The West Midlands business community today told Ministers that
co-ordinated action across the region is needed to tackle the
economic downturn.
The call came as Business Voice WM presented to Business
Secretary Vince Cable and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles
its submission in response to the Government's consultation on
plans to establish Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).
The 29-page dossier calls on the Government to:
· Set up an overarching
mechanism that would support LEPs in Birmingham and Solihull, Black
Country, Coventry and Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire and
Herefordshire;
· The overarching mechanism
would deliver strategic business support in the Midlands, such as
the Manufacturing Advisory Service. The Government had indicated
such services would be run from London;
· Existing money - instead of
new money from taxpayers - that was to run strategic business
support services from London would be used instead to run services
for the Midlands in the Midlands.
Business Voice WM Chairman, Barrie Williams, said: "Our plans
reflect the ambitions of the new Government. Ministers rightly
state that the legacy of wasting of public money must end and that,
as the Chancellor of the Exchequer has correctly said, we are all
in this together to sort out our economy.
"That is why our proposals would support the local actions of
Local Enterprise Partnerships by having an overarching mechanism
that supports LEPs through services via economies of scale - so
councils can save money.
"This mechanism also means that when it comes to supply chains
in sectors such as automotive, aerospace and food and drink - which
cross the whole of the Midlands and not just a handful of council
areas - we can supply strategic business support services that are
sensitive to the needs of the Midlands and move away from the
London-knows-best approach of the past.
"We hope Ministers will endorse our plans as they are in line
with the Prime Minister's concept of the Big Society - empowering
businesses and communities to deliver for themselves".
Institute of Directors regional chairman John Rider, who led on
the drafting of the final Business Voice WM submission, added:
"Councils, trade unions, universities and charities all back our
plans for an overarching mechanism to deliver for the West
Midlands.
"West Midlands Councils - representing all 33 local authorities
in the West Midlands - has already publicly announced that it
supports a West Midlands-wide mechanism to deliver strategic
business support, specialist training and accessing European Union
funding. Representative bodies for charities, unions and
universities have since followed suit in supporting the need for
co-ordinated action across the Midlands.
"We must do this for the sake of jobs. Official figures show
that since the heyday of the 1970s - when the West Midlands was
seen as the UK's economic powerhouse - our economic clout has gone
into a long decline.
"Unless we pull together then families in the West Midlands
cannot enjoy the full prosperity that we should all aim for."