NEWS & EXPERT COMMENTARY
Stay up to date with the latest developments, insights, and opinion pieces from The Centre for the New Midlands. Our news and commentary section offers thoughtful perspectives on key regional issues, as well as updates on our work and impact.
At a time when the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has just got the biggest promotion of his life, we were privileged to hear from Sir Andy Street, another former Mayor, at the Centre for the New Midlands about his thoughts on what getting the top seat...
In the last few months, a set of national and regional reports and announcements have highlighted the challenges and opportunities relating to employability and skills within the West Midlands.
Ours is a region of extraordinary potential. It has the youngest population of...
In one of the final sessions of CFP26, this discussion explored one of the UK’s biggest economic challenges: how regional governments can secure the long-term funding and financial powers needed to drive sustainable growth. Bringing together perspectives from local...
Doug King’s fireside chat with broadcaster Phil Upton explored the role that businesses, football clubs and local leaders can play in driving regeneration, pride and economic growth across the Midlands. Drawing on his experience transforming Coventry City FC, Doug shared...
In a wide-ranging fireside discussion at the Centre for the New Midlands’ Connections for Prosperity conference, former West Midlands Mayor Sir Andy Street reflected on leadership, devolution, economic growth and the future of the centre-right in British politics.
Drawing...
The panel session Affordable Housing – A Regional Success Story? brought together senior leaders from across the housing sector to examine whether the Midlands can genuinely claim to be leading the way in delivering affordable homes—and what still needs to change.
Chaired...
Reindustrialisation is back on the political agenda
In the early years of David Cameron’s premiership, he told a client of mine that their project could help his government reindustrialise the north.
More than a decade later, Andy Burnham is using the same language again...
In one of the opening breakout sessions at the Centre for the New Midlands’ Connections for Prosperity conference, a panel from across the broader Midlands region explored how the East and West Midlands can work together to strengthen the region’s economic voice,...
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...
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,...
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:...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Future Homes Standard has been presented as a major step forward for housing. In many respects, that is exactly what it should be.
New homes built to the standard are intended to produce at least 75 per cent lower carbon emissions than those built to 2013 standards....
I’ve just spent a couple of days immersed in industry discussions at UK Rail, and one thing is clear: we are witnessing a fundamental reset in how rail is planned, delivered and governed in the UK.
This is not incremental change. It is a structural shift, one that is redefining...
The recent Skills to Success roundtable, convened by the Centre for the New Midlands Employability and Skills Leadership group, brought together employers, educators, policymakers and sector leaders to talk frankly about skills and employability across our region. What emerged...