1 November 2021
Andrew Mitchell MP welcomes spending commitments for Sutton Coldfield and the West Midlands in the Autumn Budget

Last week the Chancellor delivered the Autumn Budget and Spending Review, setting out the Government’s plans to support the economy as it continues to recover from the pandemic.

The West Midlands has been given a billion pounds of funding to expand the region’s tram, train, bus and cycle networks and support an environmentally friendly transport revolution.  Andy Street and the West Midlands Combined Authority secured the money from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement fund. The funding will enable work to progress on the Royal Sutton Coldfield town centre regeneration plans.

Following the Chancellor’s speech, Andrew spoke in the first day of the Budget debate. Andrew welcomed a significant boost to transport funding for the West Midlands as well as other measures that will benefit Suttonians.

Andrew Mitchell MP said “I welcome the Chancellor’s strong commitment to the West Midlands in the Budget. The money that has been provided through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement fund will help transform many local transport plans across our region and will be vital as we progress our town centre regeneration strategy.

Money from the fund will enable Sutton Coldfield to start major work on our town centre renewal. The plan is all set, and taxpayers’ money is now needed to address some of the key transport issues. This funding will make all the difference.

The skills agenda is vital for local businesses and it was good to see it feature so centrally in the Budget. The Prime Minister singled out Andy Street, our West Midlands Mayor, for his work on boot camps for digital retraining; a great example of innovation in the West Midlands which is now being rolled out nationally. These types of projects are incredibly important if we are to capture the vital growth that is required to ensure that we can secure new jobs and high-quality inward investment in the West Midlands.

House building is another priority locally, with demand for new homes increasing so I also welcomed significant Government investment in the building of new homes on brownfield sites.

We are looking for a £200 million accelerator in the West Midlands so that we can ensure that new homes are built while at the same time protecting our green belt. Locally we have one of the biggest house building programmes in the country at Langley, on Sutton Coldfield’s green belt. It is important that we focus on brownfield development, with houses built in the right places.

In the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield we have four particular priorities: the town centre, the Cottage Hospital, our Royal Park and the Town Hall. They all require, for the development and the aspirations that we have for them, a little bit of taxpayers’ money, and I am glad to see a number of regional and national announcements in the Budget that will have a positive impact locally. “

Some of the key announcements for the West Midlands included:

  • (Announced ahead of the Budget) The West Midlands has been handed a billion pounds of funding to expand the region’s tram, train, bus and cycle networks and drive a green transport revolution.  Andy Street and the West Midlands Combined Authority secured the money from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement fund.
  • £1.05 billion for Birmingham City Council over five years to transform local transport networks, for schemes such as the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill metro expansion and Sprint Phase 2.
  • Over £270 million of local roads maintenance funding between 2022-23 and 2024-25 and over £40 million for smaller transport improvement priorities through the Integrated Transport Block for Local Authorities in the West Midlands not receiving City Region Settlements.
  • £196 million for eleven projects through the first tranche of the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund – including £19.9 million to improve the A457 Dudley Road in Birmingham, £16 million to regenerate the Goods Yard in Stoke-on-Trent, and £20 million to develop a City Learning Quarter in Wolverhampton.
  • 10 new Community Diagnostic Centres will be built across the Midlands, expanding diagnostic capacity across the country whilst targeting investment at areas of deprivation.
  • £400 million of new funding for the British Business Bank’s Midlands Engine Investment Fund.
  • The West Midlands will also benefit from: a share of the £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund – focused on helping people into jobs and supporting businesses across the UK; £560 million funding for the Youth Investment Fund and National Citizen Service; and £5 billion for Project Gigabit, rolling out gigabit capable broadband for homes and businesses across the UK.