This week, Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner launched Labour's Local Elections campaign in the West Midlands, with the promise to power up Britain.
Every area of England will have its own local growth plan to create and benefit from economic growth under a Labour government.
After 14 years of Conservatives, it could not be clearer that their levelling-up plan has failed – shops boarded up, record low NHS satisfaction, sewage in our rivers, mortgage and rent payments through the roof, school buildings crumbling over our children’s heads and regional inequality.
New analysis reveals that since the Tories first announced their levelling up project in 2019, the gap in earnings between workers in London and every single other region has increased – in the Midlands, it has grown £13 a week since 2010.
Labour will rebuild Britain and give the country its future back. Our plan is centred on achieving growth in every corner of the country, putting more money in people’s pockets, and giving people control over what matters to them. We will:
As part of Labour’s Take Back Control Act, create a new statutory obligation on all combined authorities and counties with devolution deals to develop a Local Growth Plan setting out a clear strategy about how they will use their new powers devolved from central government to harness local advantages to kickstart growth in their area. Local Growth Plans will go with the grain of Labour’s national industrial strategy, deliver for the everyday economy and mobilise businesses, universities, trade unions and industry bodies.
Empower communities to end ‘devolution deserts’ by asking all councils outside of a combined authority to begin preparatory work to join together on sensible economic geographies and take on a new suite of powers to benefit their residents. Where the Tories have failed, Labour will ‘fill the map of devolution’.
Rebuild the foundations of local government by providing long-term funding settlements, embedding transparency and value for money at the heart of our partnership, and reforming our broken local audit system and ensuring high standards of conduct for all councillors.
The West Midlands has the opportunity for change and elect a Labour mayor, Richard Parker, on 2nd May.
After 8 years of a Conservative mayor who consistently overpromises and underdelivers, the West Midlands deserves a fresh start.
Richard Parker has a plan for the West Midlands. As Labour mayor, he will get the region moving again, deliver on investment, create jobs and back business.
