REGIONAL FOCUS
T
he Midlands was the birthplace of Brit- ish industry and is also home to many
of the country’s most historic market towns and villages, areas of outstanding national beauty and the National Forest, dense con- centrations of factories and post-industrial high-tech businesses, and many of the swing seats that decide who governs at Westmin- ster.
In this edition, Public Sector Executive takes a look forward at the region’s urban renewal, innovative planning policies, enterprising public-private regeneration schemes and the impact of constrained public fi nances.
From decline – to rebirth? (images of wrecked factory and shiny new something)
Former Labour transport secretary Lord Adonis, who now runs the Institute for Gov-
ernment think tank, says that Birmingham is in crisis, with a declining population, high unemployment, and an over-dependance on public sector jobs.
He was brave enough, at least, to make a speech spelling out his thesis in the city, which he said was home to far too many ‘low-skills’ residents. He blames the city’s political leadership – a Conservative-Lib Dem administration, running the largest council in the country – and said transfor- mational change seems impossible.
But is this true? Over the following two pages, we have a look at the physical trans- formation of the city centre, which council leader Mike Whitby says is a direct conse- quence of the fi rm hand he has on the tiller.
Can a wholesale transformation of the city’s
services come next?
We also speak to Colin Walton, chairman of the transportation and engineering compa- ny Bombardier UK, about D2N2: the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottingham- shire local enterprise partnership, and his hopes for the East Midlands sub-region.
Shropshire’s Mal Price explains why his unitary authority, recently formed from the ‘merger’ of the county council with the previ- ous district councils, is pressing ahead with an innovative new planning guideline mak- ing it much more responsive to economic circumstances, while we also look into the news affecting the public sector and public sector workers in the region.
Read on to fi nd out more about this fasci- nating region.
public sector executive Mar/Apr 11 | 23
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