The West Side story:The living standards challenge

facing the Metro Mayor for West of England

Jaya Chakrabarti, co-founder of NamelessConor D’Arcy, Policy Analyst at the Resolution Foundation

Marvin Rees, Mayor of BristolJohn Savage, Executive Chairman of Bristol Chamber of

CommerceChair: Torsten Bell, Director of the Resolution Foundation

@resfoundation // #MetroMayor

The West Side story:The living standards challenge

facing the Metro Mayor for West of England

@resfoundation // #MetroMayor

Conor D’ArcyJanuary 2017

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In May, voters in the West of England will elect a new ‘Metro Mayor’

• Residents in three authorities eligible to vote:• Bath and North East Somerset• Bristol• South Gloucestershire• (Not North Somerset)

• The new Metro Mayor will gain control and funding for parts of transport, skills and back-to-work programmes

• They won’t solve all the area’s problems alone – collaboration with local leaders and Westminster needed

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THE MILD MILD WEST

The West of England’s recession and recovery

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The West of England’s mayor will inherit a strong economy, now bigger than pre-crisis

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Productivity is high and has risen more quickly than most city regions

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That growth has translated into a jobs boom, with employment rates higher than the city average

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Which has underpinned high incomes in the West of England

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GROWING PAINS?How inclusive is the West of England’s prosperity?

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Employment gains have been broadly shared across disadvantaged groups

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But in parts of the West of England, only half of people are in work

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Across the UK a gap between productivity and pay growth has opened up

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That gap is even larger in the West of England

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With lower earners here faring worse than their counterparts nationally

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(TEARS FOR) HOUSING FEARS

The housing drag on the West of England’s living standards

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Typical house prices are now 10 times the typical annual salary

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Unsurprisingly, homeownership has fallen, particularly for younger people

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And typical rents are a large proportion of typical monthly salaries

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TELL ME WHAT’S MY LESSON

Priorities for the new Metro Mayor

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The Metro Mayor’s focus should be on ensuring the West of England’s success is sustainable and shared• Priority one: aim to become the first full

employment city region• Priority two: tighten the link between

productivity and pay• Priority three: build more homes

The West Side story:The living standards challenge

facing the Metro Mayor for West of England

Jaya Chakrabarti, co-founder of NamelessConor D’Arcy, Policy Analyst at the Resolution Foundation

Marvin Rees, Mayor of BristolJohn Savage, Executive Chairman of Bristol Chamber of

CommerceChair: Torsten Bell, Director of the Resolution Foundation

@resfoundation // #MetroMayor