The East Midlands: stronger together

In the last ten years that I’ve been reporting on the East Midlands its economy has changed almost beyond recognition. Its cities and towns have been transformed, its start-ups have gone on to create even more wealth, and, perhaps, most importantly, it has continuously outperformed its other regional rivals.

In conjunction with Barclays, we’ve put this snapshot of the East Midlands economy together at a unique time both politically and economically. We live in times and great uncertainty, and yet, despite this, businesses in the East Midlands continue to power on.

According to a recent Briefing Paper on regional and local economic growth statistics, the East Midlands was the fastest-growing economy outside of London and the south-east between 2010 and 2014 (the latest figures available). In 2013 it was the fastest-growing economy including those two economic powerhouses.

Why is this? When deciding which business leaders to speak to in this snapshot of the East Midlands, we tried to be as diverse as possible. However, all their pieces have a distinct common theme: partnerships.

I’ve almost come full circle; ten years ago the East Midlands was split up into fiefdoms, overseen by regional development agency EMDA. Times have changed.
These days we’re seeing unprecedented collaboration across public and private sectors. Business leaders have learned that they can only really make the East Midlands’ voice heard if we work together as one – and they’re delivering.

From Lincolnshire in the east, Northamptonshire in the south and Derbyshire in the west – and never forgetting Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire – the region is more diverse than perhaps any other in the UK – but never has it been so together.

So, despite Brexit looming on the horizon, I believe the East Midlands is perhaps uniquely placed to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise over the next 12 months. And how many other regions can say that?