West Midlands place greater priority on high streets - report

People in the West Midlands place a slightly higher priority on high streets compared to the UK average.

That’s according to the Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index 2025.

Stoke-on-Trent continues to be the highest performing city in the West Midlands, improving its ranking from 16th to 13th this year, primarily due to improvements in job opportunities and educational attainment compared to last year.

The city scored above average for key components including high streets, transport and jobs.  

The Index ranks 50 of the UK’s largest cities, excluding London, based on both the public’s assessment and the actual performance of 12 economic measures, which this year, in order of public importance, were – income, income distribution, safety, work-life balance, health, jobs, housing, environment, transport, high streets, skills and new businesses.

The higher the city scores on the public's top priorities, the better the city performs on the Index.  

Financial measures such as income and jobs have previously led in their importance to the public by a wide margin, but results from this year’s survey reveal a rise in the importance of non-financial measures.

Skills, high streets, housing and transport have all risen on the public agenda.

Income and income distribution remain the top two priorities but have seen their sharpest year-on-year decline.   

Cities in the West Midlands generally performed below the national average when measured against public priorities, except for Stoke-on-Trent.

Both Birmingham and Coventry scored above average for new businesses.   

Rankings in the Index are as follows:  

• Stoke-on-Trent: ranked 13th (16th last year) 
• Coventry: ranked 26th (27th last year) 
• Wolverhampton: ranked 39th (no change from last year)   
• Birmingham: ranked 48th (49th last year) 
• Walsall: ranked 50th (48th last year) 

Regional economic growth in the West Midlands is expected to be below the UK average growth rate of around 1.2 per cent this year.

However, there is expected to be some disparity in the growth experienced by different cities in the region.  

Birmingham’s forecasted GVA growth rate is significantly greater than other West Midlands cities.

David Morris (pictured), Central Region Market lead at PwC, said: "Our local high streets really matter to people in the West Midlands, so it’s encouraging to see recent investments in this area. The research also tells us that a collective vision for community-centred economic regeneration will be crucial to driving local growth and resilient communities. 

“The region continues to underperform when compared to the UK average in several areas and improvement has stalled compared to last year. The shining star of the West Midlands is yet again Stoke-on-Trent which ranked highest in the Index and has made strides in improving job opportunities and educational attainment, reflecting the city's proactive approach to economic development.  

“The region has ample opportunity for growth, with Birmingham forecasted for significant growth compared to other cities in the region. Our analysis shows that both Birmingham and Coventry scored above average for new business, highlighting the potential fertile ground for innovation and entrepreneurship, which can act as catalysts for wider economic momentum.

“However, we mustn’t ignore the challenges, particularly in skill development, income, and health. Addressing these issues is fundamental for enhancing economic resilience and ensuring that opportunities are accessible to everyone.”