Cities are crucial hubs in the Midlands, providing employment, higher wages and increased prosperity for their residents and those living nearby, according to a new report by a leading economic think tank.
They have a vital role to play in tackling the region's persistent productivity gap - the result of historic underinvestment and undervaluing of the Midlands - which costs the region £18 billion annually, a new Centre for Cities report highlights.
The think tank says urban areas should be a key focus of efforts by the Government to help the Midlands reach its economic potential as part of the wider objective to level up struggling regions.
