Dear John

Launch of the West Midlands Forum

I thought I’d share news of the new West Midlands Forum launched with the help of our Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, today! 

The goal of the Forum is to bring together good people from across the region to develop the ideas we need to make sure the next decade for our region is the best it can be. 

Rachel was in the region last week, meeting businesses, delivering a fantastic speech to the LFIG dinner - and sharing this message to welcome the Forum.  

You can follow the Forum on Twitter here:  @WestMidsForum

You can find the Forum’s website here: https://westmidlandsforum.co.uk/sign-up

Research published by the Forum today underlines just why it is so important. 

Analysis of the Budget shows the West Midlands has been awarded £216 million less than the North West in combined Levelling Up and Towns Fund money, coming just fourth overall in the UK. 

Yet, the latest Oxford Economics forecasts predicts the region's economy will grow to at a slower pace than the UK between now and 2040, with real risk to thousands of manufacturing jobs. 

You can read some of the media about today’s initiative in the Birmingham Post here, and here’s a comment piece about the background. 

The Forum’s first report on the decade ahead for the region will be launched on Friday 14th January. 

I hope this is something that will be of interest to you - and do let me know if there are key issues you’d like to see the Forum take on over the year to come.  

Best wishes 

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP 

Our Website: https://westmidlandsforum.co.uk/sign-up

Our Twitter handle is: @WestMidsForum 

Our Patrons are

•         Cllr Ian Ward, Leader, Birmingham City Council

•         Cllr Rajbir Singh, Leader, Sandwell Borough Council

Our Co-Chairs are:

•    Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill Co-Chair and Secretary

•    Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South East, Co-Chair

•    Rt Hon Valerie Vaz MP, Member of Parliament for Walsall South, Co-Chair

•    Jack Dromey MP, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Erdington & Advisory Board, Warwick Manufacturing Group Co-Chair

•    Colleen Fletcher MP, Member of Parliament for Coventry North East, Co-Chair

•    Tom McNeil, West Midlands Assistant Police & Crime Commissioner, Co-Chair

•    Cllr Brigid Jones, Deputy Leader, Birmingham City Council, Co-Chair

•    Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet, Coventry City Council, Co-Chair

•    Cllr Sharon Thompson, Cabinet, Birmingham City Council, Co-Chair

•    Cllr Waseem Zaffer MBE, Cabinet, Birmingham City Council, Co-Chair

•    Richard Parker, Treasurer

•    Stephen Goldstein CBE DL, Senior Advisor, Strategic Advisory Group