Midlands Engine Chairman, Sir John Peace, has convened a virtual roundtable discussion with MHCLG Secretary of State and Midlands Engine Champion, the Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, bringing together 40 cross-party Midlands MPs, businesses and leading academics, including from the Midlands Engine Observatory.
Discussion focused on the valuable regional insights shared by attending businesses, academics and the Observatory’s latest Covid-19 Economic impact data, as well as the measures being taken across the Midlands Engine partnership to support communities and economic recovery. The forthcoming establishment of the Midlands Engine APPG was discussed at the roundtable and lauded as an important step in strengthening the voice of the Midlands in Parliament.
Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, commented:
As town centres and shops across the Midlands reopen to customers, it was important to discuss with the region’s leaders and MPs how the Government can continue to help get the economy back on track as fast as possible.
This region is a crucial engine to the UK’s wider economy and I am determined to play my role in ensuring that its businesses, with the substantial financial support that the Government has provided, are able to fire on all cylinders and truly level up communities across the area.
Following the meeting, Sir John Peace, said:
Extraordinary work is being delivered across our region by Midlands Engine partners in response to the impact of Covid-19. Our partnership ensures a joined-up, collective response that deals with the immediate challenges and uses powerful regional evidence and data from our Observatory to enable informed decisions to be made together, in partnership, as we proactively plan for the future of the Midlands economy.
A series of further virtual roundtable meetings are planned with Midlands Engine partners, Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick MP, and Midlands MPs to discuss specific aspects and sectors critical to rebuilding the region’s economy in response to Covid-19.
You can read more about the continued work of Midlands Engine partners during this pandemic in our latest monthly newsletter: Midlands Matters – Issue 5
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