BUSINESS NEWS


Optimistic view of year ahead


Just over half of businesses in the Greater Birmingham area are confident that their fortunes are going to improve in 2012. And the manufacturing sector offers a glimmer of hope on the jobs front, according to the latest survey by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group (BCCG) on behalf of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Thirty-six per cent had increased


their workforce in the final quarter of 2011 while 27 per cent, the highest figure for six months, expected to take on more staff in the next three months. However, recruitment figures for the service sector continued a downward trend. Only 17 per cent had increased their workforce in the final three months of the year while 21 per cent expected it to increase in the first quarter of 2012. The last quarterly economic


survey undertaken by the West Midlands Chamber of Commerce in 2011 also revealed the service sector growing at a subdued rate and the manufacturing sector showing signs of slowing.


Action needed to create jobs now


The Government is not acting quickly enough say West Midland business leaders as the latest unemployment figures show a sharp increase. Michael Ward, president of BCCG


said we need action now to bring forward infrastructure projects. He said: “HS2 is too far away to create the employment we need now. Schemes like the A45/6 which will accommodate the Birmingham airport runway extension, will provide more immediate jobs but the Government should be implementing initiatives which will encourage business to invest. We need to make doing business easier so that more people will be encouraged to set up their own business.


Edgbaston signs up hotel agency


Edgbaston Stadium has secured the services of Ellis Salsby Ltd to source accommodation for guests attending events at the cricket venue’s new conference and banqueting suite. Edgbaston is using the Kidderminster-based hotel booking agency to secure preferential rates for customers at leading hotels across the city.


8 CHAMBERLINK FEBRUARY 2012


Lord Heseltine and Andy Street at Chamber dinner


BY JOHN LAMB L


ord Michael Heseltine and John Lewis managing director Andy


Street will form a compelling double bill of speakers at the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce annual dinner – only a week before the city decides if it wants an elected mayor. Lord Heseltine, a Cabinet minister in both the Thatcher and Major governments, will share the platform with Andy Street, who also chairs the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The Chamber’s dinner, which is expected to attract about 1,000 business people and key decision makers, takes place at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on Wednesday, 25 April, the week before Birmingham voters go to the polls to decide if they want an elected mayor. If they vote yes, the election will take place in November.


Lord Heseltine


‘We are looking forward to having one of icons of the Conservative Party sharing a platform with one of the most powerful and visible business leaders in the UK’


Lord Heseltine, a vocal advocate of elected mayors, will lend his support to the Chamber’s “Vote Yes for Birmingham” campaign. He was the author of a report for the Conservative party which stated that Britain’s cities needed directly-elected mayors with “very substantial powers”. Lord Heseltine has also said that local mayors should


have the power to issue bonds and borrow money. He added: “We have to have directly-elected chief


executives in the cities of our country; people will then know who they are, they can hold them to account and the central government can transfer very substantial powers to them.”


Andy Street


Lord Heseltine was in Birmingham to support the announcement by Cities Minister Greg Clark when he announced the referendum date and the potential election day of 15 November. Chamber president Michael Ward, head of law firm


Gateley’s corporate team and its joint senior partner, said: “This is a tremendous coup for the Chamber. We are looking forward to having one of icons of the Conservative Party sharing a platform with one of the most powerful and visible business leaders in the UK. “It will create a compelling mix on the night as the


city reaches the climax of the campaign for the elected mayor referendum. And the Chamber will be playing its part by launching a ‘Vote Yes for Birmingham’ campaign, throwing the weight of Birmingham businesses behind the pro lobby. “We are also delighted that Andy Street has agreed


to speak at the dinner. His words will be particularly important as chair of the LEP and managing director of John Lewis, who have announced significant investment in Birmingham with a new store at the refurbished New Street Station.”


For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Chamber’s director of events Henrik Court at h.court@birmingham- chamber.com or on 0121 607 1780. Alternatively you can visit www.birmingham-chamber.com/events


• Chamber endorses elected mayor – Page 11 Call for speedy start to HS2


The decision by the government to give the green light to HS2 was greeted as “a fantastic day for the West Midlands” by business leaders in Birmingham but they warned that the government must introduce legislation to start the project this year. Jerry Blackett, chief executive of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group (BCCG), said HS2, part of a larger High Speed Network, would create a fundamental change to the way people travel. He said: “This is a fantastic day for the West Midlands. However, the imperative is to press ahead with all speed because delay will simply stall the impetus that today’s announcement has given. “The transport secretary Justine Greening has indicated


that it could be another two years before Parliament even votes on the proposition. This must not be allowed to happen. Delay would be damaging for the project and it would push it into the heart of an election campaign. “The national interest must come first and business


in Birmingham urges the government to press on with HS2 now so that it does not become bogged down in unnecessary Parliamentary procedures. “The Government must look towards not only


pressing on with the London-Birmingham HS2 link but publishing a plan soon for the route of the line north of Birmingham.


“HS2 will mean it will take just 39 minutes to travel


from London to Birmingham and will help erode the north south divide by drawing investment and skilled workers away from the economic stranglehold of the south east. “With rail growing at six per cent a year, and with no sign of abating, the Chamber applauds the Secretary of State for her decision to back the only viable solution to this looming capacity crunch.” He added that HS2 has the potential to provide a huge boost to the region’s economy by creating jobs and making it easier for businesses to access markets quickly and efficiently.


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