Our report, State of the West Midlands 2010 (pdf, 1.74mb) sets out the evidence about some of the key challenges facing the West Midlands and its localities.
Since the general election earlier in the year, much has changed in the way that the West Midlands is governed.
However, the big issues that it faces, such as the growing economic output gap, high levels of worklessness, limited supply of, and demand for, skills, the ageing population, the consequences of climate change and the poor image of the West Midlands, remain.
As well as looking at the challenges facing the West Midlands as a whole, this year's report also highlights how those challenges impact on its different localities.
This year, for the first time, we have also published the report as a commentable website. You can add comments on the report, as well as providing easy access to the issues which are of most interest to you.
The evidence presented in the report comes from a variety of sources, including the State of the West Midlands dialogues, our research programmes and research undertaken by our partners. As always, our aim is to inform the policies that impact on the businesses, people and places of the West Midlands.
The report highlights 15 key challenges facing the West Midlands in 2010: