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Issue - decisions

26/07/2021 - West Midlands Business Support Review

(1)      The recommendations of the review into the West Midlands business support eco-system were endorsed, which were that the West Midlands should make four major changes:

 

·       Put in place a modern customer journey, built around the user not the provider.

·       Implement a new approach to account management, covering the largest firms, investors and SMEs, with the LEP Growth Hubs, local authority teams and the West Midlands Growth Company operating as a fully integrated support eco-system.

·       Replace the current large number of schemes which were coming to an end with new premium products aimed at specific sectors, supply chains and issues, and delivered region-wide at scale.

·       Carry out a campaign to drive up demand and usage.

 

(2)      These recommendations, and a commitment to a shared implementation and funding plan, overseen by the Strategic Economic Development Board with delivery of each element carried out by a lead organisation on behalf of the region, enabling and supporting local priorities and building upon existing local strengths, were agreed.

 

(3)      It was to be ensured that the Governance Review covered the need for the Strategic Economic Development Board to hold individual programmes and agencies to account on behalf of the West Midlands as a whole, this being key to delivery.

 

(4)      It was agreed that the three LEPs, the WMCA and its constituent authorities commission the next stage of work to implement the recommendations so that early work on delivery planning could get under way, to co-ordinate with the West Midlands Growth Company’s review of account management.