Shaping Staffordshire’s future: A Lichfield & Tamworth view on devolution and growth

Written by Martin Hall, managing director of M Hall Limited and president of the Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce

I see every day how our businesses balance ambition with challenge.

The conversation around Staffordshire’s devolution is more than a structural change - it is about whether local enterprise will have the tools, investment, and voice it needs to thrive in the years ahead.

Connectivity and skills: the defining opportunity — and challenge — for local growth

Lichfield & Tamworth benefit from strong transport corridors, proximity to Birmingham, and a proud heritage of family-owned firms.

Yet businesses consistently tell us that bottlenecks in road and rail, patchy digital infrastructure, and difficulties recruiting skilled staff hold back their growth.

Addressing these barriers is not just about convenience - it is about unlocking productivity, attracting investment, and ensuring our local economy competes on equal terms with larger metropolitan areas.

Devolution must reflect local realities — and be shaped by business

By bringing decision-making closer to our communities, we can ensure that investment reflects the realities of our local economy.

For Lichfield & Tamworth, this means prioritising regeneration projects that respect our heritage while creating modern spaces for enterprise, supporting SMEs with tailored skills programmes, and ensuring that our voice is not lost in the shadow of bigger cities.

Regional investment, guided by local priorities, could help us build innovation clusters in advanced manufacturing, logistics, and green technologies - sectors where our area already shows strength.

What businesses need from government to turn devolution into growth

First, clarity. Businesses need confidence to plan, and too often policy shifts create uncertainty.

Second, partnership. Devolution must not be a top-down exercise - it should be shaped by dialogue with Chambers, SMEs, and local leaders.

Third, targeted investment in the fundamentals: transport, digital, and skills. These are the levers that unlock competitiveness and growth. If government and regional partners can deliver consistent, long-term commitments in these areas, our businesses will do the rest.

Devolution will only work if business helps shape it

Devolution is not something happening to us - it is something we must shape.

The decisions being made now will define how Staffordshire competes, grows, and sustains itself for decades.

If we want a future where family-owned firms, innovative start-ups, and established employers can thrive, we must make our voices heard.

The Chamber is here to ensure that happens, but it requires active engagement from our members. Together, we can influence the design of local government reorganisation so that it delivers for business, not bureaucracy.

In short, Staffordshire’s devolution is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

It can remove barriers, unlock growth, and give our communities the tools to prosper. But only if we seize it.

As Chamber President, I will continue to champion the needs of Lichfield & Tamworth businesses, ensuring that devolution delivers not just new structures, but real outcomes: better connectivity, stronger skills, and a thriving local economy.