Opinion CHAMBER
The official publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce
LINK Cannock Chase
Chamber of Commerce
Editor’s View
By John Lamb
Excitement as region prepares for the future
Sutton Coldfield
Chamber of Commerce
Greater Birmingham
Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce
T Greater Birmingham
Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce
Front cover: The Chamber’s policy and patronage adviser Emily Stubbs and entrepreneur Tru Powell See page 6 and 7
Editor John Lamb 0121 274 3239, 0797 1144064
j.lamb@
birmingham-chamber.com
Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 274 3238, 0797 1144052
d.harrison@birmingham-chamber.com
Reporter Jessica Brookes 0750 8317356
j.brookes@
birmingham-chamber.com
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he Chamber’s podcast channel is going from strength to strength. And a new interview with West Midlands mayor Andy Street is
among the most listened-to at a time when you can feel the buzz and excitement permeating in the wake of the HS2 announcement. It’s not surprising that many people want to
listen to Andy, since anything he says is important and significant for the region. On page eight you can read a precis of what
he said but you can listen to the full interview on apps such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as
www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com On his 20-year transport vision, Andy used a
device which had considerable impact. He created a London Tube-style map that forcefully promoted a message, asking why Londoners should have a world-class transport system when we do not. But he points out work is already underway to improve Birmingham’s public transport system, an absolute essential if we are to encourage people out of their cars. We reported in February that Andy had
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returned from China with another vision – one for a gigafactory. Apparently, when Boris Johnson was told we were bidding for such a thing, the Prime Minister responded that he didn’t know what it was but he wanted one. Well, you can see why the mayor wants electric
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4 CHAMBERLINK March 2020
car research to be in the West Midlands, which is still the home of the automotive sector. A natural selection, I would have thought. Like another area where we are at the cutting edge - 5G. With the go-ahead for HS2 plus the prospect of the Commonwealth Games in 2022, the region is
‘With the go-ahead for HS2 plus the prospect of the Commonwealth Games in 2022, the region is buzzing’
buzzing and Andy can take a lot of the credit. AND YET… as Chamber chief executive, Paul
Faulkner, wrote in the ‘Birmingham Post’, there was a negative edge to some media inquiries after the HS2 announcement. The Chamber, which has led the business case
for the project to go ahead, was inundated with media requests and Paul was involved in interviews for local, national and international media. The questioning and reporting had a very
negative slant, apart from the local newspapers. This put something of a dampener on proceedings as Paul and other regional representatives underlined the capacity that HS2 had to bring jobs, skills and growth to. But this didn’t seem to spill to the media in
their lines of questioning. It was as if HS2 was going to be nothing but a huge burden - not something that would spread economic growth across the country, with Greater Birmingham in the middle of it. Not that this will dampen our spirits as our region enters one of the most exciting periods in its history. Birmingham is about to be at the centre of one of the most ambitious and massive infrastructure projects ever envisaged. And it will also cement its place at the heart of a great country.
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