Working together to improve the prosperity of the West Midlands is more important than ever now devolution is back on the political agenda, a major policy event heard.
The fourth Connections for Prosperity Conference, hosted by Midlands thinktank the Centre for the New Midlands, saw around 260 delegates from business, government, academia and charity come together at Edgbaston Stadium to debate the main issues facing the region – with devolution and the West Midlands’ identity coming up in many discussions.
The conference opened with a conversation between Birmingham City Council’s new leader Cllr Roger Harmer, its new deputy leader Cllr Julien Pritchard, and conference host Phil Upton.
They spoke about how the council’s recent election result, which saw Labour lose its substantial majority to become a fragmented council under no overall control, represented a ‘political earthquake’ in the city.
Despite this, both insisted the common goal of improving civic pride was shared among the new coalition administration and that it was vital Birmingham and the Midlands stood out on its own as devolution returns to political discussion thanks to Andy Burnham.
Former West Midlands Mayor and founder of centre-right thinktank Prosper UK, Sir Andy Street, later stressed the continued importance of local-decision making and how Whitehall cannot be the final authority on many Midlands-based projects.
He added that the West Midlands needs to tell the right story in order to convince people to live, work and invest in the region, and felt it needed to do that better to achieve that goal.
The day was closed by Coventry City FC owner Doug King ahead of the side returning to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years.
He spoke on how focusing on incremental success at the club, rather than overly lofty goals, ultimately led to Coventry’s promotion. He also explained how the club’s commitment to working with SMEs in the area is creating closer ties with the city’s community beyond the success of the team.
Further discussions and fireside conversations around AI, energy, skills, transport, and more, were held in breakout sessions between the main talks.
The day also saw more than £2,200 was raised for the conference’s charity partners Acorns Children’s Hospice – a record amount.
Chris Smith, Founder and Managing Director of the Centre for the New Midlands, said: “Our fourth event was one of the most successful we’ve ever held in terms of the quality of speakers and the number of delegates in attendance.
“Ensuring the West Midlands punches above its weight on a national level and attracts the investment it deserves were the clear takeaways from the day.
“With Andy Burnham bringing devolution back into the spotlight, we must show that our region has the knowledge and the ambition to stand out, rather than being an afterthought for policymakers.
“Having so many prominent West Midlands leaders in the same room to connect and discuss how we might achieve this aim is what Connections for Prosperity is all about. It was a brilliant day and we’re already looking forward to next year’s event.”
Connections for Prosperity 2026 was sponsored by AtkinsRéalis, Unity Trust Bank, West Midlands Housing Association Partnership, and E.ON.
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