Mayor Andy Street promises to help 'left behind' areas of Wolverhampton and Dudley
The West Midlands Mayor says he is committed to revitalising the areas of the region that have been “left behind” as he set out his plans for a year that is “all about delivery”.
Andy Street conceded that Wolverhampton and Dudley were not part of the “positive” economic outlook that emerged across other parts of the West Midlands last year, with both boroughs seeing job creation and benefit claimant figures heading “the wrong way”.
He has pledged to boost growth, insisting that “plans are in place” to ensure prosperity for the whole region.
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Street insisted Theresa May would get a Brexit deal through Parliament to end “damaging” uncertainty over Britain’s economic future – and warned of the “risk” to the West Midlands of a Corbyn-led Labour government.
The former John Lewis boss also pledged to “strain every sinew” to meet the challenge of breathing life into the Black Country’s flagging high streets.
Big picture
“The big picture for the West Midlands is that we have done well with our economy,” the Conservative Mayor told the Express & Star.
“In terms of the Black Country as a whole, more people are employed than they were at this time last year. That is a positive thing. But two boroughs – Dudley and Wolverhampton – the figures have gone the wrong way. It is a fact, and you could say they have been left behind.
“I want us to be clearer that we are sharing that success across the region. It isn’t as balanced as it should be at the moment.
“We have got plans in place to change this. We want to make sure we support the industries of the future. It’s critically important, for example, how we work with advanced manufacturing and the aerospace sector in Wolverhampton.
“Transport is also key. We have got to enable people – and this particularly applies to Dudley – to travel to where jobs are being created, as we know that a lot of jobs are being created elsewhere in the West Midlands.
"There is also a lot of work going on around skills and training. We have one of the first national skills hubs in the Black Country we are launching, and the work around progression coaches from the DWP, control of the adult education budget, and the construction retraining fund to get people who have fallen out of work into new areas – which apply particularly to Wolverhampton and the work around the Springfield Brewery site – will all have an impact.
“While it is a fact that some other boroughs are growing faster, if you look at the investment and the activities that the combined authority is involved in, they are absolutely concentrated in Wolverhampton.
“You could say the city has got at least, if not more than its fair share of investment.”
Flagship schemes
Mr Street, who has confirmed he will stand for a second term as Mayor in next year’s election, said the past 12 months had seen a number of the combined authority’s flagship schemes put in place.
These include the Housing First project to provide accommodation for rough sleepers, the bike share scheme, and the revamp of Wolverhampton railway station.
This year, he said, would see those schemes bear fruit.
According to the Mayor, a major challenge involves the revitalisation of the high streets.
He launched a multi-million pound town centre programme in October, with the aim of “reimagining the role and function of town centres in the digital age”.
The first proposals from the scheme are due to be revealed at the end of this month.
He said: “We’ve got to strain every sinew to do it. People are really worried about this. We’ve had the theories and the pilot but people want to see the meat in the sandwich.” The Mayor admitted that uncertainty over Brexit was a major concern.
He said: “I still believe there will be an agreement, I just don’t know if it will be this deal or how much movement there will be on it. The huge majority in Parliament don’t want ‘no deal’, so I do believe strongly there will be a Brexit deal before March 29.
Mr Street says a worst case scenario would be a Jeremy Corbyn led Government, which he insists would be “incredibly damaging” for the West Midlands.
“Corbyn-led Government would be devastating,” he said. “They do not not understand the notion of how businesses compete and thrive. The whole story of the redevelopment of this place would be put at risk.”
