State of the Region 2021

Welcome to the executive summary of the State of the Region 2021 the fifth annual review of how the region has fared in the last 12 months. This report is written on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority, and all its partners by WMREDI. It should be seen as a stocktake of where the region stands, it’s a snapshot on how the region is doing and where partners need to work together to improve the region. But this year, as last, it is still produced in extraordinary circumstances and it is a call to action for everyone invested in the West Midlands.

This year the report has been incredibly difficult to write, as data and implications have been changing rapidly, as different policy responses have been put in place. Since starting the process of writing in February 2021 the landscape has changed many times, and will continue to change over the coming months as the country opens up once again.

Therefore this year the authors have kept to the high level data and the monitoring indicators to minimise the effect of rapidly changing data. It is therefore a high-level report in comparison to its predecessors due to the wealth of research and supporting reports published throughout the pandemic. As in previous years the report highlights the major challenges facing the region, its citizens and businesses and the challenge facing all bodies charged with improving the wellbeing, economy and environment. It is important to note this report was written in June 2021 and that some of the data included changes on a weekly basis. Latest data will be found in the weekly monitors as circumstances unfold.

This report endeavours to be an honest reflection of the current regional conditions, specifically highlighting the challenges faced in the next 12 months. However, the report is not attempting to suggest what the solutions are or whose responsibility it is to deliver them; this lies within strategies and action plans of all the regional partners, who own and deliver activities in the West Midlands. It is an executive summary as part of a suite of documents which highlights the evidence base and continuing to build our understanding of the performance of the region. There are challenges to understanding this performance and how partners change places for the better, not least understanding the causation and causality between action, output and outcomes. This document provides a balanced approach to regional monitoring and is a useful tool to understand the progress the region is making through our combined action.