UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 14 MAY 2015
Birmingham can't afford to be left behind by plans for a Northern Powerhouse centred in Manchester, our Vice-Chancellor Professor Cliff Allan has warned.
Responding to George Osborne's plans for a "revolution in the way we govern England”, using Manchester as a blueprint for other large cities, Cliff said: “Birmingham and the West Midlands have the strongest case of any region in England for developing an economic powerhouse, so we must not lose any time in seizing this opportunity to take more responsibility for our economic development.
“If the Chancellor is really serious about rebalancing the economy in this country, a three centred approach by creating a Birmingham and West Midlands as well as Northern Powerhouse will surely be more sensible and equitably distributed.
“The Cities Devolution Bill offers the prospect of powers that the Birmingham region could use to develop economic policies specific to local priorities – including the area’s manufacturing base, its comparatively young population and improving the area's transport system.