking forward to welcoming our members to the home of British politics for what promises to be a fantastic evening. Special thanks to Weightmans and West Midlands Housing Association Partnership (WMHAP) for sponsoring the event. Huge shout out to Leon Emirali for being our host for the evening and to our guest speakers Saqib Bhatti MBE MP and Taiwo Owatemi MP Dr Sarah Perry Halima Sacranie Ashley de Sousa Anisha Kaur Smith Jawaid Rehman Jack Kelly Leon Emirali #newmidlands #midlands #coventry #Birmingham #Wolverhampton #thinktank #policy #devolution #politics

I've published a briefing note for The Productivity Institute on devolution. The revealed preferences of local authorities that submitted devolution proposals at the end of September underline three challenges: - Their scale is smaller than established combined authorities - and alongside that, proposals include fewer Constituent Members. More combined authorities represented by fewer Consistent Members, many of which have different political allegiances, risks slowing down progress in some sub-regions. - Despite the benefits of coterminosity with other public services - specifically the NHS, policing and fire services - the authorities that could have collaborated have not universally chosen to do so. This undermines the productivity-enhancing potential of devolution. - And an 'anti-mayoral belt' stretching from the South West to the East of England is evident. This is the first time authorities England-wide have been asked to specify their position on mayoralties. As a result, the Government will still need to convince a not-insignificant number of authorities that a mayoralty is the right approach. Thanks to William Sarsfield and The Productivity Lab for visualising the data.

On Thursday evening, we are back at The Palace of Westminster for our #ReimaginingtheRegion Winter Reception - and it promises to be another fantastic evening at the heart of UK politics. We are delighted to be welcoming Saqib Bhatti MBE MP and Taiwo Owatemi MP who be sharing some of their reflections on their experiences as #WestMidlands' parliamentarians and to Leon Emirali who will be our host for the evening. Special thanks to Rachel Taylor MP for hosting the event on our behalf. The event would not have been possible without our fantastic sponsors Weightmans and West Midlands Housing Association Partnership (WMHAP) Looking forward to seeing all of our members in #London! Chris Smith Dr Sarah Perry Jawaid Rehman Jack Kelly Joe Reeves Midland Heart Halima Sacranie Anisha Kaur Smith Ashley de Sousa Tim Fawcett Rich Bishop Professor Guy Daly Megan Cooper Majid Alsadi #coventry #birmingham #wolverhampton #midlands #westmidlands #devolution #politics #regions #policy #thinktank