Star Comment: £250m for Metro must just be start
When Andy Street was elected West Midlands Mayor, he made a big deal about the importance of ‘having the ear’ of Government.
His view was that with a Conservative administration running the country, it wouldn’t hurt to have a Tory to head up the region’s combined authority.
There were those – not least his fairly awful Labour opponent Sion Simon – who accused him of being little more than Theresa May’s lapdog. But up to now Mr Street has been proven correct.
He has fought tooth and nail for much-needed funding for transport improvements, putting forward a compelling argument that if our economy is to prosper, people in the region need to be able to get on the move.
The £250 million boost that will enable the Midland Metro extension between Brierley Hill and Wednesbury is fantastic news.
It has been a long time coming, and once up and running will help to boost employment opportunities across the region.
And it has been a real combined effort, with local authorities in the Black Country working alongside the Mayor and MPs to land the funding.
However, there is a long way to go if the region is to make up for decades of under investment from central government.
The Metro extension must be the first in a long line of developments.
Transport improvements simply cannot be confined to tram lines.
Work is needed on our roads to make sure that goods can be transported swiftly and efficiently.
And away from transport, it is about time we saw some movement on the house-building front. Plans are in place to build tens of thousands of homes across the region, but so far we have seen very little in terms of action.
Devolution can be a powerful force, providing the funding is there that allows the regions to prosper.
The concern is that with the weak state of Mrs May’s Government, many of the ambitious schemes that have been mooted will never get off the drawing board.
The West Midlands is in pole position to benefit from devolved powers, but we need assurances that ministers are committed to providing the money required.
