Why certainty matters - and is the key to growth

Private sector investment isn’t built on hope. It’s all about risk – and too much risk is unattractive.

Developers and institutional investors make long-term capital commitments, and they need confidence that the policy environment, political direction, and delivery infrastructure around development will be consistent.

In a democracy, with its shifting electoral cycles, that level of certainty can be harder to manufacture than it sounds.

The West Midlands is fundamental to the UK's growth story, and the numbers bear that out. Across job creation, housing delivery, infrastructure investment, and in the scale of regeneration already underway the region performs well.

Yet for all that, we are battling a narrative of political ‘chaos’. For investors only half paying attention, that is immediately off-putting. But scratch below the surface and there is a strong narrative about a region that has a plan and has the policies and systems in place to deliver it over the long-term.

HS2 Curzon Street Station

Over the last 18 months, the West Midlands Combined Authority has been deliberate in using its powers to create long-term policy and investment frameworks which give private sector partners the confidence to commit.

That includes a three year budget settlement, Mayoral Development Corporations, strategic investment corridors, and long-range spatial strategies. These all signal to the market that decisions made today will be supported by the politicians of tomorrow.

That is significant to investors who think in decades.

Political change is inevitable, even healthy, but it need not be destabilising. What protects long-term programmes is not a particular political administration, but the strength of the foundations beneath it: robust officer leadership, well-evidenced strategies, and genuine collaboration around shared economic objectives.

Where those foundations are strong, political transitions become manageable rather than threatening. The West Midland's track record here is increasingly compelling.

Perhaps the most tangible example of certainty in action is the evolving relationship with HS2 Ltd. The progressive release of land back for regeneration – ahead of the line becoming operational – is unlocking real growth opportunities around Curzon Street, Washwood Heath, and Arden Cross.

Rather than waiting for trains to run, partnership working is allowing delivery to begin now with certainty around what land will be available and when it will be returned.

Now, the proximity to HS2, combined with proactive planning frameworks, positions these sites as some of the most investable locations in the country.

The fundamentals of the West Midlands’ case is strong. The task now is to ensure that certainty — in policy, in delivery, and in ambition — is communicated as clearly as possible to the investors who can help turn that potential into reality.