‘A New Political Chapter for Birmingham’ – CFP26 Opening Plenary summary
Connections for Prosperity 2026 opened with an engaging interview between Birmingham City Council’s newly elected Leader, Cllr Roger Harmer, and Deputy Leader Cllr Julien Pritchard, hosted by broadcaster Phil Upton. Against the backdrop of May’s landmark local election result, the conversation explored what the new coalition administration means for Birmingham and how it intends to […]
West Midlands leaders unite as Devolution firmly returns to the national agenda
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 […]
The Future of Renting: Housing Leaders Debate Reform
Housing leaders, policymakers, researchers, landlords and tenant representatives came together at Birmingham Council House this week for the Centre for the New Midlands’ latest housing policy event, exploring two of the biggest questions facing the private rented sector: how can we strengthen the tenant voice, and are rent controls the answer to improving affordability? Sponsored […]
The politics behind the Government’s latest planning intervention
This week, the Government revoked planning powers for nine local authorities across England, including three in the Midlands. It means developers can apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate, rather than through the local planning authority. Described as a ‘Whitehall power grab’ in Cherwell and ‘taking democracy away’ in Staffordshire Moorlands, Malvern Hills and Wychavon District […]
The Real Measure of Success: why Policymakers Need to Rethink Infrastructure Investment
For decades, transport policy in the UK has been dominated by a familiar narrative: bigger projects deliver bigger results. Success has often been measured through the lens of scale, whether that is the number of miles of new infrastructure built, the size of investment secured, or the volume of passengers moved. Yet as the country […]
It is not a skills shortage, it is a coordination shortage
Every few months a new report warns that the UK has another skills shortage. Employers cannot recruit, colleges need more funding, and young people are leaving education without the qualifications businesses need. Government responds with another strategy, another funding stream or another organisation designed to solve the problem. Yet despite years of reform, many of […]
NEETs: the issue is not ambition. It is architecture.
Alan Milburn has done the country a service. His interim report puts hard numbers on what many of us have watched build for years. Over one million young people are now not in education, employment or training. On current trends, 1.25 million within five years. But the most important number in that report is not […]
Rebuilding the Skills Pipeline: What Post-16 Education Reform Means for Employers, Students and the Economy
For many years, England’s post-16 education system has been cluttered, confusing, and too often dismissive of technical education. Everyone, including the government, accepts that has proved incapable of delivering the outcomes which employers, government, parents, students and teachers rightly expect, and reform is long overdue; the government has committed to completely transform education and training […]
Confidence, Growth and the West Midlands Opportunity: Highlights from the CNM Summer Reception
The Centre for the New Midlands welcomed members of its Reimagining the Region network to Chaophraya Birmingham for its annual Summer Reception, bringing together leaders from business, local government, academia and the third sector for an evening of discussion, networking and regional ambition. The centrepiece of the event was a fireside chat between broadcaster and […]
New Report Calls for a National ‘Decent Neighbourhood Standard’ to Transform Communities Across the UK
Significant collaboration between the Centre for the New Midlands, Social Life and Witton Lodge Community Association sets out a practical framework for safer, fairer and more connected neighbourhoods. A major new report published today by the Centre for the New Midlands (CNM), Social Life and Witton Lodge Community Association (WLCA) sets out the next phase […]