Happy New Year from Maria Machancoses and Sir John Peace

We can’t quite believe it’s here, but 2024 is over and we are welcoming in the new year. This time of year, allows for a period of reflection and review, thinking about what has come before and what is planned in the coming months ahead. 2024 has been another incredibly busy year for Midlands Connect and we’ve loved working with so many great partners and stakeholders.

This year witnessed Midlands Connect play a key role in accelerating major transport infrastructure programmes aimed at transforming the physical and economic landscape of the Midlands. From the Welsh border to the Lincolnshire coast, we continued to collaborate with our partners to attract investment in our strategic transport priorities for the region such as the £123m for the Midlands Rail Hub or the £39m for the delivery of EV infrastructure.

Another real success this year is our Centre of Excellence (CoE) - providing support to boost capability and capacity within the region. We have been clear that we want Midlands Connect’s COE to be a thought leader, and we’re delighted to say that we are leading on data and offering a place to allow councils to come together, share best practices and use our cutting-edge tools. 

When it comes to our partnership and in addition to the well-established West Midlands Combined Authority, 2024 saw the formation of the East Midlands Combined County Authority, the approval by Parliament of the formation of Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority and the signing of Warwickshire's Level 2 Devolution Deal. 

The arrival of a new Government brought major policy initiatives, including an increased focus on economic growth, a renewed impetus for devolution (i.e. the Devolution White Paper), ambitious housing and planning reforms, and commitments to further rail reforms, to the development of a national transport integrated strategy, more infrastructure investment and net zero. 

As we look to 2025, leaders from across our region will continue to reflect on the various policy developments announced by Government and indeed maximise any opportunities presented by the Devolution white paper. Notwithstanding the opportunities that lay ahead, such fundamental changes to our national, regional and local landscapes and structures will take time to be embedded and inevitably will lead to a period of transition. This is why mayoral and local leaders recognised that it is particularly at this time of change and transition when we must continue to drive growth and investment by collaborating at scale through bodies such as Midlands Connect.

There is no doubt 2025 will represent a new journey for Midlands Connect but notwithstanding this, the message from our leaders is loud and clear - the work of our partnership matters and we must remain laser-focused on ensuring Midlands Connect's priorities are reflected in the next Spring’s Spending Review,  the upcoming National Integrated Transport Strategy, the 10-year infrastructure strategy and indeed the next Road Investment Strategy (RIS 3).

Before we finish, we want to take this opportunity to thank our partners and the rest of the MC team for your work and efforts this year. We look forward to growing relationships further with you in 2025.