Pictured above: Glyn Pitchford

A leading Midlands businessman has challenged the City Region to become more effective.

But Glyn Pitchford, who has retired after the end of his three year term as the Business Voice WM representative on the Birmingham and Black Country City Region Board, said there had been successes and he urged the Government not to abolish it in the current purge of quangos.

Mr Pitchford, who was a nominee of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, is handing over to Bill Cooper, a partner in the Birmingham office of accountants and business advisers KPMG, put forward by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, and Mike Dell, President of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.

Peter Wall has also retired after the end of his term as the alternate BVWM representative on the City Region Board - he was a CBI nominee. He is succeeded by Mike Dell, managing director of Bilston-based Rubber Astic. He is President of Black Country Chamber - the chamber also nominated him.

Mr Pitchford said: "The City Region has not been progressing as well as it should have been, yet it has fabulous potential.

"It is simply not prepared to take decisions quickly enough - not something business understands. Too often they pay lip service to the business view and then find a reason to stonewall.

"The local authorities who make up the majority of the board need to put their heads above the parapet more often."

Mr Pitchford said the City Region's survival prospects probably depended on how fast the new Government pushed the elected mayor issue.

But, he argued, it was capable of playing an important role regardless.

Economies of scale could be obtained by local authorities joining together and pooling money, where appropriate.

And he cited three areas where progress had been made:

Quick fixes on road improvements where without utilising a great deal of cash traffic logjams had been removed by improving junctions, traffic light sequencing and priority lanes.

Savings were achieved and quicker assistance offered to the jobless through pooling central government money for skills.

The platform had been laid to bring super-fast next generation broadband to the region.

Mr Pitchford added: "The challenge will be to get business full square behind the City Region.

"Bill Cooper has a wide net of invaluable contacts across the private sector and local authorities which will stand him in good stead.

"He takes over at a pivotal point for the nation and the region. Like the new Government, we need business to lead the way at this difficult economic time.

"Mike Dell has wide expertise and knowledge across manufacturing and the Black Country.

"I am sure the two of them will work well together."

Mr Wall said: "I would very much endorse Glyn's views.

"I enjoyed working with him and I think we were a good combination - he covered areas of business I did not know a great deal about and vice versa."

Both Mr Pitchford and Mr Wall will continue to serve on BVWM's Council.

Mr Wall will also continue to represent BVWM on Advantage West Midlands' Enterprise Board, which oversees Business Links.