Shedding Light on Productivity in the West Midlands

Rebecca Riley discusses a new report examining productivity in the West Midlands. The report is written by Melisa Wickham and is in collaboration with the West Midlands Combined Authority. This report focuses on labour productivity – which measures how much output is produced per unit of labour input. There are varying measures of labour input, … Continue reading “Shedding Light on Productivity in the West Midlands”

The West Midlands Datastore: Request for Partners

The WMCA today issued a Request for Proposals (Access tender documents here) to help us develop a West Midlands Datastore. This was a key element of our Digital Roadmap and builds on the work of our Office for Data Analytics and Transport for the West Midlands Data Insights team. In this blog, Adam Hawksbee and Rebecca … Continue reading “The West Midlands Datastore: Request for Partners”

#Budget2020: Did the West Midlands Win Anything?

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has now delivered his much-anticipated budget. It is the first UK budget since 2018 and has been given ahead of a Bank of England Rate interest rate cut from 0.75% to 0.25%. But, what will it mean for the regions of the UK, and more importantly what will it mean for … Continue reading “#Budget2020: Did the West Midlands Win Anything?”

Is the Government Going to ‘Make Buses Great Again’?

At the Conservative Party Conference, the Government seemed adamant to talk about buses. But, for what reason would the Government want to make buses a key transport-policy subject? At the conference, the Chancellor, Sajid Javid, proclaimed; “Buses haven’t been given the attention they deserve from politicians. But they are still the backbone of our public transport … Continue reading “Is the Government Going to ‘Make Buses Great Again’?”

Precarious Lives or Resilient Living? Homelessness and the West Midlands Combined Authority Area

I still reflect on ideas that were introduced to me during my undergraduate degree. I have an unusual first degree. This was a four-year degree. In the first year, I had to take modules from three disciplines and until the end of the third year, my module selection had to include one from the natural … Continue reading “Precarious Lives or Resilient Living? Homelessness and the West Midlands Combined Authority Area”

The Economic Impacts of Physical Inactivity and the West Midlands’ Strategy to Increase Walking and Cycling

The World Health Organization recommends that all adults aged between 18 and 64 years old should do at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week to achieve a healthy body mass and weight. Any individual that reaches the level of physical activity recommended according to their age is considered … Continue reading “The Economic Impacts of Physical Inactivity and the West Midlands’ Strategy to Increase Walking and Cycling”

The 2018-2019 West Midlands Databook: Things Are Looking up for West Midlands, but How Does It Compare to Other City-Regions?

City-REDI have compiled a snapshot of key data for the West Midlands. Drawing on the success of the 2017 databook, the 2018-2019 edition provides up-to-date labour market profiles for the West Midlands Region, West Midlands Combined Authority, three Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and over 30 Local Authorities. Together, the booklet provides easy to access data … Continue reading “The 2018-2019 West Midlands Databook: Things Are Looking up for West Midlands, but How Does It Compare to Other City-Regions?”