Chamber Spearheads Drive To Empower Cities
The growing demands to give more power to the regions will be driven by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) during the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Monday.
The Empowering Cities event will take place at the offices of Birmingham-based international law firm Squire Patton Boggs, who are partnering the GBCC along with ThinkBirmingham.
Tim Pile, president of the Chamber, who will chair the event, said: “Cities are the driving force behind the UK economy but are not have only control a fraction of the money they raise.
“Even though Scotland voted no, the Westminster consensus will be changed forever so there couldn’t be a better time to discuss the vital role that cities play in the UK economy.
“By international standards, the UK currently has a highly centralised tax and expenditure system. Only five per cent of taxes raised by local people are controlled by cities. The rest goes to Central Government.”
The event will be held at Squire Patton Boggs’ office, Rutland House, 148 Edmund Street, B3 2JR from 6-8pm. Refreshments will be available from 5.30pm.
Speakers will include Chris Murray, chief executive of Core Cities Group, Kevin Johnson, of ThinkBirmingham, Andrew Carter, deputy chief executive at Centre for Cities, Waheed Saleem, chair of The Lunar Society, and Dr Steven McCabe, of Birmingham City University.
Mr Pile added: “Greater regional power could completely re-energise local democracy, boost England’s economic performance and help rebalance the economy away from London and the South East. This event is designed for those who want to find out about the future of cities in our economy.”
To confirm attendance email: policyevents@birmingham-chamber.com
