Welcome to the SWM Newsletter - May 2017

Our Comment: Three key indicators the new Mayor needs to keep an eye on

Having hosted the first Mayoral hustings in November last year and several since, we were impressed by the quality of the candidates. Earlier this month SWM congratulated Andy Street as he was elected the first Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Now the real work begins.

When Andy was Managing Director of John Lewis there were a range of key management data and indicators implemented to help him and his team run the business. But apart from approval ratings, what are the indicators he should be keeping his eye on in his new job?

As the WMCA Sustainability Delivery Partner, SWM is currently contributing to the latest WMCA Strategic Economic Plan annual review. Within this there are three key indicators we think Andy should keep an eye on. Read our comment to find out what they are.

The challenge is that to make real progress requires long-term commitment over several Mayoral terms, involving local partners working together and travelling in the same direction. At the same time, we all need to see some form of action to encourage us that change is desirable and possible. This is where we welcome initiatives such as the Mayor’s Mentor Scheme and a focus on homelessness, at the same time as building the foundations for a strategic organisation to serve us for decades to come.

Getting this short and long-term balance right over the next three years of the Mayor’s leadership in terms of direction, partnership and action may have a bigger impact on the future of our region than the results of the general election early next month.

SWM, with our members and networks, will continue to play our role as the Government recognised regional sustainability champion body and the sustainability adviser to leaders of the West Midlands.

Dr. Simon Slater, Associate Director of Policy & Partnerships, on behalf of the SWM team.

The rest of this newsletter is packed full of our events, resources and funding – get involved.

SWM news, events, networks and projects

• Governance. Could you be our next Young Director? We’re looking for someone to join our board that is passionate about changing the way people think and act to build a better future for our businesses and communities. Full details are available on our website but be quick! The deadline for applications is 31 May.
• Innovation. The next Innovative Low Carbon Working Group that we convene on behalf of Birmingham Science City will take place on Wednesday 7 June. Hear from Energy Capital and Innovate UK who will be talking about their low carbon work and links with the Industrial Strategy.
• Funding. On 19 June we are running a free event for SMEs in Solihull in partnership with Solihull Sustainability Visioning and the local Chamber and Growth Hub. The Energy Efficiency and Grant Support Workshop will provide information on how SMEs can benefit from free advice from the Low Carbon Growth Support Project as well as other guidance on running your business efficiently.
• WMCA. SWM continues to support the WMCA through an internal sustainability review, work with the policy team on the forthcoming Strategic Economic Plan monitoring report and the Birmingham Science City supported WMCA Innovation Working Group. The WMCA-level Science and Innovation Audit will be published next month and looks set to reflect the region’s strengths in many aspects of sustainability; more in next month’s newsletter.
• Education. The next Midlands Sustainable Education Network meeting will take place on 29 June with EAUC in Northampton; more details to follow.
• Natural Capital. On 7 April, our Chair Peter Braithwaite worked with the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust to chair a Natural Environment debate with the Mayoral candidates for the WMCA. A report from the event is available.

For more information on how to become a SWM member or get involved in our projects see work with us on our website, or contact us.

News from our members

• Water Deregulation. The Staffordshire Business Environment Network (sben) is running an event on 6 June on deregulation of the water market and how businesses can improve water efficiency.
• Software. The Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme, partly delivered by SWM members Coventry City Council, is running a training session on 7 and 8 June focusing on Autodesk Revit software, the market leading tool for all BIM applications.
• Bioenergy. The European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI) is running two two-day masterclass courses on the technical and commercial fundamentals of bioenergy. One course takes place on 14 and 15 June at EBRI at Aston University and the other is on 12 and 13 July in Stoke.
• Energy and cities. The University of Birmingham is launching an exciting new project which will look at developing an integrated, energy system that is flexible and resilient enough to deal with future challenges. A workshop kicking off the project is taking place on 26 June.
• Funding. Round 12 of the £33m Business Growth Programme is currently open for applications until 7 June. SWM member MEBC can provide support to organisations considering applying so contact them for more information.

A full list of our members and event listings are available on our website.

Other news

• Innovation. Venturefest West Midlands is returning to Birmingham on 27 June looking at supporting business growth through innovation.
• Estates. Stable Events is hosting its first cross-sector sustainable estates forum on 28 and 29 June in Oxfordshire, spanning healthcare, higher education, commercial, retail, leisure and public and private residential sectors.
• Mentoring. The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, has launched his Mayor’s Mentors initiative, which aims to connect young people in the West Midlands with successful and supportive professionals.
• Green space. Birmingham City University has produced a film emphasising the multiple benefits of green space in Birmingham, including from a health and climate resilience perspective.
• Shares. Birmingham Friends of the Earth is seeking investors to transform their former Victorian warehouse into a super energy-efficient and accessible community building.
• Funding. Climate-KIC is looking for project proposals related to their Low Carbon City Lab (LoCaL) and Climate Risk Information (CRI) flagships.
• Funding. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and The Prince of Wales International Sustainability Unity have launched a $2 million New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize to help create packaging that keeps plastics out of the ocean.
• Innovation. GBSLEP is inviting individuals passionate about innovation to apply to join its new Innovation Challenge Forum, with one of its roles to review incoming proposals submitted to the LEP for their innovation potential. 
• Awards. Applications are invited from businesses, community groups and education establishments to the 2017 round of the Making Birmingham Greener and Healthier Awards. Hurry, the deadline to apply is 31 May.

A full list of news, funding and resources is available on the news page of our website.

We hope you enjoyed reading our newsletter. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter or are interested in becoming an SWM member or have news stories, events, case studies and reports, please visit our website or contact us.