The Midlands & East of England is the largest of the seven OFCOM macro broadcasting regions and nations, with some 17,366,000 people - or 25.7% of the UK population (ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates June 2022, published July 2024). 

The Midlands & East OFCOM region is comprised of 3 regions of England (sometimes referred to as ITL or NUTS1 areas for statistical purposes): East Midlands; West Midlands; East of England.

The East Midlands and West Midlands regions together are home to 10,960,000 million people or 16.2% of the UK's population. For comparison purposes only, that's more than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined. And more than Greater London, or the South East of England.    

The East of England is home to 6,400,000 people, or 9.5% of the UK.

The OFCOM North is also made up of 3 regions of England: North West; Yorkshire & Humber; North East.

The OFCOM South is comprised of 2 English regions: South West and South East. 
 

London is a separate OFCOM region.

With the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are seven OFCOM areas covering the UK.

These are used by the regulator and broadcasters to set and report against spending and production targets.

It is important to describe the geography of the Midlands & East, for it soon becomes clear that the area includes the second largest city and conurbation in the UK, along with half of England's mid-sized cities and a long list of counties. We seek to underline the point that this significant OFCOM area of the UK is simply not being served equitably with other parts of England, by the broadcasters.

The second largest city in the UK lies at the geographic heart of England: Birmingham. The city boundary has a population of nearly 1.2 million people. The West Midlands Metropolitan County that immediately surrounds the city is home to over 2.95 million people and if we widen the radius again, 3.85 million people live within approximately 20 miles of the city centre (see diagram below). This is the most highly populated urbanised area outside the capital.

Important towns and cities in the Midlands - with populations over 250,000 - include Coventry, Derby, Dudley, Leicester, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Large towns - with populations upwards of 200,000 or more - include Colchester, Luton, Northampton, Peterborough, Solihull and Telford.

Large towns - with populations upwards of 100,000 or more - include Bedford, Bromsgrove, Chesterfield, Hereford, Hinckley, Ipswich, Lichfield, Mansfield, Newark, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Norwich, Nuneaton, Rugby, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Stratford-on-Avon, Telford, Warwick, and Worcester

From a broadcasting perspective, the West Midlands news region generally covers the following English counties: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, The West Midlands Metroplitan County area (see above), Warwickshire and Worcestershire and most of Gloucestershire and parts of north Oxfordshire. 

The East Midlands news region generally covers Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, most of Northamptonshire, Rutland and north west Cambridgeshire, and the west of Lincolnshire.

The East of England news region is a wide area. It includes Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, central & north Essex, central & north Hertfordshire, and north east Buckinghamshire. 

The case for the Midlands: Historical perspective

Back to the introductory page: Case for the Midlands