Business News Business News Latest news from Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce WMCA gets ready to launch


The new West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is due to get its formal powers this month. It is awaiting notification that


Parliament has approved the handover of powers, and that is expected early this month. Following that, the fledgling


authority will hold an annual general meeting – possibly on 10 June – and on 28 June it will stage an official launch event at the NEC. This event will bring together


central and local government representatives with colleagues from the private sector and offer them the opportunity to discuss and debate key issues around growing the region’s economy. The event, at The NEC’s Vox


Conference Centre, will be titled ‘The West Midlands Forum For Growth’ and will showcase the ambition and vision of the WMCA. It will cover infrastructure (HS2 and the interconnected transport network), industry, regeneration, skills and homes. Councillor Bob Sleigh, chairman


of the WMCA’s Shadow Board, said: “The creation of the West Midlands Combined Authority provides us with a unique opportunity to take control of our own destiny and transform the region’s economy


Henrietta Brealey, the Chamber’s policy director


‘We believe that the WMCA represents an opportunity for Local Authorities to ‘think bigger’ and work beyond their boundaries’


through a robust, focused and ambitious programme of change. “From the outset we’ve said that


we can only achieve change by working with a range of partners from co-design to delivery. So I am delighted that our launch event will bring together major players and organisations from different sectors, who will have the chance to not only listen to our plans but also get involved with us moving forward.” Greater Birmingham Chambers


has played a leading role in backing the new combined authority, and the organisation’s policy director, Henrietta Brealey (pictured), said: “June will be an important month for the West Midlands Combined Authority as it is officially established under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. “This represents the culmination


of a great deal of work undertaken by the WMCA shadow board in a relatively short space of time and


will see powers and functions officially conferred by Government. “As of this date, the combined


authority will assume democratic responsibility for the functions of the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority and its Passenger Transport Executive, Centro. “From April 2017, as part of the


devolution deal, the WMCA will act as the conduit for a £40 million annual contribution from government and will unlock an overall investment package of £8 billion. “Overall, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce support the fledgling WMCA and will continue to engage closely with it as it becomes a formal body. “We believe that the WMCA


represents an opportunity for Local Authorities to ‘think bigger’ and work beyond their boundaries to deliver tangible positive outcomes on the economy and transport infrastructure. “We have some reservations


about the Mayoral power to raise a supplementary business rate and how businesses will be engaged in decision making - but recognise that the direction of travel has been firmly set by the Chancellor and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.”


Midlands Engine won’t stall


Economic growth across the UK fell in the last three months – but Greater Birmingham manufacturers remain upbeat over their future prospects for driving the Midlands Engine forwards. New national ONS figures show that GDP


Your Chamberlink


Don’t forget that you can read Chamberlink on the Greater Birmingham Chambers’ website at www.greaterbirminghamchambers .com or you can catch up via your smart phone or tablet using the Chamberlink app, available for from the Apple Store and Google Play.


6 CHAMBERLINK June 2016


growth for the first quarter of 2016 slowed to 0.4 per cent from 0.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2015, with services, manufacturing, total production and construction all showing slight declines. But manufacturing bosses in Birmingham said they expected both turnover and profitability to rise in the next 12 months. By contrast, confidence among service sector firms was down. The current bullish outlook from Birmingham


manufacturers follows a sales boost for local firms in Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s first quarterly business report for 2016. The recent Chambers survey showed that 46 per


cent of manufacturers saw sales jump in the first quarter compared with 31 per cent in the last three months of 2015.


Now 65 per cent of West Midlands manufacturing


firms say they expect an increase in turnover and 56 per cent a jump in profitability. Stephanie Wall (pictured), senior policy and patron advisor at the Chambers, said local manufacturers were still ‘buoyant’ over their futures. “The slowdown in GDP growth is not surprising, given the context of a slowing global economy and uncertainty around the EU Referendum. In spite of slowing growth, it is great to see that our manufacturers are still feeling buoyant, after a particularly gloomy Q4, and willing to increase their investment intentions. This is exactly what we need to see if we are to


improve productivity in the Midlands and drive forwards the Midlands Engine.” David Kern, BCC Chief Economist, said: “The


Government must remain focused on the task of boosting economic growth. We need more infrastructure investment and support for our exporters to create wealth and drive the economy forward.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60