Be a part of it! Join Team Midlands

The UK is currently facing some severe global tremors, all buffeting our economy and society at the same time.

We are witnessing a struggling global economy that is further threatened by Brexit uncertainty and increasing turmoil between some of the super powers.

Alongside this, a new technology-driven industrial revolution is impacting on many of our industries as they struggle to make the necessary changes. Our automotive and aerospace industries are currently seeing the fall out.

At the same time there is the massive change being driven by social media which is having a huge influence over what we believe and who we trust. Recently, I heard Henry Kissinger talk about this social change, saying “…the day of the nation state has gone. Today, it’s about ideology and internet clusters. Almost anything that happens today, billions of people will know about it tomorrow.”

No wonder we are witnessing creaking political structures.

We would be foolish to think that the UK can remain immune from these mega trends that are of a scale that has not been seen in this country for some time. Equally it would be foolish to think that the Midlands will remain immune. That is why it is critical that we act now.

That is why, perhaps more than any other time, we need to secure investment in our infrastructure which has been under-invested by successive governments.

Despite this historic under-investment, the Midlands economy has been the fastest growing in the UK over the past three years. Imagine what we could do if we had the right infrastructure to connect not just the rest of the country but also the region itself.

Midlands Connect has been working to bring these major investments into the region.

It is only by acting at scale and pan-regionally that has made this possible. It provides a pointer in how we can grow stronger. We need to become more united in order to get our voice heard.

One of the strengths and attractions of the region is its diversity. We are made up of lots of distinct areas that are all fiercely proud and loyal. The weakness in this position is we have seen fragmentation and weaker arguments as improvements are often only seen within the context of the immediate surrounds.

Due to the unusual times that we live in, it is no longer possible to keep going in this way. We need to act in a united way if we are to secure the investment in connectivity, skills and new technologies.

This week we launched a communications campaign that is designed to increase investment into the region. The campaign will showcase the reach of the region around the globe.

We want businesses of all sizes to register an interest in becoming a member of Team Midlands. They will all share one thing in common: A passion for creating a Midlands economy that is thriving and vibrant.

This is the first steps in seeking to draw together businesses from across the region.

For too long we have been hung up on east and west and even smaller boundary issues. Now is the time to scale up and band together which will provide the best chance of weathering the global storm.

Team Midlands is not the whole answer by any stretch but it represents a symbolic step in the right direction.

That is why I am urging all business today: Be a part of it. Join Team Midlands and let’s discover how far we can go in a volatile economic world.