Logistics UK’s CEO, David Wells OBE, met with Richard Parker, the new Mayor for the West Midlands on 25 July. The Mayor has a strong focus on youth unemployment in the West Midlands and showed a keen interest in the Generation Logistics initiative.
Following last week’s announcement in the King’s Speech, all local leaders will have to produce a Local Growth Plan. Work on the Growth Plan for the West Midlands is already underway and the Mayor confirmed logistics will be an important element of his plan.
The timetable for these new plans has yet to be confirmed, but it is expected that most will be completed by the end of this year to feed into the government’s Industrial Strategy.
“It was very encouraging to hear the Mayor’s support for the Generation Logistics programme,” said Wells. “Logistics is one of the Midlands’ largest economic sectors. It creates good jobs using highly technical skills and underpins all other economic sectors.
“We look forward to working closely with the Mayor to realise the full potential of the logistics sector in the Midlands and help drive economic growth in the area.”
