The Government has today announced a new £1.7bn ‘Transforming Cities Fund’ to improve transport links and promote growth in city regions, including £250m for better transport in the West Midlands.
In response, Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of the think tank Centre for Cities, said:
“Poor transport links are one of the biggest factors preventing city regions like the West Midlands from growing their economies, so the Government is right to focus on addressing this issue.
“Our research shows that strengthening connections within major cities will have a significant impact in boosting productivity, growth and jobs, especially if tied in with measures to address skills gaps in these places.
“That will better connect businesses to customers and people to jobs across these city regions. It will also enable places such as the West Midlands to play a bigger role in driving growth in the national economy and tackling the UK’s sluggish productivity.”
