The Quiet Man Making a Lot of Noise

When West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker unveiled his Growth Plan — it turned out not to be just another dreary PDF destined to gather dust.

For years, local government has had a habit of producing glossy “strategic” documents that are long on warm words but short on hard edges. Anyone who has flicked through the standard “growth plan” or “inclusive strategy” knows the type: heavy on phrases like unlocking potential, working in partnership, world class clusters, but light on measurable detail. They tend to be written more for Whitehall’s filing cabinets than for the public they are supposed to serve

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So it came as something of a surprise when West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker unveiled his Growth Plan — and it turned out not to be just another dreary PDF destined to gather dust. The man who has quietly gone about his job without much rhetorical flourish is now threatening to make a lot of noise. What he has put on the table may just change the way people think about these plans.

Targets, Timetables, and a Touch of Grit

What sets this document apart is not some revolutionary new economic theory. Instead, it’s the fact that Parker has done the unfashionable thing: he has put numbers and dates on the page. He has been specific.

• The regional economy, worth around £77 billion today, is to grow by £17 billion in the next decade.

• 100,000 new high-quality jobs are to be created in key sectors such as advanced manufacturing, EV and battery technology, health innovation, digital and creative industries, and professional services.

• The region’s persistent problem with economic inactivity is to be tackled head-on, with a 5% reduction in the working-age inactive population by 2035.

• 120,000 new homes are planned, alongside £2.4 billion in transport upgrades and regeneration schemes such as the Birmingham “Sports Quarter”.

• On trade and research, the bar has been set higher still: SME exporters to rise from 6.6% to 9% by 2030; 1,000 foreign direct investment landings by 2030; R&D spending up from £2.3 billion to £3.5 billion by the end of the decade.

For once, a growth plan isn’t just promising “more exports” or “world class innovation”. It is spelling out what “more” means and when it is supposed to happen. That alone makes it a more serious prospect than most of its cousins in other regions.

Benchmarking Against the Best

Another unusual feature is the comparative modelling. Instead of vague claims about being “world-leading”, the Growth Plan asks how the West Midlands would look if it matched the performance of regions like Saxony, Porto, or Barcelona. The analysis shows the prize could be worth an additional £6.5 billion in gross value added by 2035.

That kind of benchmarking is refreshing. It is both ambitious and grounded, setting a bar against real places rather than imaginary slogans. It suggests that Parker and his team are serious about evidence-based policy rather than political puffery.

Already Some Early Wins

It is also worth noting that this isn’t just future-tense aspiration. There are already signs of impact. Research shows a 200% increase in incoming businesses in recent years, with around 12,000 jobs a year being created. New financial vehicles such as the Co-Investment Fund and Midlands Mindforge are already mobilising capital for regional firms and spin-outs.

This matters because strategy documents so often read like wish-lists detached from reality. By pointing to tangible progress, the Mayor signals that this plan builds on momentum already in motion.

Where It Still Waffles

Of course, this doesn’t mean the Growth Plan is beyond critique. There is still plenty of “strategy-speak”: commitments to “growth for everyone”, “telling our story better”, or “unlocking talent”. These phrases mean little without delivery. Some targets are softer than others — reducing poverty is a noble aim, but the Plan avoids putting a percentage or timeframe on it.

And there is always the risk of over-promising. Global economic forces, Westminster politics, or external shocks could throw even the best-laid targets off course. Without robust accountability, even a plan as promising as this could drift back into the familiar territory of wishful thinking.

A Cheeky Proposal: Tie Targets to Jobs at the Top

Which brings us neatly to accountability. It is one thing to announce targets; it is another to make sure they actually matter. So here’s a cheeky suggestion:

• Year one: if the early milestones aren’t met, the Mayor should sack his Chief of Staff.

• Year two: if the next set of targets slips, the Chief Executive of the Combined Authority should go.

• Year three: if the bigger promises remain unfulfilled, the top six senior managers should be shown the door.

• And for extra drama: if, six months in, the very first commitments are missed, perhaps the Deputy Mayor and assorted political hangers-on should be first out.

Of course, I don’t expect Richard Parker to start handing out P45s on a timetable. But the point is this: if targets are to be meaningful, they must be tied to consequences. Otherwise they are just numbers on a page.

The Quiet Man Speaks Loudly

Richard Parker has never been the most flamboyant of political figures. He has cultivated a reputation for understatement rather than bluster. But this Growth Plan suggests that the quiet man may now be ready to make a lot more noise. By putting out a document that is detailed, specific, and grounded in evidence, he has raised the bar not just for his own Combined Authority, but for the genre of local government strategy as a whole.

Groundbreaking may be a strong word, but in this world of dreary documents, Parker’s plan is certainly a departure. It dares to be judged on results, and it invites scrutiny in a way most politicians shy away from. If he can match delivery to ambition, he may well shift the narrative of what regional leadership can achieve.

Final Word

So let’s give credit where it’s due. The West Midlands Growth Plan is not just another exercise in glossy waffle. It is specific, ambitious, and already has some early wins under its belt. Yes, there is still plenty of strategy-speak. Yes, delivery will be the ultimate test. But Parker deserves recognition for putting something more substantial on the table than the usual box-ticking exercise.

And if he really wants to silence the cynics, he might even take up my cheeky accountability challenge. Imagine the shockwaves if, instead of yet another target being quietly forgotten, we saw real consequences when promises weren’t kept.

For now, though, let’s enjoy the moment: the quiet man of the West Midlands has spoken — and for once, in this weary field of strategy documents, people are listening.