Business News
LEP names interim chief
Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership has named Ed Watson as its new interim chief executive. He will be in post while Katie Trout takes maternity leave. Mr Watson has spent most
of his career in local government and is now director of consultancy EW&A, which provides strategic planning, place and political advice to a range of public and private sector clients. He was integral in the
reinvention of Kings Cross in London where he helped deliver homes, jobs and infrastructure culminating in the investment of £1 billion by Google in new offices. The Euston Strategic Board
was set up by him, and he has also been at the helm of the high-profile West End Partnership, working with businesses, communities and the Mayor of London. He said: “I am really excited
to be joining the GBSLEP at this critical time (keeping the seat warm for Katie). There is an incredible energy around the region, and I am really keen to get working with private, public and academic partners to drive the growth programme forward. “GBSLEP has been playing a
pivotal role during the current Covid-19 crisis and at the same time it has continued to deliver against its plans via the Local Growth Fund, Growth Hub, the Getting Building Fund and much more. “I am looking forward to
working with the LEP board.”
Important role: The fleet of on-loan Defender vehicles
JLR lends fleet of Defenders to doctors during pandemic
Car giant Jaguar Land Rover is helping the battle against coronavirus by lending a fleet of its Defender vehicles to local doctors, to help transport them to care homes to carry out vaccination of vulnerable people. The company has delivered the vehicles to University
Hospital Birmingham, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and general practices throughout the area.
‘With the support of our partners we will achieve the goal of returning to a normal way of life’
Healthcare staff are also using them to deliver vital equipment. Paul Jennings, chief executive officer at NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Working in partnership is extremely important to the NHS and the support and generosity of Jaguar Land Rover will assist with the smooth rollout of the vaccination programme across the patch. “The vaccine rollout will be one of the greatest challenges the NHS has ever faced, but with the
support of our partners we will achieve the goal of returning to a normal way of life.” In addition, Jaguar Land Rover is piloting two NHS
trials and introducing a rehabilitation programme to help employees suffering ‘long Covid’ return to work. The Castle Bromwich Experience Centre is being
converted into a Covid-19 vaccination research hub, hosting follow-up appointments for volunteers who received initial injections at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. Alongside this, to ensure a Covid-19-safe workplace,
Jaguar Land Rover is taking part in an NHS pilot scheme to support rapid Covid-19 testing across all its UK sites. The NHS Test and Trace serial contact testing
programme is being introduced by major employers in the region. It offers rapid tests for seven consecutive days to anyone identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for Covid-19. If the result is negative, the person can continue to
work rather than self-isolate for 10 days. In addition, the Centre for Wellbeing at Jaguar Land
Rover Solihull is also introducing a rehabilitation programme for employees suffering from ‘long Covid’, focusing on lung capacity, neck mobility and energy levels.
Essential work will keep local museum closed
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) will remain closed throughout 2021 while essential electrical upgrade work of Birmingham’s Council House complex takes place. While the building is closed, Birmingham Museums Trust will continue to
share items and stories from Birmingham’s collections with audiences in a variety of ways, both online and in the community. BMAG is currently closed due to the pandemic - but plans to reopen in
time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games are already underway. Next year also marks the 160th anniversary of the birth of Birmingham’s
collection and in celebration of this key moment, when the eyes of the world will be on the city, Birmingham Museums will use the opportunity to reinterpret the collection for the 21st Century. The reopening will be launched with a transformation of BMAG’s iconic
Round Room, where the new ‘We Are Birmingham’ display will present a vibrant celebration of the city that Birmingham has become, drawing on new artworks as well as historic items from the city’s various collections. Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, joint CEOs of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “We had very much hoped that we would be able to reopen BMAG to
28 CHAMBERLINK February 2021 BMAG: Staying closed
visitors before this essential work started, but sadly due to the latest lockdown this won’t be possible. However, during our closure we will continue to find ways to make Birmingham’s collections available to as many people as possible, so we look forward to staying connected with all our audiences across Birmingham and the West Midlands.”
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