Moving government department HQ to Midlands is ‘levelling up in action’ says Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson says the opening of a new Government department HQ was "just the beginning" of a raft of investment plans for the West Midlands.
Writing in today's Express & Star, the Prime Minister said the decision to move the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to Wolverhampton was "levelling up in action".
He said the region faces "big challenges" as it comes out of the pandemic, and vowed to provide the investment needed to "drive the recovery and create jobs".
It comes after Star readers taking part in our latest survey backed Mr Johnson to lead the country out of the pandemic.
Mr Johnson said the Covid crisis had shown there was "a greater need to spread prosperity in equal measure across the country", and pointed to "a long line" of announcements over the last year which showed the Government's commitment to the West Midlands.
He highlighted £66m on schemes including the National Brownfield Institute in Wolverhampton and the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre in Dudley; transport investment such as £24m for the Birchley Island revamp; more than £100m through the Towns Fund, and £59m for new railway stations.
Mr Johnson said the new MHCLG site, which will see hundreds of staff move to the region, was "just the beginning" of the Government's future plans.
He also hailed West Midlands Mayor Andy Street's efforts in securing investment.
PM: Our ‘shovel ready’ schemes will help build better future
Boris Johnson writes: "It is great to be back writing in the pages of my old paper, the Express and Star again, as the Black Country, the West Midlands and indeed the whole of the UK prepares to begin the careful process of following our roadmap to reopen our economy.
Throughout the pandemic, this Government has put in place an unprecedented package of measures to support businesses and protect livelihoods – from the furlough scheme to bounce back loans, from business grants to additional support for local councils.
The pandemic does not mean that we have taken our foot off the pedal when it comes to the levelling up agenda that the country voted for in 2019. If anything, the pandemic has shown a greater need to spread prosperity in equal measure across the country. As we emerge from the pandemic, we must now build back better.
Most recently, Wolverhampton has seen our ‘levelling up’ agenda in action, with the exciting news that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is to move to the city.
And it is just the beginning. We have also announced that the Department of Transport is to open a second headquarters in Birmingham. Both moves will bring a major boost to jobs, trade and local businesses and open up brilliant civil service careers to local people.
These follow a long line of announcements that the Government has made over the last year which show our commitment to the West Midlands.
We have backed the region with £66m of “shovel ready” schemes – like the National Brownfield Institute in Wolverhampton, the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre in Dudley and a whole list of other projects. These commitments will provide good jobs across the region and secure existing ones.
Regeneration
We have also taken steps to improve the transport infrastructure of the West Midlands Government backing – like the £24m to tackle the bottleneck at the “gateway to the Black Country” at Birchley Island . Most recently, DfT announced the £59m needed for new railway stations, including Darlaston and Willenhall – enabling the restoration of passenger services from Walsall to Wolverhampton.
We have announced a further £84m to reclaim more sites – and then a further £24m to fund the regeneration of ex-industrial sites for jobs and homes – including finally building on the long-abandoned West Works of the former MG Rover factory in Longbridge.
We are backing the towns and Cities of the region too, with £10 million Brierley Hill, £25m for Wolverhampton, £25m for West Bromwich, £23.5m for Smethwick and £19m for Rowley Regis plus provisional packages of £11m for Walsall and another £15m for Wolverhampton announced on Boxing Day.
The relentless campaigning of your Mayor, Andy Street lies at the heart of many of these announcements. His business-like approach has meant that, at great pace, these projects have turned from ideas to seeing diggers in the ground. Andy’s clear focus on jobs revolves around spreading opportunity for the people of the West Midlands, investing in better transport and providing more homes.
As we come out of the pandemic, the West Midlands faces big challenges. To meet them, we need an experienced and effective Mayor, who has shown he can work with Government to secure the investment needed to drive the recovery and create jobs. With his business skills, experience as Mayor and proven ability to secure funding, I know Andy Street is the man for the job."
