Agenda and minutes

[To receive any apologies for absence from Members of the Panel]. 

An apology for absence was received from Cllr Phil Bateman MBE as he was attending a Birmingham airport meeting.  It was advised that he could attend later on in the meeting, which he did. 

[To receive any declarations of interest]. 

There were no declarations of interest. 

[To approve the minutes of the Stronger City Economy Panel held on 17 February 2022 as a correct record]. 

The minutes of the Stronger City Economy Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 17 February 2022 were confirmed as a correct record. 

[The Portfolio Holder for Inclusive City Economy will give a statement and answer questions from Panel Members on his Portfolio]. 

The Portfolio Holder for City Economy stated that the City was going through a good major transition period.  The Council had managed to secure unprecedented investment in the City.  This was to the tune of £4.4 billion.  He referred to the £150 million Transport Interchange.  He spoke about the £120 million Springfield Campus including the National Brownfield Institute.  This was a key development within the new Green Agenda, and it was particularly important with reference to new techniques to build houses.  The i54 Western Extension was now complete and he believed it to be fully let.  Developments at Canal Side and Brewers Yard were also developing and hopefully there would be some further announcements in the near future.  There had been investment in some of the key cultural sites in Wolverhampton, which included the Civic Halls.  They had also managed to secure the first showing of the British Art Show in England.  The Show had brought in over 35,000 visitors to the City in the Winter.  The new Art Gallery footfall figures had superseded expectations. 

The Portfolio Holder for City Economy spoke on the matter of the new City Learning Quarter.  He thought this would give Wolverhampton residents the skills for the future and open up higher paid jobs for them.  

The Director of Regeneration introduced a presentation on the theme of People, Place and Business.  The employment rate in 2021 for Wolverhampton was 71.1% and in 2016 it was 64.1%.  It was still below the rate for England as a whole.  The employment rate for ethnic minority groups in Wolverhampton in 2021 was 77.8% which was over 15 per cent more than in 2016 and 10 per cent higher than the rate for England.  The unemployment rate in Wolverhampton had increased to 6.3% in 2021, although this was still lower than it was in 2016 at 8.2%.  The rate was 1.8 per cent higher than the rate for England (4.5%).

The Director for Regeneration stated that the economic inactivity rate in Wolverhampton had increased by 0.8 percent to 23.9 percent in 2021.  This was 2.6 percent higher than the rate for England, although the Wolverhampton rate was 6.1 percent lower than 2016.  The rate of those economically inactive who wanted a job was higher in Wolverhampton at 20.8%, than England at 18.8%.  The Wolverhampton rate had dropped by 11.3 percent since 2020.  The ethnic minority groups in Wolverhampton in 2021 had a lower economic inactivity rate at 19% than in England as a whole at 26.4%.

The Director for Regeneration commented that the rate of those with no qualifications in Wolverhampton had decreased to 9.5% in 2021, from 19.4% in 2016.  It was still 3.1 percent higher than the rate for England.  The rates of those with NVQ levels 3 and 4 or above had been steadily increasing in Wolverhampton since 2018 with the 2021 rate for NVQ level 3 being above the rate for England.  The Wolverhampton rate for those with NVQ level 4 and above was 35.4%  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The date of the next scheduled Economy and Growth Scrutiny Panel is Wednesday, 28 September 2022.

The date of the next scheduled meeting was confirmed as Wednesday, 28 September 2022 at 6pm. 

The meeting closed at 7:50pm.