Opinion CHAMBER LINK
The Official Publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of commerce
Editor’s View
By John Lamb ‘All this and a General Election too’
This adaptation of a famous Daily Express headline of 64 years ago came to my mind when the Prime Minister announced outside No 10 Downing Street that she intended to go to polls on 8 June. The Express headline of 1953 celebrating the news that Sir Edmund Hillary had become the first to
climb the Himalayan peak came only days before Queen Elizabeth II was due to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. The paper trumpeted: All this and Everest too! I was reminded of the headline as we hurried
Sutton Coldfield
Chamber of Commerce
the Chamber’s reaction to the Prime Minister’s statement. We are now asked to elect a new government
‘The elected mayor will have wide-ranging powers, including control of a 30-year investment fund of £1.1 billion’
only 36 days after the West Midlands chooses its first elected mayor. Most people find change unwelcome but many regard this as the potential for a see- change in the way we are governed in the West Midlands and nationally and business will be looking for a strong, clear mandate as we enter the most important negotiation of our generation - Brexit. Uncertainty is not good for business and we await eagerly the consistency that the mayoral and
national elections will bring. The elected mayor will have wide-ranging powers, including control of a 30-year investment fund of
Front cover: Virgin Trains guard Anne Duddy and Solihull Chamber director Joan Smith See page 7
Editor John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064
j.lamb@
birmingham-chamber.com
Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 607 1887, 0797 1144052
d.harrison@birmingham-chamber.com
You can now read the latest issue of CHAMBERLINK and view back issues online at:
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£1.1 billion, an adult skills budget and have compulsory purchase powers over housing and planning. The mayor will also control the consolidated transport budget, the local roads network, bus
franchising and smart ticketing on the transport network. So whoever is elected is going to hold powers which will have serious implications for the West Midlands business community and that is why the Chamber has been conducting a campaign to ensure a large turnout on 4 May. And, of course, it might not stop there. The powers of the West Midlands Combined Authority
mayor may increase, as in London. The Cities and Local Government Act deliberately allows for the devolution of almost anything to a
local level. So is Buzzing Brum and its neighbours in a high state of expectation over the prospect of a first
elected mayor and a new government? If not, they should be. There cannot have been a greater opportunity for the region to shape its own future at a local and
national level. And that, of course, will have a huge impact globally, a fact recognised by the Chamber as it beefs
Published by
up its international operations. While not ignoring the prospects of trade with the EU post-Brexit, there will be focus and other world-wide markets which will be looked at in detail in the June edition of Chamberlink.
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CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.
4 CHAMBERLINK May 2017
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