The West Midlands Economic Strategy (WMES) Delivery Framework (Opens in new window) - PDF - 5mb, launched 24 June 2008, provides the ‘roadmap’ for delivering the objectives of Connecting to Success (Opens in new window) - PDF - 1mb, the new WMES launched on 10th December 2007.
While Connecting to Success sets out what we need to do and why we need to do it, the associated Delivery Framework deals with how the strategy will be delivered with details of the role regional and local organisations and partnerships will have in that delivery. It is a rolling three-year framework, with implementation commencing from April 2008, to be updated on an annual basis.
Connecting to Success is the region’s approach to closing the £10 billion output gap, by seeking to raise output per head in the West Midlands to at least the average for the UK as a whole. Hailed as the UK’s first low carbon Regional Economic Strategy, Connecting to Success sets a vision of the region as, ‘a global centre where people and businesses choose to connect’. The West Midlands is already recognised as a great place to invest, work, learn, visit and live.
Accompanying the Strategy and the Delivery Framework are a number of related documents (top right of page). These documents, developed alongside the Strategy and Delivery Framework, provide additional context for Connecting to Success, with some relating to our statutory obligations as part of the strategy development process.
Review and Update of the WMES Delivery Framework - July 2009
Following the launch of the WMES and the Delivery Framework in 2008, the first annual progress report against - and update of - the Delivery Framework has been completed. The outputs from this work were published on Thursday 16 July and comprise:
Please see the document for process monitoring and updating the the WMES Delivery Framework.
Past WMES
Current Government guidance, as set out in the RDA Act 1998, requires each English Region to produce a Regional Economic Strategy every three years. The West Midlands region has produced three Regional Economic Strategies to date; Creating Advantage - PDF - 2mb, Delivering Advantage - PDF - 3mb, and most recently Connecting to Success. Creating Advantage provided a strategic framework for the region. Its action plan was later further developed in the Agenda for Action – Spring 2001 - PDF - 502kb, and rolled forward in 2002. Delivering Advantage was launched in January 2004.
WMES Progress Reports
Delivering Advantage, launched in 2004, also introduced an improved approach to monitoring and reviewing progress in delivering the Strategy. Taking the shape of a self assessment, delivery partners were asked to provide feedback on progress against their action(s). The resulting progress reports were produced on an annual basis. The reports also include updates on progress against a set of regional outcome indicators. The final Progress Report for Delivering Advantage, covering 2007-08, will include a third party verification of partner’s responses over the whole four year reporting period.
WMES Progress Report 2004-2005 (Opens in new window) - PDF - 457kb (PDF)
WMES Progress Report 2005-2006 (Opens in new window) - PDF - 3mb (PDF)
WMES Progress Report 2006-2007 (Opens in new window) - PDF - 417kb (PDF)
WMES Progress Report 2007-2008 - PDF - 3mb (PDF)
Verification Progress Report 2004-2008 - PDF - 193kb (PDF)