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West Midlands (region)
Encyclopedia
The West Midlands is an official region
of England
, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British
city, Birmingham
, and the larger West Midlands conurbation
, which includes the city of Wolverhampton
and large towns of Dudley
, Solihull
, Walsall
and West Bromwich
. The city of Coventry
is also located within the West Midlands county, but is separated from the conurbation
to the west by several miles of green belt
.
The region is geographically diverse, from the urban central areas of the conurbation to the rural western counties of Shropshire
and Herefordshire
which border Wales
. The longest river in the UK, the River Severn
, traverses the region southeastwards, flowing through the county town
s of Shrewsbury
and Worcester
, and the Ironbridge Gorge
, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as birthplace of the Industrial Revolution
. Staffordshire
is home to the industrialised Potteries
conurbation, including the city of Stoke-on-Trent
, and the Staffordshire Moorlands
area, which borders the southeastern Peak District National Park near Leek
. The region also encompasses five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Warwickshire
is home to the town of Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of poet William Shakespeare
.
that includes Birmingham
and Wolverhampton
, but also covers the predominantly rural shire counties
of Herefordshire
, Shropshire
, Staffordshire
, Warwickshire
and Worcestershire
.
There is some confusion in the use of the term "West Midlands", as the name is also used for the much smaller West Midlands county
, and is still used by various organisations within that area such as West Midlands Police
and West Midlands Fire Service
.
The highest point in the region is Black Mountain
, at 703 metres (2,307 ft) in west Herefordshire on the border with Powys
, Wales
.
The region contains five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), including all of the Shropshire Hills, Malvern Hills
and Cannock Chase
, and parts of the Wye Valley
and Cotswolds
. The Peak District
national park also stretches into the northern corner of Staffordshire
.
Numerous notable roads pass through the region, with most converging around the central conurbation. The M5
, which connects South West England
to the region, passes through Worcestershire, near to Worcester
, and through the West Midlands county, past West Bromwich
, with its northern terminus at its junction with the M6
just south of Walsall
. The M6, which has its southern terminus just outside the southeast of the region at its junction with the M1
, and which connects the region to North West England
, passes Rugby
and Nuneaton
in Warwickshire, Coventry
and Birmingham
, and Stafford
and Stoke-on-Trent
in Staffordshire. The M6 toll
provides an alternative route to the M6 between Coleshill
and Cannock
, passing north of Sutton Coldfield
and just south of Lichfield
. The M40
connects the region through South East England
to London, with its northern terminus at its junction with the M42
; it passes close to Warwick
and Banbury
. The M42 connects the M5 at Bromsgrove
, passing around the south and east of Birmingham, joining the M40 and M6, passing Solihull
and Castle Bromwich
, to Tamworth
, northeast of Birmingham. The M50
connects the M5 from near Tewkesbury
to Ross-on-Wye
in the southwest. The M54
connects Wellington
in the west, passing Telford
, to the M6 near Cannock
. The A5 road traverses the region northwest-southeast, passing through Shrewsbury
, Cannock
, Tamworth
and Nuneaton
.
and Network Rail
.
Within the region, the local transport authorities carry out transport planning through the use of a Local Transport Plan (LTP)
which outlines their strategies, policies and implementation programme. The most recent LTP is that for the period 2006-11. In the West Midlands region, the following transport authorities have published their LTP online: Herefordshire
, Shropshire
U.A., Staffordshire
, Telford and Wrekin
U.A., Warwickshire
, West Midlands
and Worcestershire
. The transport authority of Stoke-on-Trent
U.A. publishes a Joint Local Transport Plan in partnership with Staffordshire County Council to cover the North Staffordshire Major Urban Area, which includes Stoke-on-Trent and the more urban parts of Newcastle-under-Lyme
and Staffordshire Moorlands
.
Major towns and cities in the West Midlands region include:
Population > 750,000
Population > 250,000
Population > 100,000
Population > 70,000
Population > 50,000
Other Notable
in the United Kingdom began in Birmingham and the Black Country
area of West Midlands. The Iron Bridge
was first built in Shropshire
at Coalbrookdale
. Much of the UK's car industry would be centred in Coventry and Birmingham. Most of this has now gone.
which has limited administrative functions such as regional planning and economic development. The board is not an elected body, but is made up of members appointed from local councils across the region and is known as a quango
. It is based on Edward Street in Birmingham, near the National Indoor Arena
. From March 2010, the funding decisions at regional level were taken over by Advantage West Midlands
, the Regional Development Agency
.
in Warwickshire has the highest rate closely followed by Tamworth
. For top-tier authorities, Shropshire has the lowest rate, and for council districts Malvern Hills
has the lowest rate.
, and is more deprived than the neighbouring East Midlands. From the Indices of deprivation 2007
, it can be seen that, in common with Northern England
, the region has more Lower Area Super Output Areas in the 20% most deprived districts than in the 20% least deprived districts. The region's most deprived council districts, in descending order, are Birmingham (10th highest in England), Sandwell (14th), Stoke on Trent (16th), Wolverhampton (28th), Walsall (45th), Coventry (61st), and Dudley (100th). These have Labour MPs except for a Conservative MP in Walsall, one in Sandwell, one in Dudley, and one in Wolverhampton (Wolverhampton South West), and a Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley.
The least deprived districts in 2007 (before Shropshire became a unitary authority in 2009) were Bromsgrove, South Staffordshire, Warwick, Wychavon, and Lichfield. These areas, like all rural areas of the West Midlands, have Conservative MPs. At county level, the least deprived areas, in descending order, were Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Solihull, Staffordshire, and Shropshire.
In March 2011 the region had the second highest overall unemployment claimant
count in England at 4.7%, second to North East England
. The highest in the region was Wolverhampton at 7.7%, the joint second highest (with Manchester) unemployment rate in England. Next is Sandwell with 7.1%, Birmingham with 7.0%, and Walsall with 6.4%. The lowest rate in the region is the district of Stratford-on-Avon
, with 1.6% - one of the lowest unemployment rates in England.
, the geographic area of the West Midlands is more Conservative, due to Labour's vote now consigned to the urban areas of Birmingham, Coventry, Telford and Stoke on Trent. The number of seats is more favoured towards Labour than the geographic spread, with 33 Conservative seats, 24 Labour and 2 Liberal Democrat (neighbouring each other around Solihull). Important metropolitan gains by the Conservatives were in the Dudley and Wolverhampton boroughs. All of Warwickshire, Staffordshire (except Newcastle-under-Lyme
), Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire (except Telford
) is now Conservative. The Conservatives gained 15 seats with a 6.3% swing from Labour to Conservative.
consists of the following subdivisions:
Key: shire county
= † | metropolitan county
= *
The West Midlands' population accounts for almost 11% of England's overall population. 49.36% of the region's population resides in the West Midlands county, 20.17% in Staffordshire, 10.49% in Worcestershire, 9.91% in Warwickshire, 8.56% in Shropshire, and 3.37% in Herefordshire.
West Midlands is based on the Quinton Business Park in Quinton
, next to the Highways Agency
and the M5 at the A456
junction. NHS West Midlands
, the strategic health authority
on Hagley Road (A456) in Edgbaston. West Midlands Ambulance Service
is on the Waterfront Business Park in Brierley Hill
, off the A461
, near the headquarters of West Midlands Police
. The region's Manufacturing Advisory Service
is on Wolverhampton Science Park off the A449
north of the city centre. UKTI for the region is based at West Midlands Chambers of Commerce on Harborne Road (B4284), south of NHS West Midlands. Most of the region is covered by the Midlands Air Ambulance, except Warwickshire is covered by the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, based at Coventry Airport
; both are charity-funded.
Bulmers Cider
is in Hereford. Cadbury UK make milk chocolate near Marlbrook
(near Leominster
). Weston's Cider
is in Much Marcle.
is based in Market Drayton
. At Crudgington
, Dairy Crest
makes Country Life butter
and Clover. The PDSA, Rayburn Range
and Aga Rangemaster Group are based in Telford
. The MoD
have a significant depot at Donnington
. There are also high-technology industries such as Unimation, Nikon
, Hitachi Maxell, Ricoh
, Capgemini
, Fujitsu
and Electronic Data Systems
. In Hortonwood, Denso Manufacturing UK Ltd
make car air-conditioning systems and GKN Wheels
make car wheels. Anglo Beef Processors are at Harlescott
in the north of Shrewsbury. Uniq plc have a plant on the A488
at Minsterley
making chilled desserts for Tesco.
are in Burton on Trent, as well as Marmite
, Marston's Brewery, GNC UK
(health supplements
), Doncasters (aerospace components and steel forging
) and Punch Taverns
. JCB
is based in Staffordshire, near the Alton Towers
colossal leisure park. Newell Rubbermaid UK
(owner of Parker Pen
, Berol
, Paper Mate and DYMO
) is at Fradley
Park, next to the A38, on an old airfield
.
Michelin
Tyres are made in Sideway
in Stoke-on-Trent, with Royal Doulton
and Wedgwood
based in Barlaston
. Manor Bakeries make Mr Kipling
slices and Cherry Bakewells
in Springfields in the south of Stoke. Bet365
is on Festival Park
in Etruria
, off the A53
. Dechra Pharmaceuticals
make veterinary pharmaceutical
s at Talke
, off the A34. Churchill China
are at Sandyford near Tunstall
at the A50/A527
junction. Sumitomo Electrical Wiring Systems (Europe)
, who supply wiring for the automotive industry, are in Silverdale
, not far from Keele University
. At Kidsgrove
off the A34, Converteam
(former GEC) make variable speed drives (VSDs).
RoadChef
are at Norton Canes
, near Cannock
. Armitage Shanks
is in Rugeley
. Areva T&D (UK)
(formerly owned by Alstom
) is based in Stafford
as well as a factory and UK headquarters of Bostik
. Numark Pharmacy
is in Tamworth
(former base of Reliant
). Premier Foods
make Bird's Custard
, Angel Delight
and Marvel
powdered milk
in Knighton, west of Eccleshall
near the Shropshire boundary. Kerrygold have a large cheese production site on the A53 in Leek
on the Barnfields
Industrial Estate.
, Telent (near the A46 bypass), Calor
(on Tachbrook Park off the A452
), Baxi
(now owned by BDR Thermea
, and on the A429 near Warwick railway station
), Volvo Group UK
(next to the A46 bypass) and a large data centre of IBM
are in Warwick
. Codemasters
, Aga Rangemaster Group, and Wolseley UK
are in Leamington Spa
. On the Warwick Technology Park, south of Warwick on the A425
, are ConocoPhillips UK
who own JET UK
(petrol), McKesson's European HQ (who produce the software for the NHS's 1.4 million employees' payroll - the largest payroll in the UK), National Grid plc
, Midcounties Co-operative, the wireless division of Arqiva
, Allinea Software, and Tulip (who produce SPAM
, with Plumrose and Danepak) in the UK, and are owned by Danish Crown Group
- Europe's largest pork producer. NFU Mutual
is in Tiddington near Stratford and the NFU is in Stoneleigh
; AGCO Limited UK
is nearby at Stareton
, who own Massey Ferguson
; the large factory at Coventry closed in 2002. The British Horse Society
is in Kenilworth
. At Cubbington
is the UK headquarters of Joma
, and has the Thwaites dumper
manufacturer.
BMW
have their main European four-cylinder engine
plant at Hams Hall
near the M42. Subaru UK
is in Coleshill
. ALDI UK
is in Atherstone
. Holland & Barrett
, the health food chain, Triton Showers (the UK's largest shower
company), and Adams Childrenswear
are based in Nuneaton
.
Aston Martin
and Land Rover
have their headquarters in Gaydon
. Converteam UK
(former Alstom
), Morgan Est
, and the European HQ of Gap
are in Rugby
. Alstom
have their Power and Transport division in the north of Rugby on the A426
, where they service steam turbine
s. Rolls-Royce
have a large engine overhaul plant (former Armstrong Siddeley
), near Ansty
and the M6/M69 junction in Coombe Fields
, which also makes their engine casings.
, Birmingham. Mitchells and Butlers, the pub chain
company, CrossCountry
, and National Express
are in Birmingham. Small-scale production of MG
cars was started again by Nanjing Automobile Group on part of the former MG Rover Group
site at Longbridge
in 2008. H. Samuel
, the jewellers, is in Hockley
of the Jewellery Quarter
. RoSPA
is based in Edgbaston
; Dollond & Aitchison
and ATS Euromaster
are in Aston
; and Goodyear Tyres
and Dunlop Tyres
are at Fort Dunlop
near Erdington
. Alstom
used to have a train factory in Washwood Heath
, which built Pendolino
trains, but closed in 2007. The Highways Agency
have their National Traffic Control Centre in Quinton
between the M5 and A456 near junction 3.
E.ON UK
(former Powergen), Jaguar Cars and Volvo Cars UK
, Peugeot UK
(head office), Jewson
, the Skills Funding Agency
and Young Peoples Learning Agency (former Learning and Skills Council
), Severn Trent
(water), and Thomson Holidays
are in Coventry. The Whitley plant
, just south of Coventry, has the main research centre for Jaguar Land Rover
, who also have a large manufacturing plant at Castle Bromwich Assembly
; this site
in Pype Hayes
and Tyburn
built half of the RAF's Spitfires
in World War 2. AAH Pharmaceuticals and Lloyds Pharmacy are at the Walsgrave
Triangle next to the M69/M6 junction off Hinckley Road (A4600), and are both owned by Stuttgart
-based Celesio
, Europe's largest pharmaceutical wholesaler. Nextdoor, Sainsbury's have the national distribution centre for their TU brand of discount clothing.
The main Land Rover
factory, Halfords Autocentre, and Enterprise Inns
are in Solihull
. The Forensic Science Service
, Linpac
and IMI plc
are on the Birmingham Business Park in Bickenhill
, near the airport; the National Exhibition Centre
(NEC) is just north, between the airport and the M42. Newey and Eyre
, Britain's largest electrical wholesaler and part of Rexel UK
, is at Sheldon on the A45
near the airport. Goodrich UK
is in Shirley
. Prologis UK is on the A34 in Monkspath
.
Carillion (has the second largest turnover of companies in the East and West Midlands, and the largest in the West Midlands), Tarmac
and ADAS are in Wolverhampton, with Poundland
in Willenhall
. Hampson Industries
is in Brierley Hill
. Daihatsu UK is in West Bromwich
. Homeserve
is in Walsall. Avery Weigh-Tronix
is on the site of James Watt's Soho Foundry
in Smethwick
.
Vitamin C
was first synthesised at the University of Birmingham
in 1933, and in 1940 the university developed the cavity magnetron
which was important in radar for RAF night fighters and the development of the microwave oven
. The steam engine
has mostly a Birmingham heritage.
Halfords
and GKN
(has the second largest turnover in the West Midlands) are in Redditch
. Lea & Perrins
is in Worcester
. The West Midland Safari Park
is off the A456
in Bewdley
. Liquid crystal display
s were developed in 1972 in conjunction with the Royal Radar Establishment
, which largely invented the idea of the integrated circuit
in the 1950s. It was based in Malvern
, and became the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment
, which developed thermal imaging
, and is now a large site owned by QinetiQ
. Morgan Motor Company
is in Malvern Link
. Commsoft RMS is in Evesham
.
There are around 275,000 at secondary schools in the region, the 4th highest in England after South East England
, Greater London
and North West England
. For persistent truancy
at secondary schools, Sandwell has the highest rate at 6.9%. The lowest truancy rate for the region is the former district of South Shropshire
, and the district of Bromsgrove
has the lowest truancy for a current district with 2.3%.
At GCSE, the best performing area in 2010 is Solihull, closely followed by Warwickshire and Shropshire. Dudley, Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin, Birmingham and Staffordshire (in descending order) are also above the England average. Worcestershire is at the England average. The (consistently) worst performing area is Sandwell, followed by Stoke-on-Trent. Wolverhampton and Walsall also do not perform well, although Wolverhampton improved in 2010. For metropolitan boroughs, Solihull then Dudley perform the best, and Dudley also is the best metropolitan borough at A-level, being much better than Solihull.
At A-level in 2010, the consistently best performing area is Herefordshire. Herefordshire's results are due to most of its A-level candidates going to Hereford's sixth form college
. Dudley is also above the England average; the other metropolitan boroughs have low A-level results. Solihull does not perform as well at A-level as it does at GCSE. Shropshire is at the England average.
head office is based in Coventry
. The three main FE colleges are Warwickshire College
, South Birmingham College
and Worcester College of Technology
.
School children in Shropshire and Solihull are most likely to attend university, followed by Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire.
There are also three university college
s:
The University of Birmingham is the main university in the region. It has the most funding and the most students. It has a large research grant, as does the University of Warwick, which is the next largest, in terms of funding. Keele and Aston have a moderate research grant, but none of the other universities do. Keele, although having the largest campus in the UK (by area), is one of the smallest universities in the region. UCE and Wolverhampton are the next largest after Birmingham, by numbers. The three medical schools are at Warwick
, Keele
and Birmingham
. Birmingham and Warwick receive more than twice as much total income than any other university in the region - around £400 million each.
For students in the region, around 45% are from the region, and 35% from other regions. The other region with the most native students in the region is South East England
(good access via the M40
and the West Coast Main Line
), but there is a good mix of students from other regions, except the North East (especially) and Yorkshire.
Students native to the West Midlands are most likely to study in the region (40%), then the East Midlands
(12%), the North West
(11%), and then Yorkshire (9%). Very few go to the East of England
or the North East
. The region has a net export of university students to other regions.
Once graduated, almost 60% of graduates stay in the region, with 10% going to London, 7% to the South-East, and around 5% to the East Midlands. Very few go to Yorkshire, the North-East, or even (neighbouring) Wales.
Regions of England
In England, the region is the highest tier of sub-national division used by central Government. Between 1994 and 2011, the nine regions had an administrative role in the implementation of UK Government policy, and as the areas covered by elected bodies...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
city, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, and the larger West Midlands conurbation
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
, which includes the city of Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and large towns of Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
and West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
. The city of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
is also located within the West Midlands county, but is separated from the conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
to the west by several miles of green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
.
The region is geographically diverse, from the urban central areas of the conurbation to the rural western counties of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
which border Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The longest river in the UK, the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, traverses the region southeastwards, flowing through the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
s of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, and the Ironbridge Gorge
Ironbridge Gorge
The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England.Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there...
, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as birthplace of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
is home to the industrialised Potteries
Staffordshire Potteries
The Staffordshire Potteries is a generic term for the industrial area encompassing the six towns that now make up Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire, England....
conurbation, including the city of Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, and the Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The 2001 census recorded the population as...
area, which borders the southeastern Peak District National Park near Leek
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
. The region also encompasses five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
is home to the town of Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of poet William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
.
Geography
The official region contains the large conurbationWest Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
that includes Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, but also covers the predominantly rural shire counties
Shire county
A non-metropolitan county, or shire county, is a county-level entity in England that is not a metropolitan county. The counties typically have populations of 300,000 to 1.4 million. The term shire county is, however, an unofficial usage. Many of the non-metropolitan counties bear historic names...
of Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, and is still used by various organisations within that area such as West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
and West Midlands Fire Service
West Midlands Fire Service
West Midlands Fire Service is the statutory fire and rescue service responsible for fire protection, prevention, intervention and emergency rescue in the county of the West Midlands in England....
.
The highest point in the region is Black Mountain
Black Mountain (hill)
Twyn Llech also known as Black Mountain is a mountain in the Black Mountains . It is the only Marilyn to fall exactly on the Welsh-English border, straddling Powys and Herefordshire...
, at 703 metres (2,307 ft) in west Herefordshire on the border with Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
The region contains five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), including all of the Shropshire Hills, Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
and Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
, and parts of the Wye Valley
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
and Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. The Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
national park also stretches into the northern corner of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
.
Road
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
, which connects South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
to the region, passes through Worcestershire, near to Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, and through the West Midlands county, past West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
, with its northern terminus at its junction with the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
just south of Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
. The M6, which has its southern terminus just outside the southeast of the region at its junction with the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
, and which connects the region to North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
, passes Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
and Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
in Warwickshire, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, and Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
and Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
in Staffordshire. The M6 toll
M6 Toll
The M6 Toll , connects M6 Junction 4 at the NEC to M6 Junction 11A at Wolverhampton with of six-lane motorway. The weekday cash cost is £5.30 for a car and £10.60 for a HGV...
provides an alternative route to the M6 between Coleshill
Coleshill, Warwickshire
Coleshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
and Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
, passing north of Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
and just south of Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
. The M40
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
connects the region through South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
to London, with its northern terminus at its junction with the M42
M42 motorway
The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre and Tamworth on the way. The section between the M40 and M6 road forms...
; it passes close to Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
and Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
. The M42 connects the M5 at Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
, passing around the south and east of Birmingham, joining the M40 and M6, passing Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
and Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
, to Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
, northeast of Birmingham. The M50
M50 motorway (Great Britain)
The M50 is a motorway in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire, England. It is long and is sometimes referred to as the Ross Spur. It is the only motorway-class road in Herefordshire.-Route:...
connects the M5 from near Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
to Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town with a population of 10,089 in southeastern Herefordshire, England, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.-History:...
in the southwest. The M54
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
connects Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
in the west, passing Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, to the M6 near Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
. The A5 road traverses the region northwest-southeast, passing through Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
, Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
and Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
.
Transport policy
As part of the transport planning system, the Regional Assembly is under statutory requirement to produce a Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) to provide long term planning for transport in the region. This involves region wide transport schemes such as those carried out by the Highways AgencyHighways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
and Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
.
Within the region, the local transport authorities carry out transport planning through the use of a Local Transport Plan (LTP)
Local Transport Plan
Local transport plans, divided into full local transport plans and local implementation plans for transport are an important part of transport planning in England...
which outlines their strategies, policies and implementation programme. The most recent LTP is that for the period 2006-11. In the West Midlands region, the following transport authorities have published their LTP online: Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
U.A., Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
U.A., Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. The transport authority of Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
U.A. publishes a Joint Local Transport Plan in partnership with Staffordshire County Council to cover the North Staffordshire Major Urban Area, which includes Stoke-on-Trent and the more urban parts of Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
and Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The 2001 census recorded the population as...
.
Towns and cities
- Bold indicates city statusCity status in the United KingdomCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
.
Major towns and cities in the West Midlands region include:
Population > 750,000
- BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, WMSWest Midlands (county)The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
Population > 250,000
- CoventryCoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, WMS - Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, STSStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders... - WolverhamptonWolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, WMS
Population > 100,000
- DudleyDudleyDudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, WMS - WalsallWalsallWalsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, WMS - TelfordTelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, SHRShropshireShropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west... - West BromwichWest BromwichWest Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
, WMS - Sutton ColdfieldSutton ColdfieldSutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
, WMS
Population > 70,000
- Newcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
, STS - NuneatonNuneatonNuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
, WARWarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare... - RedditchRedditchRedditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
, WORWorcestershireWorcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region... - ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, SHR - SolihullSolihullSolihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, WMS - TamworthTamworthTamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
, STS - WorcesterWorcesterThe City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, WOR
Population > 50,000
- Burton-upon-Trent, STS
- CannockCannockCannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
, STS - HalesowenHalesowenHalesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
, WMS - HerefordHerefordHereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
, HERHerefordshireHerefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the... - KidderminsterKidderminsterKidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
, WOR - RugbyRugby, WarwickshireRugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
, WAR - StaffordStaffordStafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
, STS - StourbridgeStourbridgeStourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, WMS
Other Notable
- Leamington SpaLeamington SpaRoyal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, WAR - LeekLeek, StaffordshireLeek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
, STS - LichfieldLichfieldLichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, STS - Stratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
, WAR - WarwickWarwickWarwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
, WAR
History
Much of the Industrial revolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in the United Kingdom began in Birmingham and the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
area of West Midlands. The Iron Bridge
The Iron Bridge
The Iron Bridge crosses the River Severn at the Ironbridge Gorge, by the village of Ironbridge, in Shropshire, England. It was the first arch bridge in the world to be made out of cast iron, a material which was previously far too expensive to use for large structures...
was first built in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
at Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides...
. Much of the UK's car industry would be centred in Coventry and Birmingham. Most of this has now gone.
Regional Assembly
The official representative body of the region is the West Midlands Leaders BoardWest Midlands Leaders Board
West Midlands Councils is a Local Authority Leaders’ Board that has been established in the West Midlands Region of England. It assumed the functions previously carried out by the West Midlands Regional Assembly when that body was abolished in March 2010...
which has limited administrative functions such as regional planning and economic development. The board is not an elected body, but is made up of members appointed from local councils across the region and is known as a quango
Quango
Quango or qango is an acronym used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere to label an organisation to which government has devolved power...
. It is based on Edward Street in Birmingham, near the National Indoor Arena
National Indoor Arena
The National Indoor Arena is a large indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group. It is situated in central Birmingham, England and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK...
. From March 2010, the funding decisions at regional level were taken over by Advantage West Midlands
Advantage West Midlands
-Advantage West Midlands – Regional Development Agency:Advantage West Midlands was established in 1999 as one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England. RDAs were created by the UK Government to drive sustainable economic development and social and physical regeneration through a...
, the Regional Development Agency
Regional Development Agency
In the United Kingdom, a regional development agency is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of one of England's Government Office regions. There is one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England...
.
Teenage pregnancy
For top-tier authorities in the West Midlands, Stoke on Trent has the highest teenage pregnancy rate. For council districts, Nuneaton and BedworthNuneaton and Bedworth
Nuneaton and Bedworth is a local government district with borough status, in northern Warwickshire, England, consisting of the densely populated towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth, the village of Bulkington and the green belt land in between. It has a population of just over 120,000.It borders the...
in Warwickshire has the highest rate closely followed by Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
. For top-tier authorities, Shropshire has the lowest rate, and for council districts Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills (district)
Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county that borders Herefordshire. It was originally formed in 1974 and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1998...
has the lowest rate.
Social deprivation
The region, from studies of multiple deprivation, shows similarities with Yorkshire and the HumberYorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine regions of England and formally one of the government office regions. It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The...
, and is more deprived than the neighbouring East Midlands. From the Indices of deprivation 2007
Indices of deprivation 2007
The Indices of deprivation 2007 is a Deprivation index at the small area level, created by the British Department for Communities and Local Government and released on June 12, 2007...
, it can be seen that, in common with Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, the region has more Lower Area Super Output Areas in the 20% most deprived districts than in the 20% least deprived districts. The region's most deprived council districts, in descending order, are Birmingham (10th highest in England), Sandwell (14th), Stoke on Trent (16th), Wolverhampton (28th), Walsall (45th), Coventry (61st), and Dudley (100th). These have Labour MPs except for a Conservative MP in Walsall, one in Sandwell, one in Dudley, and one in Wolverhampton (Wolverhampton South West), and a Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley.
The least deprived districts in 2007 (before Shropshire became a unitary authority in 2009) were Bromsgrove, South Staffordshire, Warwick, Wychavon, and Lichfield. These areas, like all rural areas of the West Midlands, have Conservative MPs. At county level, the least deprived areas, in descending order, were Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Solihull, Staffordshire, and Shropshire.
In March 2011 the region had the second highest overall unemployment claimant
Jobseeker's Allowance
Jobseeker's Allowance is a United Kingdom benefit, colloquially known as the dole . It is a form of unemployment benefit paid by the government to people who are unemployed and seeking work. It is part of the social security benefits system and is intended to cover living expenses while the...
count in England at 4.7%, second to North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. The highest in the region was Wolverhampton at 7.7%, the joint second highest (with Manchester) unemployment rate in England. Next is Sandwell with 7.1%, Birmingham with 7.0%, and Walsall with 6.4%. The lowest rate in the region is the district of Stratford-on-Avon
Stratford-on-Avon (district)
Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district of southern Warwickshire in England.The district is named "Stratford-on-Avon" to distinguish it from its main town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the district council is based, although this name often causes confusion .The district is mostly rural and...
, with 1.6% - one of the lowest unemployment rates in England.
Elections
In the 2010 General Election, the Conservatives gained the largest share of the region by popular vote and took control of the number of seats, with 40% of the region's electorate voting Conservative, 31% Labour and 21% Liberal Democrat (very similar to the East Midlands). Although having a slightly smaller percentage of the vote than the neighbouring East MidlandsEast Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
, the geographic area of the West Midlands is more Conservative, due to Labour's vote now consigned to the urban areas of Birmingham, Coventry, Telford and Stoke on Trent. The number of seats is more favoured towards Labour than the geographic spread, with 33 Conservative seats, 24 Labour and 2 Liberal Democrat (neighbouring each other around Solihull). Important metropolitan gains by the Conservatives were in the Dudley and Wolverhampton boroughs. All of Warwickshire, Staffordshire (except Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK Parliament constituency)
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
), Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire (except Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
) is now Conservative. The Conservatives gained 15 seats with a 6.3% swing from Labour to Conservative.
Local government
The official regionRegions of England
In England, the region is the highest tier of sub-national division used by central Government. Between 1994 and 2011, the nine regions had an administrative role in the implementation of UK Government policy, and as the areas covered by elected bodies...
consists of the following subdivisions:
| Ceremonial county | County/ unitary | Districts |
|---|---|---|
| Herefordshire Herefordshire Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the... U.A. |
||
| Shropshire Shropshire Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west... |
Shropshire Shropshire Council Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -... U.A. |
|
| Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The... U.A. |
||
| Staffordshire Staffordshire Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders... |
Staffordshire † | a.) Cannock Chase Cannock Chase (district) Cannock Chase is a local government district in England. It covers a large part of Cannock Chase forest and the towns of Cannock, Rugeley and Hednesford.There are several parish and town councils in the district:* Rugeley* Hednesford... , b.) East Staffordshire East Staffordshire East Staffordshire is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire in England. It has two main towns, Burton upon Trent, famous for its breweries, and Uttoxeter, for its racecourse.... , c.) Lichfield Lichfield (district) Lichfield is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is administered by Lichfield District Council, based in Lichfield.The dignity and privileges of the City of Lichfield are vested in the parish council of the 14 km² Lichfield civil parish... , d.) Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme (borough) Newcastle-under-Lyme is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England.It is named after its main town of Newcastle-under-Lyme where the council is based, but also includes the town of Kidsgrove, the villages of Silverdale and Keele, and the rural area surrounding Audley... , e.) South Staffordshire South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south... , f.) Stafford Stafford (borough) Stafford is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire in England. It is named after and includes the town of Stafford. It also includes the smaller town of Stone and numerous villages.... , g.) Staffordshire Moorlands Staffordshire Moorlands Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The 2001 census recorded the population as... , h.) Tamworth Tamworth Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker... |
| Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area... U.A. |
||
| Warwickshire Warwickshire Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare... † |
a.) North Warwickshire North Warwickshire North Warwickshire is a local government district and borough in Warwickshire, England. The main town in the district is Atherstone where the council is based... , b.) Nuneaton and Bedworth Nuneaton and Bedworth Nuneaton and Bedworth is a local government district with borough status, in northern Warwickshire, England, consisting of the densely populated towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth, the village of Bulkington and the green belt land in between. It has a population of just over 120,000.It borders the... , c.) Rugby Rugby (borough) Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England.The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town.... , d.) Stratford-on-Avon Stratford-on-Avon (district) Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district of southern Warwickshire in England.The district is named "Stratford-on-Avon" to distinguish it from its main town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the district council is based, although this name often causes confusion .The district is mostly rural and... , e.) Warwick Warwick (district) Warwick is a local government district of central Warwickshire in England. The current leader of the district council is Conservative Party member Michael Doody. The council is currently controlled by the Conservative group, who hold 23 of the 46 council seats... |
|
| West Midlands West Midlands (county) The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The... * |
a.) Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... , b.) Coventry Coventry Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although... , c.) Dudley, d.) Sandwell, e.) Solihull, f.) Walsall, g.) Wolverhampton Wolverhampton Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region... |
|
| Worcestershire Worcestershire Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region... † |
a.) Bromsgrove Bromsgrove (district) Bromsgrove is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Bromsgrove.It borders the built up area of Birmingham to the north... , b.) Malvern Hills Malvern Hills (district) Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county that borders Herefordshire. It was originally formed in 1974 and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1998... , c.) Redditch Redditch Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry... , d.) Worcester Worcester The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the... , e.) Wychavon Wychavon Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Pershore. Other towns in the district include Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Broadway. The district extends from the south-east corner of Worcestershire north and west... , f.) Wyre Forest Wyre Forest (district) This article is about the local government district in WorcestershireWyre Forest is a local government district in Worcestershire, England, covering the towns of Kidderminster, Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley, and several civil parishes and their villages... |
|
Key: shire county
Shire county
A non-metropolitan county, or shire county, is a county-level entity in England that is not a metropolitan county. The counties typically have populations of 300,000 to 1.4 million. The term shire county is, however, an unofficial usage. Many of the non-metropolitan counties bear historic names...
= † | metropolitan county
Metropolitan county
The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, typically with populations of 1.2 to 2.8 million...
= *
Demography
| Ceremonial County | Population | Population density | Largest local authority | Largest settlement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands (region) | 5,267,337 | 405/km² | Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... (1,006,500) |
Birmingham (1,006,500) |
| West Midlands (county) West Midlands (county) The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The... |
2,600,100 | 2,884/km² | Birmingham (1,006,500) | Birmingham (1,006,500) |
| Staffordshire Staffordshire Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders... |
1,062,500 | 391/km² | Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area... (240,636) |
Stoke-on-Trent (259,252) |
| Worcestershire Worcestershire Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region... |
552,900 | 318/km² | Wychavon Wychavon Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Pershore. Other towns in the district include Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Broadway. The district extends from the south-east corner of Worcestershire north and west... (116,300) |
Worcester Worcester The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the... (93,400) |
| Warwickshire Warwickshire Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare... |
522,200 | 264/km² | Warwick Warwick (district) Warwick is a local government district of central Warwickshire in England. The current leader of the district council is Conservative Party member Michael Doody. The council is currently controlled by the Conservative group, who hold 23 of the 46 council seats... (132,900) |
Nuneaton Nuneaton Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for... (70,721) |
| Shropshire Shropshire Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west... |
451,100 | 129/km² | Shropshire Shropshire Council Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -... (290,900) |
Telford Telford Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham... (138,241) |
| Herefordshire Herefordshire Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the... |
177,800 | 82/km² | N/A | Hereford Hereford Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester... (50,400) |
The West Midlands' population accounts for almost 11% of England's overall population. 49.36% of the region's population resides in the West Midlands county, 20.17% in Staffordshire, 10.49% in Worcestershire, 9.91% in Warwickshire, 8.56% in Shropshire, and 3.37% in Herefordshire.
Economy
Business LinkBusiness Link
Business Link is a government-funded business advice and guidance service in England. It consists of an online portal managed by HMRC, local/regional advisors and a national helpline.-History:...
West Midlands is based on the Quinton Business Park in Quinton
Quinton, Birmingham
Quinton is a suburb on the western edge of Birmingham, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward within the Edgbaston formal district, and forms a part of the Birmingham Edgbaston parliamentary constituency.The area is served by .-Geography:...
, next to the Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
and the M5 at the A456
A456 road
The A456 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Woofferton, Shropshire, south of Ludlow.-History:Much of the road is almost certainly medieval in origin...
junction. NHS West Midlands
NHS West Midlands
NHS West Midlands is a strategic health authority of the National Health Service in England. It operates in the West Midlands region, which is coterminous with the local government office region.-General information:...
, the strategic health authority
NHS Strategic Health Authority
NHS strategic health authorities are part of the structure of the National Health Service in England. Each SHA is responsible for enacting the directives and implementing fiscal policy as dictated by the Department of Health at a regional level. In turn each SHA area contains various NHS trusts...
on Hagley Road (A456) in Edgbaston. West Midlands Ambulance Service
West Midlands Ambulance Service
The West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the second-largest ambulance service in the UK. It is the authority responsible for providing NHS ambulance services in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire.It is one of 12 Ambulance Trusts...
is on the Waterfront Business Park in Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
, off the A461
A461 road
The A461 is a main road in Great Britain that links Lichfield in Staffordshire, with Stourbridge, West Midlands, passing through Walsall & Dudley.-Places along the route:* Lichfield* Walsall* M6 motorway * Wednesbury* Tipton* Great Bridge...
, near the headquarters of West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
. The region's Manufacturing Advisory Service
Manufacturing Advisory Service
The Manufacturing Advisory Service is a government agency in England and Scotland that advises manufacturing companies.-History:It was founded by the Department of Trade and Industry in April 2002. It was split into regions and was aimed at SMEs to offer technical and strategic advice...
is on Wolverhampton Science Park off the A449
A449 road
The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire....
north of the city centre. UKTI for the region is based at West Midlands Chambers of Commerce on Harborne Road (B4284), south of NHS West Midlands. Most of the region is covered by the Midlands Air Ambulance, except Warwickshire is covered by the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, based at Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport is located south southeast of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England, and about outside Coventry boundaries...
; both are charity-funded.
Herefordshire
H. P. Bulmer
H.P. Bulmer is a brewing company founded in 1887 in Hereford, England. The founder was Percy Bulmer, the twenty-year-old son of the local rector at Credenhill...
is in Hereford. Cadbury UK make milk chocolate near Marlbrook
Marlbrook, Herefordshire
Marlbrook is a village in Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Lugg and the A49 road, south of Leominster and north of Hereford. Just south of the village is the junction of the A49 with the A417 road towards Ledbury and Gloucester....
(near Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
). Weston's Cider
Weston's Cider
H. Weston & Sons Limited is a cider producer based in Much Marcle, Herefordshire, England. The company has been making cider in the same place since 1878 and sells more than 150 ciders and perrys, including both organic and low alcohol varieties.'Stowford Press' is Westons Cider's most popular...
is in Much Marcle.
Shropshire
Müller Dairy LtdMüller (company)
Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller is a multinational producer of dairy products, with a headquarters in Fischach in the German state of Bavaria. The group includes a number of companies operating under the Müller name, including the original Molkerei Alois Müller GmbH & Co. KG and Müller Dairy ...
is based in Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
. At Crudgington
Crudgington
Crudgington is a village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It is situated in the civil parish of Waters Upton, a village to the north, and is 7 miles north-west of Telford...
, Dairy Crest
Dairy Crest
Dairy Crest Group plc is a major dairy products company in the United Kingdom. Its brands include Cathedral City Cheddar cheese, Utterly Butterly, Vitalite, Clover, St Ivel and Frijj. The company delivers milk to around 1.1 million households via their milkmen...
makes Country Life butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
and Clover. The PDSA, Rayburn Range
Rayburn Range
The Rayburn is a type of stove similar in nature to the AGA and are manufactured in Telford at the same factory as the AGA.The Rayburn was launched in 1946 with two hotplates, and one or two ovens and the ability to heat water...
and Aga Rangemaster Group are based in Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
. The MoD
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
have a significant depot at Donnington
Donnington, Telford
Donnington was not part of the new town of Telford but part of the already oudated Wellington Rural District which had built many council houses from the 1920s onwards. It is located in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England...
. There are also high-technology industries such as Unimation, Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
, Hitachi Maxell, Ricoh
Ricoh
or Ricoh, is a Japanese company that was established in 1936 on February 6th, as , a company in the RIKEN zaibatsu. Its headquarters is located in Ricoh Building in Chūō, Tokyo....
, Capgemini
Capgemini
Capgemini is a French global IT services company, one of the world's largest management consulting, outsourcing and professional services companies with a staff of 114,274 operating in 40 countries. It is headquartered in Paris and was founded in 1967 by Serge Kampf, the current chairman, in...
, Fujitsu
Fujitsu
is a Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is the world's third-largest IT services provider measured by revenues....
and Electronic Data Systems
Electronic Data Systems
HP Enterprise Services is the global business and technology services division of Hewlett Packard's HP Enterprise Business strategic business unit. It was formed by the combination of HP's legacy services consulting and outsourcing business and the integration of acquired Electronic Data Systems,...
. In Hortonwood, Denso Manufacturing UK Ltd
DENSO
is a global automotive components manufacturer headquartered in the city of Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Established December 16, 1949 as , in 1996 the company became DENSO Corporation worldwide...
make car air-conditioning systems and GKN Wheels
GKN
GKN plc is a multinational automotive and aerospace components company headquartered in Redditch, United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds and can trace its origins back to 1759 and the birth of the Industrial Revolution.GKN is listed on the London Stock...
make car wheels. Anglo Beef Processors are at Harlescott
Harlescott
Harlescott is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is one of the most industrial parts of the town, and is the 5th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan Shropshire Neighbouring suburbs include Sundorne to the east and Ditherington to the south...
in the north of Shrewsbury. Uniq plc have a plant on the A488
A488 road
The A488 is a route on the British highway network that runs from Penybont, near Llandrindod Wells, in Wales, to Shrewsbury, Shropshire, in England. Near Shrewsbury the A488 has a junction with the A5 trunk road...
at Minsterley
Minsterley
Minsterley is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is home to a large dairy operated by Uniq foods.The dairy currently employs nearly 500 people...
making chilled desserts for Tesco.
Staffordshire
The brewing companies such as Coors BrewersMolson Coors Brewing Company
Molson Coors Brewing Company is a company that was created by the merger of two of North America's largest breweries: Molson of Canada, and Coors of the United States, on February 9, 2005...
are in Burton on Trent, as well as Marmite
Marmite
Marmite is the name given to two similar food spreads: the original British version, first produced in the United Kingdom and later South Africa, and a version produced in New Zealand...
, Marston's Brewery, GNC UK
General Nutrition Centers
General Nutrition Centers is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based American commercial enterprise focused on the retail sale of health and nutrition related products, including vitamins, supplements, minerals, herbs, sports nutrition, diet & energy products.-History:In 1935, David Shakarian opened a...
(health supplements
Dietary supplement
A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
), Doncasters (aerospace components and steel forging
Forging
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it is performed: '"cold," "warm," or "hot" forging. Forged parts can range in weight from less than a kilogram to 580 metric tons...
) and Punch Taverns
Punch Taverns
Punch Taverns plc is the largest pub and bar operator in the United Kingdom, with around 6,800 leased, tenanted and managed pubs. It is headquartered in the traditional brewing centre of Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire...
. JCB
J. C. Bamford
JCB is a global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company headquartered in Rocester, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers , excavators, tractors and diesel engines...
is based in Staffordshire, near the Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
colossal leisure park. Newell Rubbermaid UK
Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products including such well-known brands as Rubbermaid food storage, home organization, and refuse container products; Sharpie, PaperMate, Parker and Waterman writing instruments; Calphalon gourmet cookware; Goody beauty and...
(owner of Parker Pen
Parker Pen Company
The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of pens, founded in 1888 by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. It is currently owned by Newell Rubbermaid, and headquartered in Newhaven, East Sussex, England.-History:...
, Berol
Berol
Berol is a British company that manufactures pencils, pens and other stationery items, based in Lichfield, England. Established in 1969, its handwriting pen, used in many British schools, is now more than 25 years old....
, Paper Mate and DYMO
DYMO Corporation
DYMO Corporation is an American company that manufactures handheld label makers, label printers, and other printers such as CD and DVD labelers. Dymo Industries, Inc. was founded in 1958 to produce handheld tools that use embossing tape. The company was acquired by Esselte in 1978 and...
) is at Fradley
Fradley
Fradley is a village and civil parish in Lichfield District, Staffordshire, England, about north-east of the City of Lichfield and 1 mile south-west of Alrewas. Until 1 April 2009 it had been part of the larger parish of Alrewas and Fradley. The parish council is a joint one with Streethay...
Park, next to the A38, on an old airfield
RAF Lichfield
Royal Air Force Station Lichfield also known as Fradley Aerodrome, was an operational training station from 1940 until 1958. It was situated in Fradley, 2 miles north east of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. The airfield was the busiest airfield in Staffordshire during World War II. The airfield...
.
Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
Tyres are made in Sideway
Sideway
Sideway is an area of Stoke-on-Trent, approximately one mile south west of Stoke-upon-Trent. It is located on the junction of the A500 and the A50 adjacent to the Britannia Stadium....
in Stoke-on-Trent, with Royal Doulton
Royal Doulton
The Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
and Wedgwood
Wedgwood
Wedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
based in Barlaston
Barlaston
Barlaston is a village and civil parish in the borough of Stafford in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is roughly halfway between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the small town of Stone. According to the 2001 census the population of the parish was 2,659.-History:The old parish church of...
. Manor Bakeries make Mr Kipling
Mr Kipling
Mr Kipling is a brand of cakes, pies and baked goods widely marketed in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was introducedin 1967, at a time when cakes were more often bought from local bakers to sell cakes of a local baker's standard to supermarkets....
slices and Cherry Bakewells
Bakewell tart
The Bakewell Tart, not to be confused with the Bakewell Pudding, is a shortcrust pastry with a layer of jam and a sponge filling with almonds. The Bakewell Pudding on the other hand is a flaky pastry, with a layer of jam and an egg and almond filling. The tart then can be covered with a layer of...
in Springfields in the south of Stoke. Bet365
Bet365
bet365 Group Limited, is a United Kingdom based gambling company. bet365 is one of the world’s leading online gambling groups with over 6 million customers in 200 different countries...
is on Festival Park
Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival
The Stoke-on-Trent National Garden Festival was the second of Britain's National Garden Festivals. It was held in the city from 1 May to 26 October 1986, and was opened by the Queen. Preparation of the site involved the reclamation of land formerly occupied by the Shelton Bar steelworks , about...
in Etruria
Etruria, Staffordshire
Etruria is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.-Home of Wedgwood:Etruria was the fourth and penultimate site for the Wedgwood pottery business. Josiah Wedgwood, who was previously based in Burslem, opened his new works in 1769. It was named after the Italian district of Etruria,...
, off the A53
A53 road
The A53 is a primary route in northern England, that runs from Buxton in Derbyshire to Shrewsbury in Shropshire.-Route of Road:The A53 begins in the centre of Buxton off the A6 road, before meeting the A515 road at a roundabout. Out of the town, it has a junction with the A54 road before...
. Dechra Pharmaceuticals
Dechra Pharmaceuticals
Dechra Pharmaceuticals plc is a British-based manufacturer of veterinary products. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
make veterinary pharmaceutical
Veterinary pharmacist
A Veterinary pharmacist is a specially trained pharmacist who dispenses veterinary medicines and supplies over-the-counter products and advice to owners of companion animals and livestock....
s at Talke
Talke
Talke is a village in the English county of Staffordshire, four miles northwest of Newcastle-under-Lyme.-Etymology:Its unusual name is derived from the even more unusual "Talk o' th' Hill" which means 'bush on top of the hill'...
, off the A34. Churchill China
Churchill china
Churchill China PLC is a British pottery manufacturer based in Stoke-on-Trent in the United Kingdom.-History of the Company:Churchill China can trace its origins back to 1795 and the foundation of its first factory in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England.The Company also markets...
are at Sandyford near Tunstall
Tunstall, Staffordshire
Tunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent....
at the A50/A527
A527 road
The A527 is a road in England that runs from the town centre of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire to Congleton, Cheshire, by way of Wolstanton, Longport, Tunstall and Biddulph. Along its route it crosses the A52, A53, A500 and briefly merges with the A50....
junction. Sumitomo Electrical Wiring Systems (Europe)
Sumitomo Corporation
Sumitomo Corporation is one of the largest worldwide trading company , and is a diversified corporation. Sumitomo is headquartered in the Harumi Island Triton Square Office Tower Y in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan...
, who supply wiring for the automotive industry, are in Silverdale
Silverdale, Staffordshire
Silverdale is a suburban village and civil parish in Staffordshire, west of Newcastle-under-Lyme. In 1932 it became part of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and is now, with the exception of the north-eastern end, part of the Silverdale and Parksite ward....
, not far from Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
. At Kidsgrove
Kidsgrove
Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, near the border with Cheshire. It forms part of The Potteries Urban Area in North Staffordshire, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 24,112...
off the A34, Converteam
Converteam
Converteam was an electrical engineering company based in France, and a former division of Alstom. It is now part of General Electric-History:...
(former GEC) make variable speed drives (VSDs).
RoadChef
RoadChef
Roadchef is a company which operates twenty motorway service areas in the UK. Behind Moto and Welcome Break, it is the third largest motorway service area operator .-History:...
are at Norton Canes
Norton Canes
Norton Canes is a village and civil parish on the southern periphery of Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It is situated out of the centre of Cannock. At the 2001 census it had a population of 6,394...
, near Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
. Armitage Shanks
Armitage Shanks
Armitage Shanks is a British manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies.In 2004 Armitage Shanks had eight factories in the UK, the largest in Armitage, Staffordshire. Armitage Shanks is one of the sponsors of the Loo of the Year Awards....
is in Rugeley
Rugeley
Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter...
. Areva T&D (UK)
Areva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
(formerly owned by Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
) is based in Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
as well as a factory and UK headquarters of Bostik
Bostik
Bostik is an international adhesives company, a subsidiary of the French oil and gas company Total S.A., head-quartered at Paris. The company was created as Bostik Findley in 2001 after the merger of Bostik and Ato Findley, following the merger of their parent companies, Total Fina and Elf...
. Numark Pharmacy
Numark (pharmacy)
Numark Ltd is a chain of independent pharmacies in the UK. With over 2,500 outlets throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, they are the largest such chain in the UK....
is in Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
(former base of Reliant
Reliant
Reliant was a British car manufacturer. The company was traditionally based at Tamworth in Staffordshire, England, but in 2001 it moved to nearby Cannock. It ceased manufacturing cars shortly afterwards.-History:...
). Premier Foods
Premier Foods
Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
make Bird's Custard
Bird's Custard
Bird's Custard is the original version of what is known generically as custard powder. It is a cornflour -based powder which thickens to form a custard-like sauce when mixed with milk and heated to a sufficient temperature...
, Angel Delight
Angel Delight
Angel Delight is a powdered dessert product produced in the United Kingdom. It is designed to be mixed and whisked with milk to create a mousse-like sweet dessert....
and Marvel
Marvel (food)
Marvel is a United Kingdom brand of dried milk powder, now marketed by Premier Foods.- History, packaging and use :The product was launched in 1964 and is sold in foil-coated cardboard drums with the contents sealed under a tear off foil lid and in sachets....
powdered milk
Powdered milk
Powdered milk is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for...
in Knighton, west of Eccleshall
Eccleshall
Eccleshall is a town in Staffordshire, England. It is located seven miles north west of Stafford, and six miles west of Stone. Eccleshall is twinned with Sancerre in France.-History:...
near the Shropshire boundary. Kerrygold have a large cheese production site on the A53 in Leek
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
on the Barnfields
Barnfields
Barnfields is a village in Staffordshire, England....
Industrial Estate.
Warwickshire
Bridgestone UKBridgestone
The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
, Telent (near the A46 bypass), Calor
Calor
Calor Gas is a brand of bottled butane and propane which is available in Britain and Ireland. It comes in cylinders, which have a special gas regulator.Calor was formed in 1935. Calor is the UK's leading supplier of Liquefied petroleum gas...
(on Tachbrook Park off the A452
A452 road
The A452 is a road in England, which runs from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire to Brownhills in Staffordshire. It is the major link to the M6 motorway for both Leamington and Warwick in addition to serving as Leamington's link to the M40 motorway and to Coventry....
), Baxi
BAXI
Baxi Group is one of Europe's biggest manufacturers and distributors of domestic and commercial water and space heating systems.It employs more than 5,000 people throughout Europe with a turnover exceeding €1.2 billion. The group has significant market shares across all major continental...
(now owned by BDR Thermea
BDR Thermea
The BDR Thermea Group is an Anglo-Dutch manufacturer of domestic heating appliances. The firm was created by the merger of Baxi and DeDietrich-Remeha. Based in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands BDR Thermea provides heating and hot water services for America, Russia, Europe and China...
, and on the A429 near Warwick railway station
Warwick railway station
Warwick railway station serves the town of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. The station is served by Chiltern Railways , and also occasionally by London Midland and CrossCountry. It is located one and a half miles from the town centre although it is in the inner suburbs. It was opened in 1852 by...
), Volvo Group UK
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
(next to the A46 bypass) and a large data centre of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
are in Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
. Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
, Aga Rangemaster Group, and Wolseley UK
Wolseley UK
Wolseley UK is the holding company for several well-known United Kingdom builders merchants, including Bathstore, Plumb Center. Wolseley UK is the country's largest supplier of building materials, with trade customers accounting for the largest proportion of its sales...
are in Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
. On the Warwick Technology Park, south of Warwick on the A425
A425 road
The A425 road is an A road in England, which runs between Daventry in Northamptonshire and Warwick in Warwickshire via Staverton, Lower Shuckburgh and Southam.At Southam it links with the A426 as well as the A423....
, are ConocoPhillips UK
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States...
who own JET UK
Jet (brand)
Jet is the filling station brand of ConocoPhillips, used in Europe.Jet filling stations are located in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom....
(petrol), McKesson's European HQ (who produce the software for the NHS's 1.4 million employees' payroll - the largest payroll in the UK), National Grid plc
National Grid plc
National Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...
, Midcounties Co-operative, the wireless division of Arqiva
Arqiva
Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless...
, Allinea Software, and Tulip (who produce SPAM
Spam (food)
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
, with Plumrose and Danepak) in the UK, and are owned by Danish Crown Group
Danish Crown AmbA
Danish Crown AmbA is a Danish food processing company, dealing primarily in meat processing of pork and beef. It is Europe's largest pork producer. Through its subsidiaries, known as the Danish Crown Group, it is also involved in a long list of other food products...
- Europe's largest pork producer. NFU Mutual
NFU Mutual
The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited, trading as NFU Mutual, is a UK registered mutual insurance composite. It underwrites more than £1 billion in annual premium in life and general insurance lines for rural communities within the UK. NFU Mutual is based in...
is in Tiddington near Stratford and the NFU is in Stoneleigh
Stoneleigh, Warwickshire
Stoneleigh is a small village in Warwickshire, England on the River Sowe, about 5 miles south of Coventry and 5 miles north of Leamington Spa. The village is situated about northeast of the confluence of the River Sowe and the River Avon.Stoneleigh does not have a public house...
; AGCO Limited UK
AGCO
AGCO is an agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Duluth, Georgia, USA. As a leading global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, AGCO offers a full line of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage and tillage equipment, which are distributed through more than 2,700 independent...
is nearby at Stareton
Stareton
Stareton is a small hamlet in Warwickshire, England. It is situated about half a mile from Stoneleigh Park, between Leamington Spa and Coventry.For more information please see the residents webs site for Stareton...
, who own Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson Limited was a major agricultural equipment manufacturer which was based in Canada before its purchase by AGCO. The company was formed by a merger between Massey Harris and the Ferguson tractor company in 1953, creating the company Massey Harris Ferguson. However in 1958 the name was...
; the large factory at Coventry closed in 2002. The British Horse Society
British Horse Society
The British Horse Society is a membership-based equine charity, with a stated vision of "a society which provides a strong voice for horses and people and which spreads awareness through support, training and education"...
is in Kenilworth
Kenilworth
Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
. At Cubbington
Cubbington
Cubbington is a village and civil parish with a population of 4,034 adjoining the north-eastern outskirts of Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England. Welsh Road, running through the village crossroads, may have been an old sheep drovers' route connecting London and Wales...
is the UK headquarters of Joma
Joma
Joma is a Spanish sports apparel manufacturer, which currently produces footwear and apparel for football, running and tennis. Its headquarters are located in the city of Toledo, Spain....
, and has the Thwaites dumper
Dumper
A dumper is a vehicle designed for carrying bulk material, often on building sites. Dumpers are distinguished from dump trucks by configuration: a dumper is usually an open 4-wheeled vehicle with the load skip in front of the driver, while a dump truck has its cab in front of the load. The skip can...
manufacturer.
BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
have their main European four-cylinder engine
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
plant at Hams Hall
Hams Hall
Hams Hall is a place near Lea Marston in North Warwickshire, England, named after the manor house which formerly stood there.-Hams Hall Rail Freight Terminal:http://www.hamshallrailterminal.co.uk...
near the M42. Subaru UK
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
is in Coleshill
Coleshill, Warwickshire
Coleshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
. ALDI UK
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
is in Atherstone
Atherstone
Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire and Leicestershire and is the administrative headquarters of the borough of North Warwickshire.-History:...
. Holland & Barrett
Holland & Barrett
Holland & Barrett is a chain of health food shops with over 600 stores in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Singapore and Malta. The company also has stores in The Netherlands, where they trade as "De Tuinen".-Ownership:...
, the health food chain, Triton Showers (the UK's largest shower
Shower
A shower is an area in which one bathes underneath a spray of water.- History :...
company), and Adams Childrenswear
Adams Childrenswear
JS Childrenswear Ltd is a children's clothing retailer, based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire in the United Kingdom.- History :...
are based in Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
and Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
have their headquarters in Gaydon
Gaydon
Gaydon is a parish and village in Warwickshire, England, close to Leamington Spa. In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 376.The village is at the junction of the B4100 and B4451 roads, a mile from Junction 12 of the M40 motorway, and is two miles north-east of Kineton.-Motor...
. Converteam UK
Converteam
Converteam was an electrical engineering company based in France, and a former division of Alstom. It is now part of General Electric-History:...
(former Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
), Morgan Est
Morgan Est
Morgan Est plc was a British based construction company specialising in infrastructure services headquartered in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It has recently been merged with the sister company Morgan Ashurst to form combined infrastructure and construction company Morgan Sindall, which is itself...
, and the European HQ of Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
are in Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
. Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
have their Power and Transport division in the north of Rugby on the A426
A426 road
The A426 road is a road in England which runs from the city of Leicester to the market town of Southam in Warwickshire via the towns of Lutterworth and Rugby.-History:...
, where they service steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s. Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
have a large engine overhaul plant (former Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury motor cars and aircraft engines.-Siddeley Autocars:...
), near Ansty
Ansty, Warwickshire
Ansty is a village and civil parish just outside the outskirts of Coventry, about northeast of the city centre. Ansty was part of the County of the City of Coventry until that county was dissolved in 1842....
and the M6/M69 junction in Coombe Fields
Coombe Fields
Coombe Fields is a civil parish in Warwickshire, England. The parish has no village, but contains Coombe Abbey, after which it is named, and a few isolated houses. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 114....
, which also makes their engine casings.
West Midlands conurbation
Nationally famous companies in the West Midlands include Cadbury's in BournvilleBournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
, Birmingham. Mitchells and Butlers, the pub chain
Pub chain
A pub chain is a group of pubs or bars with a brand image. The brand may be owned outright by one company, or there may be multiple financiers; the chain may be a division within a larger company, or may be a single operation. Examples include Chef & Brewer, Wetherspoons, Walkabout, Taylor Walker...
company, CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
, and National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
are in Birmingham. Small-scale production of MG
MG (car)
The MG Car Company is a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés....
cars was started again by Nanjing Automobile Group on part of the former MG Rover Group
MG Rover Group
MG Rover was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry. The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000....
site at Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
in 2008. H. Samuel
H. Samuel
H. Samuel is a mass-market jewellery chain, operating in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is the number one middle mass-market jewellery store in the United Kingdom. There are 375 stores as at 23rd Feb 2008. An increasing number of the chain's stores trade in a new format known...
, the jewellers, is in Hockley
Hockley, Birmingham
Hockley is a central inner-city district in the city of Birmingham, England. It lies about one mile north-west of the city centre, and is served by the Jewellery Quarter station...
of the Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
. RoSPA
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is a British charity which aims to promote safety. It is particularly known for its vocal campaigns on issues of road safety, including Tufty the road crossing squirrel, the Cycling Proficiency Test and the Green Cross Code, as well as on issues of...
is based in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
; Dollond & Aitchison
Dollond & Aitchison
Dollond & Aitchison are one of the oldest opticians in the United Kingdom, having been established in 1750.- History :On 21 April, 1750, Peter Dollond opened a small optical business in Vine Street, near Hatton Garden in London. He was joined by his father John Dollond in 1752. The Dollonds became...
and ATS Euromaster
ATS Euromaster
ATS Euromaster is a European tyre service provider with a network of over 450 Service Centres in the UK. It is based next to the A38 in Aston in Birmingham. It is the UK's largest tyre supplier to commercial vehicles...
are in Aston
Aston
Aston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
; and Goodyear Tyres
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
and Dunlop Tyres
Dunlop Tyres
Dunlop Tyres is a British company owned 75% by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and 25% by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which bought the right to sell Dunlop-branded road tyres....
are at Fort Dunlop
Fort Dunlop
Fort Dunlop , is the common name of the original tyre factory and main office of Dunlop Rubber in the Erdington district of Birmingham, England. It was established in 1917, and by 1954 the entire factory area employed 10,000 workers...
near Erdington
Erdington
Erdington is a suburb northeast of Birmingham city centre, England and bordering Sutton Coldfield. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee...
. Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
used to have a train factory in Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England...
, which built Pendolino
British Rail Class 390
The Class 390 Pendolino is a type of train used in Great Britain. They are electric multiple units using Fiat's tilting train pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fifty-three 9-car units were originally built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line , with...
trains, but closed in 2007. The Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
have their National Traffic Control Centre in Quinton
Quinton, Birmingham
Quinton is a suburb on the western edge of Birmingham, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward within the Edgbaston formal district, and forms a part of the Birmingham Edgbaston parliamentary constituency.The area is served by .-Geography:...
between the M5 and A456 near junction 3.
E.ON UK
E.ON UK
E.ON UK is an energy company in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of E.ON, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company. As Powergen, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but since 1 July 2002 has been owned by E.ON AG of...
(former Powergen), Jaguar Cars and Volvo Cars UK
Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...
, Peugeot UK
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
(head office), Jewson
Jewson
Jewson is one of the largest chain of British general builders' merchants, selling to small building contractors and the general public with over 500 branches across the country....
, the Skills Funding Agency
Skills Funding Agency
The Skills Funding Agency is one of two successor organisations that emerged from the closure of the Learning and Skills Council...
and Young Peoples Learning Agency (former Learning and Skills Council
Learning and Skills Council
The Learning and Skills Council was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families in England...
), Severn Trent
Severn Trent
Severn Trent plc is a British public utility. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.Severn Trent is a group of companies employing more than 15,000 people across the UK, US and mainland Europe, with some involvement in the Middle East.The main...
(water), and Thomson Holidays
Thomson Holidays
Thomson Holidays is a UK based travel operator and part of TUI Travel PLC. The company was founded as part of the Thomson Travel Group in 1965 following the acquisition of three package holiday travel agencies and the airline Britannia Airways by Roy Thomson...
are in Coventry. The Whitley plant
Whitley plant
The Whitley plant, situated in Whitley, Coventry in the West Midlands of England, is one of the engineering centres of Jaguar Land Rover and the headquarters of Jaguar Cars...
, just south of Coventry, has the main research centre for Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover is a British automotive company owned by Tata Motors of India. It develops, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Jaguar and Land Rover marques.-History:...
, who also have a large manufacturing plant at Castle Bromwich Assembly
Castle Bromwich Assembly
Castle Bromwich Assembly is a factory owned by Jaguar Cars. It is located on the Chester Road in Castle Vale, Birmingham, England.The facility currently handles body stamping operations, body assembly, paint and trim, and final assembly for the Jaguar XF, Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XK...
; this site
Castle Bromwich Aerodrome
Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was an early airfield, situated to the north of Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands of England. The site now falls within the City of Birmingham.-History:...
in Pype Hayes
Pype Hayes
Pype Hayes is an area in the east of the Erdington district of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. It is located within the Tyburn ward.-Etymology:The name of the area derives from a major landowner in Erdington called Henry de Pipe...
and Tyburn
Tyburn
Tyburn is a former village just outside the then boundaries of London that was best known as a place of public execution.Tyburn may also refer to:* Tyburn , river and historical water source in London...
built half of the RAF's Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
in World War 2. AAH Pharmaceuticals and Lloyds Pharmacy are at the Walsgrave
Walsgrave
Walsgrave-on-Sowe is a village located about 3 miles north-east of Coventry, West Midlands in England. It was built on marsh lands, although it now sees very little flooding. However, due to urban growth, it is now an outer suburb of Coventry, near to Ansty and Shilton...
Triangle next to the M69/M6 junction off Hinckley Road (A4600), and are both owned by Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
-based Celesio
Celesio
Celesio AG is a German healthcare and pharmaceutical company, represented in 14 countries, with a revenue of 21.5 billion euro and more than 46,000 employees...
, Europe's largest pharmaceutical wholesaler. Nextdoor, Sainsbury's have the national distribution centre for their TU brand of discount clothing.
The main Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
factory, Halfords Autocentre, and Enterprise Inns
Enterprise Inns
Enterprise Inns Plc is a UK leased and tenanted pub company, headquartered in Solihull, West Midlands in the United Kingdom.-History:Enterprise Inns was founded by Ted Tuppen in 1991, initially with 368 pubs from Bass...
are in Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
. The Forensic Science Service
Forensic Science Service
The Forensic Science Service is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of England and Wales, as well as other countries.-History:...
, Linpac
Linpac
LINPAC Group Limited was founded in 1959 in Lincolnshire, England, as Lincolnshire Packaging - to produce paper packaging for local fresh food producers...
and IMI plc
IMI plc
IMI plc , formerly Imperial Metal Industries, is a British based engineering company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
are on the Birmingham Business Park in Bickenhill
Bickenhill
Bickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.-History:...
, near the airport; the National Exhibition Centre
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
(NEC) is just north, between the airport and the M42. Newey and Eyre
Newey and Eyre
Newey and Eyre is the UK's largest electrical wholesaler. Founded in 1927, the company is now part of Rexel UK Limited which also owns WF Electrical, Parker Merchanting, Senate and Denmans.- History :...
, Britain's largest electrical wholesaler and part of Rexel UK
Rexel
Rexel is a French group founded in 1967. It is specialised in the professional distribution of electrical supplies. The solutions offered by Rexel cover a wide range of equipment, including lighting, security, automation, climate control, communication, building automation and renewable energies....
, is at Sheldon on the A45
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
near the airport. Goodrich UK
Goodrich Corporation
The Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, is an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F...
is in Shirley
Shirley, West Midlands
Shirley is a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the county of West Midlands, England. It is a residential and shopping neighbourhood, and a suburb of Solihull.-History:...
. Prologis UK is on the A34 in Monkspath
Monkspath
Monkspath is a housing estate and community in Solihull, England, south-east of Shirley . Monkspath is in the Blythe ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.-Facilities:...
.
Carillion (has the second largest turnover of companies in the East and West Midlands, and the largest in the West Midlands), Tarmac
Tarmac (company)
Tarmac is a company that is based in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom and operates internationally. The company produces aggregates and road-surfacing materials, including tarmacadam, from which the company's name is derived...
and ADAS are in Wolverhampton, with Poundland
Poundland
Poundland is a British-based variety store chain which sells every item in its stores for £1. Established in April 1990 by Dave Dodd and Stephen Smith, Poundland stock a variety of around 3,000 home and kitchen-ware, gifts, healthcare and other products, across 16 categories many of which are brand...
in Willenhall
Willenhall
Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
. Hampson Industries
Hampson Industries
Hampson Industries plc is a large British provider of engineering services to the aerospace and automotive industries. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
is in Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
. Daihatsu UK is in West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
. Homeserve
Homeserve
-History:The Company was originally established by Richard Harpin in 1993 as a joint venture between South Staffordshire Water and himself under the name of Fastfix...
is in Walsall. Avery Weigh-Tronix
Avery Weigh-Tronix
Avery Weigh-Tronix is a company specialising in weighing machines. Its HQ stands on the site of the Soho Foundry overlooking Black Patch Park in Smethwick, Birmingham, England, with a US-based manufacturing and retail manufacturing plant....
is on the site of James Watt's Soho Foundry
Soho Foundry
Soho Foundry was a factory created in 1795 by Matthew Boulton and James Watt at Smethwick, West Midlands, England , for the manufacture of steam engines.-History:...
in Smethwick
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
was first synthesised at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in 1933, and in 1940 the university developed the cavity magnetron
Cavity magnetron
The cavity magnetron is a high-powered vacuum tube that generates microwaves using the interaction of a stream of electrons with a magnetic field. The 'resonant' cavity magnetron variant of the earlier magnetron tube was invented by John Randall and Harry Boot in 1940 at the University of...
which was important in radar for RAF night fighters and the development of the microwave oven
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
. The steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
has mostly a Birmingham heritage.
Worcestershire
- see also Manufacturing in Worcester
Halfords
Halfords
Halfords Group plc is a leading retailer of car parts, car enhancements and bicycles operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic and more recently in Poland, although it is currently pulling out of the latter two countries...
and GKN
GKN
GKN plc is a multinational automotive and aerospace components company headquartered in Redditch, United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds and can trace its origins back to 1759 and the birth of the Industrial Revolution.GKN is listed on the London Stock...
(has the second largest turnover in the West Midlands) are in Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
. Lea & Perrins
Lea & Perrins
Lea & Perrins is a United Kingdom based food division of the H.J. Heinz Company, originating in Worcester, England, with a subsidiary in the United States which manufactures Lea & Perrins in New Jersey...
is in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
. The West Midland Safari Park
West Midland Safari Park
West Midland Safari and Leisure Park is a safari park located in Bewdley in Worcestershire, England. It was opened in 1973.The park holds over 165 species of exotic animals. The safari contains about 600 animals from around 30 different species from Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia...
is off the A456
A456 road
The A456 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Woofferton, Shropshire, south of Ludlow.-History:Much of the road is almost certainly medieval in origin...
in Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
. Liquid crystal display
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
s were developed in 1972 in conjunction with the Royal Radar Establishment
Royal Radar Establishment
The name Royal Radar Establishment was given to the existing Radar Research Establishment following a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Both names were abbreviated to RRE. The establishment had been formed, under its first name, in 1953 by merging the Telecommunications Research Establishment ...
, which largely invented the idea of the integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
in the 1950s. It was based in Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
, and became the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment
Royal Signals and Radar Establishment
The Royal Signals and Radar Establishment was a scientific research establishment within the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, located primarily at Malvern in Worcestershire. It was formed in 1976 in an amalgamation of earlier research establishments including the Royal Radar Establishment...
, which developed thermal imaging
Thermography
Infrared thermography, thermal imaging, and thermal video are examples of infrared imaging science. Thermal imaging cameras detect radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum and produce images of that radiation, called thermograms...
, and is now a large site owned by QinetiQ
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
. Morgan Motor Company
Morgan Motor Company
The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan, generally known as "HFS" and was run by him until he died, aged 77, in 1959. Peter Morgan, son of H.F.S., ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003...
is in Malvern Link
Malvern Link
Malvern Link is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England to the north and east of Great Malvern. The centres of Malvern Link and Great Malvern are separated by Malvern Link Common, an area of open land that is statutorily protected by the Malvern Hills Conservators...
. Commsoft RMS is in Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
.
Education
Secondary education
Birmingham (8), Walsall (2), Wolverhampton (1), Warwickshire (6), Stoke on Trent (1), and Telford and Wrekin (2) have selective schools. The other counties or metropolitan boroughs do not: being completely comprehensive. Virtually all of the grammar schools are in the top twenty schools for the West Midlands. Competition for these schools can be high, with their excellent records. The top 20 schools at A-level rarely changes from year to year.There are around 275,000 at secondary schools in the region, the 4th highest in England after South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
and North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. For persistent truancy
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
at secondary schools, Sandwell has the highest rate at 6.9%. The lowest truancy rate for the region is the former district of South Shropshire
South Shropshire
South Shropshire was, between 1974 and 2009, a local government district in south west Shropshire, England.South Shropshire was the most rural district of one of the UK's most rural counties, the population of the district was 40,410 in 2001 spread out over 1,027 km² of forest, mountains,...
, and the district of Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove (district)
Bromsgrove is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Bromsgrove.It borders the built up area of Birmingham to the north...
has the lowest truancy for a current district with 2.3%.
At GCSE, the best performing area in 2010 is Solihull, closely followed by Warwickshire and Shropshire. Dudley, Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin, Birmingham and Staffordshire (in descending order) are also above the England average. Worcestershire is at the England average. The (consistently) worst performing area is Sandwell, followed by Stoke-on-Trent. Wolverhampton and Walsall also do not perform well, although Wolverhampton improved in 2010. For metropolitan boroughs, Solihull then Dudley perform the best, and Dudley also is the best metropolitan borough at A-level, being much better than Solihull.
At A-level in 2010, the consistently best performing area is Herefordshire. Herefordshire's results are due to most of its A-level candidates going to Hereford's sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
. Dudley is also above the England average; the other metropolitan boroughs have low A-level results. Solihull does not perform as well at A-level as it does at GCSE. Shropshire is at the England average.
Tertiary education
There are thirty-seven FE colleges (FECs). There are six LSCs for the area (which fund FECs), and the Learning and Skills CouncilLearning and Skills Council
The Learning and Skills Council was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families in England...
head office is based in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
. The three main FE colleges are Warwickshire College
Warwickshire College
Warwickshire College is a large further and higher education college in England. It provides National Curriculum courses and vocational education in a broad range of subjects to students aged 16 and over...
, South Birmingham College
South Birmingham College
South Birmingham College is an establishment of further education in Birmingham, England providing full-time and part-time courses for young students following their period of compulsory education and for adults...
and Worcester College of Technology
Worcester College of Technology
Worcester College of Technology is a Further Education College situated in the city of Worcester in the United Kingdom. It also has a Construction Centre located in the nearby town of Malvern.- History :...
.
School children in Shropshire and Solihull are most likely to attend university, followed by Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire.
School league tables
Below is a list of the top thirty state schools in the West Midlands by 2010 A level results:- 1. King Edward VI Camp Hill School for GirlsKing Edward VI Camp HillKing Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys is a grammar school in Kings Heath, Birmingham for ages of 11 to 18 . One of the seven establishments of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI, it is a voluntary aided school, with admission by selective exam...
, Kings Heath (1212) - 2. Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for GirlsSutton Coldfield Grammar School for GirlsSutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls is a state-funded selective grammar school and sixth form college for girls in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, West Midlands, England...
- 3. King Edward VI Five WaysKing Edward VI Five WaysKing Edward VI Five Ways is a selective, humanities specialist grammar school located in the Bartley Green area of south Birmingham, England. As of April 2008, the school has a second specialism, a specialist Science College.-Background:...
, Bartley GreenBartley GreenBartley Green is a residential suburban area and electoral ward to the south west of Birmingham city centre, England. The ward is part of the Edgbaston constituency which has been under Labour rule for almost ten years. It is located in the metropolitan county of the West Midlands and was in the... - 4. King Edward VI Camp Hill School for BoysKing Edward VI Camp HillKing Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys is a grammar school in Kings Heath, Birmingham for ages of 11 to 18 . One of the seven establishments of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI, it is a voluntary aided school, with admission by selective exam...
, Kings HeathKings HeathKings Heath is a suburb of Birmingham, England, five miles south of the city centre. It is the next suburb south from Moseley on the Alcester Road.-History:... - 5. Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for GirlsStratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for GirlsStratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls is a fully selective girls' grammar school in England situated close to Stratford-upon-Avon.-Admissions:...
- 6. Queen Mary's Grammar SchoolQueen Mary's Grammar SchoolQueen Mary's Grammar School is a selective grammar school located in Sutton Road, Walsall, England, about a mile from the town centre.-Admissions:...
, Walsall - 7. Wolverhampton Girls' High SchoolWolverhampton Girls' High SchoolWolverhampton Girls' High School is a selective, single-sex school for girls at Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England.-Overview:Wolverhampton Girls' High School, founded in 1911, educates girls from the age of 11 to 18. Its students are led by a headmistress along with a Board of Governors....
- 8. Newport Girls High SchoolNewport Girls High SchoolNewport High School is an all girls school in Newport, Shropshire, England. The school was opened in the 1920s. The school is selective and is an all girls intake. In 2003, the school started to take in a double intake of around 56 students a year and reached its full capacity in the 2007-2008...
- 9. King Edward VI HandsworthKing Edward VI HandsworthKing Edward VI Handsworth School is a voluntary aided grammar school for girls aged 11–18 and is located in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI. The school was founded in 1883 as King Edwards Aston. In 2001 there were 932 girls on roll,...
- 10. King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-AvonKing Edward VI School Stratford-upon-AvonKing Edward VI School is a voluntary aided boys grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England...
- 11. King Edward VI AstonKing Edward VI AstonKing Edward VI Aston School is a selective, all-boys' grammar school and specialist Sports College. The school, designed by Birmingham architect J.A. Chatwin, opened in 1883 and is still located on its original site, in the Aston area of Birmingham, England....
- 12. Bishop Vesey's Grammar SchoolBishop Vesey's Grammar SchoolBishop Vesey's Grammar School is a selective state grammar school in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Founded in 1527, it is one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom. The school was a day and boarding school until the 1880s, and retained a small number of boarders in the mid-20th century...
, Sutton ColdfieldSutton ColdfieldSutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census... - 13. King Edward VI College, Stourbridge
- 14. Thomas Telford SchoolThomas Telford SchoolThomas Telford School is a City Technology College in Telford, Shropshire, England. Often referred to as 'TTS', it achieved the highest GCSE pass rate of any comprehensive school in England in 2008 and 2009.-Background:...
, TelfordTelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham... - 15. St. Joseph's College, Stoke-on-TrentSt. Joseph's College, Stoke-on-TrentSt. Joseph’s College is a mixed Roman Catholic 11–18 school in Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. The school is based around a Grade II listed building which was previously a residential property before it was bought by the Christian Brothers in 1931.-History:The school was founded by...
- 16. Queen Mary's High SchoolQueen Mary's High SchoolQueen Mary's High School, situated on Upper Forster Street, just outside Walsall town centre, is an all-female selective-education school and entry in Year 7 is by passing an entrance exam...
, Walsall - 17. Rugby High School for GirlsRugby High School for GirlsRugby High School for Girls is a selective girls' grammar school situated in Bilton, Warwickshire, England...
- 18. St Augustine's High School, RedditchSt Augustine's High School, RedditchSaint Augustine's High School is a Catholic Science Specialist High School in the Hunt End in the town of Redditch, Worcestershire, England. The school was opened in 1974, and became a Science College in 2006...
- 19. Hereford Sixth Form CollegeHereford Sixth Form CollegeHereford Sixth Form College is a co-educational state funded sixth form college in Hereford, England.It offers some 40 subjects at A-Level and 10 at GCSE. It is on the A465 in Aylestone Hill, in the east of Hereford, opposite Wye Valley Nuffield Hospital and next to Hereford College of Arts and...
- 20. Moorlands Sixth Form CollegeMoorlands Sixth Form CollegeMoorlands Sixth Form College is a college located in Cheadle, a historic market town in Staffordshire, England. The college caters for years 12-13, where students can gain A-Level and AS-Level qualifications. The college is owned by Cheadle High School, and has a partnership with local schools:...
, Cheadle, StaffordshireCheadle, StaffordshireCheadle is a small market town near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,158 according to the 2001 census. It is roughly from the city of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham and south of Manchester...
- 21. Lawrence Sheriff SchoolLawrence Sheriff SchoolLawrence Sheriff School is a selective boys' grammar school in Rugby in Warwickshire. The school is named after Lawrence Sheriff, the Elizabethan man who founded Rugby School. The school's name is often shortened to 'LSS', or often just 'Sheriff' by boys at the school. In a recent OFSTED ...
- 22. Southam CollegeSoutham CollegeSoutham College is a medium sized comprehensive located in Southam, Warwickshire.The college achieved its Specialist Technology Status in 2000, Humanities College Status in 2004 and Vocational College Status in 2006. The college has received a national award in recognition of its involvement in the...
- 23. Shrewsbury Sixth Form CollegeShrewsbury Sixth Form CollegeShrewsbury Sixth Form College is a post-secondary co-educational sixth form college located in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The college, which is commonly referred to as SSFC, currently has an enrolment of approximately 1,300 students, generally ranging between the ages of...
- 24. King Edward VI School (Lichfield)King Edward VI School (Lichfield)King Edward VI School, Lichfield is a co-educational comprehensive school near the heart of the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. The school is a co-educational comprehensive school maintained by Staffordshire Education Authority and admits pupils from the age of 11 , with some 60%...
- 25. Plantsbrook SchoolPlantsbrook SchoolPlantsbrook School, formerly Riland Bedford, is a secondary school and Sixth Form College in Sutton Coldfield, on Upper Holland Road, North Birmingham, England....
, Sutton Coldfield - 26. Myton SchoolMyton SchoolMyton School is a secondary school located on Myton Road in the town of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. The history of the school in its current form dates from 1968. the school has 1,626 pupils.-History:...
, Warwick - 27. Kings Norton Girls SchoolKings Norton Girls SchoolKings Norton Girls School is an all girls school for pupils aged 11 to 19. It is located in Selly Oak Road in Kings Norton within the formal district of Northfield in a suburb of the city of Birmingham, England...
- 28. Old Swinford HospitalOld Swinford HospitalOld Swinford Hospital is a selective voluntary aided boys' boarding school in Oldswinford, Stourbridge, West Midlands, England that has been in continuous operation since the 17th century.- History :Old Swinford Hospital opened in the late summer of 1667...
, StourbridgeStourbridgeStourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The... - 29. St Francis of Assisi Catholic Technology College, Aldridge
- 30. William Brookes School, Much WenlockMuch WenlockMuch Wenlock, earlier known as Wenlock, is a small town in central Shropshire, England. It is situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford...
(880)
Universities
| University | No. Students | National Ranking (1998–2007) |
|---|---|---|
| University of Warwick University of Warwick The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom... |
21,598 | 7 |
| University of Birmingham University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus... |
30,725 | 19 |
| Aston University Aston University Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966... |
8,915 | 37 |
| Keele University Keele University Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain... |
12,720 | 41 |
| Coventry University Coventry University Coventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University... |
19,495 | 80 |
| Staffordshire University Staffordshire University Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :... |
15,200 | 82 |
| University of Worcester University of Worcester The University of Worcester is a British university, based in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It was granted university status in September 2005.-History:... |
9,455 | 85 |
| Birmingham City University Birmingham City University Birmingham City University is a British university in the city of Birmingham, England. It is the second largest of three universities in the city, the other two being the Aston University and University of Birmingham... |
25,010 | 96 |
| University of Wolverhampton University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a British university located on four campuses across the West Midlands and Shropshire. The city campus is located in Wolverhampton city centre with a second campus at Compton Park, Wolverhampton; a third in Walsall and a fourth in Telford... |
24,020 | 108 |
There are also three university college
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
s:
- Harper Adams University CollegeHarper Adams University CollegeHarper Adams University College is a higher education institution located close to the village of Edgmond , in Shropshire, England. It is the UK's leading specialist provider of higher education for the agri-food chain and rural sector....
, 2,200 students - Newman University CollegeNewman University CollegeNewman University College is a university college offering academic degrees and teacher training in Birmingham, England.Known as Newman College of Higher Education until January 2008, it has the highest employment of graduates rate of UK universities and is in the top 25% of UK universities for...
, 2,600 students - University College Birmingham, 13,970 students
The University of Birmingham is the main university in the region. It has the most funding and the most students. It has a large research grant, as does the University of Warwick, which is the next largest, in terms of funding. Keele and Aston have a moderate research grant, but none of the other universities do. Keele, although having the largest campus in the UK (by area), is one of the smallest universities in the region. UCE and Wolverhampton are the next largest after Birmingham, by numbers. The three medical schools are at Warwick
Warwick Medical School
The school was opened in 2000 and is as part of the University of Warwick. Originally linked with Leicester Medical School, Warwick Medical School was granted independent degree-awarding status by the Privy Council on the recommendation of the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom...
, Keele
Keele University Medical School
Keele University School of Medicine based at Keele University in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, England, was established in 2002. The first two years of the school's MBChB course are taught on Keele University campus...
and Birmingham
University of Birmingham Medical School
The University of Birmingham Medical School is one of Britain's largest and oldest medical schools with over 400 Medics graduating each year. It is based at the University of Birmingham in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England...
. Birmingham and Warwick receive more than twice as much total income than any other university in the region - around £400 million each.
For students in the region, around 45% are from the region, and 35% from other regions. The other region with the most native students in the region is South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
(good access via the M40
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
and the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
), but there is a good mix of students from other regions, except the North East (especially) and Yorkshire.
Students native to the West Midlands are most likely to study in the region (40%), then the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
(12%), the North West
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
(11%), and then Yorkshire (9%). Very few go to the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
or the North East
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. The region has a net export of university students to other regions.
Once graduated, almost 60% of graduates stay in the region, with 10% going to London, 7% to the South-East, and around 5% to the East Midlands. Very few go to Yorkshire, the North-East, or even (neighbouring) Wales.
Local media
- The West Midlands region of the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
is based at the MailboxThe MailboxThe Mailbox is an upmarket development of offices, designer shops, restaurants, bars and luxury city-centre apartments in the City Centre and on the boundary of the City Centre Core in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It includes a mini supermarket and three art galleries: the Artlounge, Castle...
in Birmingham. From there, the regional programme Midlands TodayMidlands TodayMidlands Today is the BBC's regional television news programme for the West Midlands region, which covers the north of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands county...
is produced. ITV CentralCentral Independent TelevisionCentral Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
broadcasts from Birmingham, off Broad StreetBroad Street, BirminghamBroad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot in Birmingham City Centre, United Kingdom. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road, Broad Street has been incorporated into...
on Gas StreetGas Street BasinGas Street Basin is a canal basin in the centre of Birmingham, England, where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal meets the BCN Main Line. It is located on Gas Street, off Broad Street, and between the Mailbox and Brindleyplace canal-side developments....
next to the Worcester and Birmingham CanalWorcester and Birmingham CanalThe Worcester and Birmingham Canal is a canal linking Birmingham and Worcester in England. It starts in Worcester, as an 'offshoot' of the River Severn and ends in Gas Street Basin in Birmingham. It is long....
, with its Central TonightCentral TonightCentral Tonight is a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ITV Central, serving the English Midlands.-History:...
regional programme. Most television and radio services for the region come from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter, with the lesser-powered Ridge Hill for the south-west of the region, and The Wrekin for Shropshire. Droitwich is the BBC's main longwaveLongwaveIn radio, longwave refers to parts of radio spectrum with relatively long wavelengths. The term is a historic one dating from the early 20th century, when the radio spectrum was considered to consist of long, medium and short wavelengths...
transmitter for Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, and is near the M5/M42 junction and is also one of three main transmitters for 5 LiveBBC Radio 5 LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
on 693MW. Digital switchover was completed for Wrekin and Ridge Hill in April 2011, with Sutton Coldfield done in September 2011. - BBC Radios WMBBC WMBBC WM is the BBC Local Radio service for the West Midlands, South Staffordshire, north Worcestershire and north Warwickshire, operated by BBC Birmingham. Launched on 9 November 1970 as BBC Radio Birmingham, it broadcasts from central Birmingham on 95.6 FM, DAB and on the internet...
, Coventry & WarwickshireBBC Coventry & WarwickshireBBC Coventry and Warwickshire is the BBC Local Radio service serving the City of Coventry and the county of Warwickshire. It broadcasts on 94.8, 103.7 and 104 MHz FM, DAB Digital Radio and is streamed on the internet via the ....
, StokeBBC Radio StokeBBC Radio Stoke is a BBC Local Radio station in England, for the area of North and Mid Staffordshire, north east Shropshire and South Cheshire. The station began broadcasting programmes on 14 March 1968 as BBC Radio Stoke-on-Trent....
, Hereford & Worcester and ShropshireBBC Radio ShropshireBBC Radio Shropshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Shropshire. Launched on 23 April 1985 it broadcasts from its studios in Shrewsbury on 96 , 90 , 95 , 104.1 FM and DAB...
. - Commercial radio stations: brmbBrmbbrmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...
, BeaconBeacon (Radio)Beacon , is an independent local radio station, broadcasting to the Black Country and Shropshire in the West Midlands region of England.-History:The station began broadcasting to Wolverhampton and the Black Country from studios at 267 Tettenhall Road,...
in Wolverhampton, Mercia in Coventry, Touch Radio (Burton, Lichfield and Tamworth) in Tamworth, Touch FM (Coventry)Touch FM (Coventry)96.2 Touch FM is a radio station that broadcasts to Coventry but not from Coventry, having moved out of the city to base itself elsewhere and co-locate with other Midlands radio stations leaving Coventry with only 1 local radio station left, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire...
, Touch FM (Stratford-upon-Avon)Touch FM (Stratford-upon-Avon)102 Touch FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the town of Stratford-upon-Avon and much of the counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, The Cotswolds and the surrounding area in the south of the English Midlands....
, Kerrang! 105.2Kerrang! 105.2Kerrang! Radio is a specialist rock music radio station broadcasting to the West Midlands, England. The station's format mixes modern & classic rock with speech programmes targeted at young people and an adult rock audience. Broadcasting on FM in the West Midlands and DAB & Freeview and online,...
in Birmingham, Capital Birmingham (former Galaxy Birmingham), Heart West MidlandsHeart West MidlandsHeart West Midlands is a radio station based in Birmingham, England, as part of the Heart Network, with a regional license to broadcast to the West Midlands...
in Birmingham, 105.7 Smooth Radio105.7 Smooth Radio105.7 Smooth Radio was an Independent Local Radio station for the West Midlands of the United Kingdom, and replaced Saga 105.7 FM at 6am on Monday 26 March 2007...
in Birmingham, 107.1 Rugby FM107.1 Rugby FMRugby FM is an Independent Local Radio station in Warwickshire owned by Quidem Ltd and operated as part of its Midlands division. The station follows the 'great music, local news' format of its sister stations in the area, but has retained its launch name.From 2002 until 2008 it operated from...
, The SevernThe Severn (radio)The Severn is a local commercial station owned by MNA Broadcasting which is split into three areas covering Shrewsbury & Central Shropshire, Oswestry & North Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin in the United Kingdom. The Shrewsbury and Oswesrty radio stations launched at 7am on Monday 18 September 2006...
(north Shropshire), Sunshine RadioSunshine Radio (FM)Sunshine Radio is a radio station which broadcasts to Herefordshire and Monmouthshire from its studios in Hereford, England. It is operated by Murfin Media Ltd, and previously by Laser Broadcasting.- History :...
in Hereford, Sunshine 855Sunshine 855Sunshine Radio is a local radio station, based in Ludlow, Shropshire. The station serves South Shropshire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire-History:...
in Ludlow, 107.2 The WyreThe Wyre107.2 The Wyre is a local commercial radio station serving Kidderminster, Bewdley Stourport-on-Severn, Stourbridge and Bromsgrove owned by Midlands News Association.The Wyre keeps its output fully for North Worcestershire.....
in Kidderminster, 107.7 The Wolf107.7 The Wolf107.7 The Wolf is a British Independent Local Radio station based in Wolverhampton that serves the city and its surrounding area. The studios and transmitter are at Mander House in the centre of Wolverhampton...
in Wolverhampton, Wyvern in Worcester, and Signal 1Signal 1Signal One is a British Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from studios in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent to Staffordshire and Cheshire on 96.4 , 96.9 and 102.6 MHz FM for Cheshire, Stafford and North Staffordshire respectively. It also broadcasts on the Stoke "UTV-EMAP Stoke-on-Trent"...
from Stoke. - Newspapers - the Birmingham PostBirmingham PostThe Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
, Birmingham MailBirmingham MailThe Birmingham Mail is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, UK but distributed around Birmingham, The Black Country, Solihull, Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The newspaper, which was re-branded from the Birmingham Evening Mail in October 2005, is one of the biggest...
, Express & StarExpress & StarThe Express & Star is an evening newspaper based in Wolverhampton, England, published Monday to Saturday in nine different editions covering the Black Country, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands area from Tamworth to Kidderminster. It as widely perceived as being moderately right-wing...
in Wolverhampton, Burton MailBurton MailThe Burton Mail is a British daily newspaper published each weekday and on Saturdays. It covers the East Staffordshire, South Derbyshire and North West Leicestershire areas. In the period December 2010-June 2011, it had an average daily circulation of 12,198...
, Shropshire StarShropshire StarThe Shropshire Star is a regional newspaper covering the whole of Shropshire, plus parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, the Llangollen area and northern Powys in the United Kingdom.-About:The editor is Keith Harrison....
, Worcester NewsWorcester NewsThe Worcester News is a tabloid newspaper based in Worcester, UK. The Worcester newspaper, which was re-branded from the Worcester Evening News in July 2005, is the largest selling daily local newspaper in Worcester. The Worcester News is published Monday to Saturday...
, The Sentinel in Stoke-on-Trent , Coventry Evening TelegraphCoventry Evening TelegraphThe Coventry Telegraph is a local English tabloid newspaper. Originally called The Midland Daily Telegraph, it was founded in 1891 by William Isaac Iliffe as Coventry's first daily newspaper, a four-page broadsheet newspaper originally sold for a half penny...
,Nuneaton News and Nuneaton Telegraph - Websites - Channel 4's 4Talent network has a hub in the West Midlands dealing with rising media talent from the region: Channel 14Channel 14Channel 14 refers to several television stations:*Channel 14, Lithuania...
.
Football
| Club | League | City/Town | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa FC | Barclays Premier League | Birmingham | Villa Park Villa Park Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County... |
42,788 |
| Stoke City FC | Barclays Premier League | Stoke-on-Trent | Britannia Stadium Britannia Stadium The Britannia Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England and the home of Premier League club Stoke City Football Club. With space for 27,598 spectators . The name is taken from the sponsors of the Stadium the Britannia Co-operative Bank... |
28,384 |
| West Bromwich Albion FC | Barclays Premier League | West Bromwich | The Hawthorns The Hawthorns The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the... |
26,500 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | Barclays Premier League | Wolverhampton | The Molineux | 28,525 |
| Birmingham City FC | NPower Championship | Birmingham | St Andrew's | 30,079 |
| Coventry City FC | NPower Championship | Coventry | Ricoh Arena Ricoh Arena The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino... |
32,609 |
| Walsall FC | NPower League 1 | Walsall | Bescot Stadium Bescot Stadium Bescot Stadium, also known as the Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989-90 by GMI Construction with a reported build cost of £4.5m... |
11,300 |
| Burton Albion FC | NPower League 2 | Burton Upon Trent | Pirelli Stadium Pirelli Stadium The Pirelli Stadium is an association football stadium on Princess Way in Burton upon Trent, East Staffordshire, England. It was built in 2005 and is the current home of Burton Albion F.C., replacing the club's old Eton Park home, also on Princess Way, which was demolished and developed into housing... |
6,912 |
| Hereford United FC | NPower League 2 | Hereford | Edgar Street | 5,075 |
| Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
NPower League 2 | Stoke-on-Trent | Vale Park Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950.... |
19,052 |
| Shrewsbury Town FC | NPower League 2 | Shrewsbury | Prostar Stadium | 9,875 |
External links
- Advantage West Midlands - Regional Development Agency
- Government Office for the West Midlands
- West Midlands Regional Assembly
- Government's list of councils in the West Midlands
- MLA West Midlands - Museums, Libraries and Archives Regional Agency
- NHS West Midlands - The regional Strategic Health Authority for the West Midlands
- West Midlands NO! - campaign against regional government in the West Midlands