Election winners must bring their ‘A-game’ for Birmingham – Chamber chief

The countdown is well and truly on to 7 May, writes Henrietta Brealey.

Whoever is sitting in the Council House after the local elections will inherit both a monumental challenge and a rare opportunity - to shape the future of this great city at a pivotal moment in its story.

On behalf of the business community, my message is a simple one. This matters.

The decisions taken in the months ahead will set the direction for Birmingham for years to come.

We are entering uncharted waters in the UK. The traditional dominance of the two main political parties – Labour and Conservative – appears to be giving way to a more fragmented landscape, with the Liberal Democrats, Reform and the Green Party expected to see a surge in support across England.

In Birmingham, independent candidates are also making their mark.

Polling from ITV suggests the city may be heading towards no overall control – or, as Liberal Democrat Paul Tilsley described it in the Guardian, “a bugger’s muddle” – with no single party commanding a majority.

This election comes at a critical time. Birmingham City Council's woes have been well documented, from bankruptcy and bins to equal pay liabilities and failed digital transformation projects.

And yet, Birmingham as a city has all the raw ingredients for success. A large, young workforce underpinned by five universities.

A diverse business base, with rapid growth in professional services, tech, life sciences and creative industries alongside a strong advanced manufacturing sector.

An utterly glorious food scene, and a cultural history spanning Tolkien, heavy metal and Peaky Blinders.

And, critically, an unrivalled geographic location at the heart of the UK’s road, rail and air networks.

Major investors – from Knighthead Capital’s £3bn Sports Quarter to Stephen Knight’s Digbeth Loc. Studios – recognise this latent potential.

What we need is for the next leadership of Birmingham City Council to play their part in unlocking it.

Mentioning Manchester in the same sentence as Birmingham usually leads to a depressingly familiar debate about second city status.

As the founder of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s Brumbassadors network, you can probably guess what I think about that.

But it would be daft to look at Manchester’s growth over the past two decades and not ask what we can learn from it.

At heart, its success was built on simple but powerful ingredients: a long-term, coordinated strategy; alignment between executive and elected leaders; and a clear vision delivered consistently over time. It is not rocket science. Yet this stability has eluded Birmingham.

Over the past decade, Manchester has had just three chief executives. Including interims, Birmingham has had nine.

There are, however, signs that the council is turning a corner. In March this year, the city passed a balanced budget.

To many in the business community this may feel like a very low bar, but in the context of UK local government – and Birmingham in particular – it is a significant milestone, and a credible platform for a reset.

Birmingham’s managing director, Joanne Roney, has been in post for nearly two years and is working to stabilise the city’s operations.

Her previous role was as one of those Manchester City Council CEOs. If anyone understands how to apply those lessons here, it is surely her.

Whoever is in power – or sharing it – after 7 May must bring their A‑game for Birmingham.

This is not the moment for the worst instincts of politics: pettiness, parochialism, constant change, or point-scoring for its own sake.

Instead, it demands politics at its best: putting the city and its people first. Thinking big. Thinking long-term. Thinking strategically.

At the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, we stand ready to work in partnership to help make that happen.

Building on our work through the Business Commission West Midlands, and in consultation with our Chamber Council, we have identified three clear priorities for the city’s next phase of leadership.

First, improve access to business support. The current landscape is fragmented and confusing. Businesses need clearer coordination between local authorities, the Combined Authority and delivery agencies; fewer overlapping schemes; longer-term funding; and support aligned to real business need, not bureaucratic convenience.

Second, address uncertainty around planning and infrastructure. That means greater planning capacity to speed up decision-making, alongside a focus on visible, everyday infrastructure improvements that demonstrate pride in place and seriousness about growth. These signals matter. They tell investors and residents alike whether a city believes in itself.

Third, create the conditions for businesses to start, scale and stay. Employers want to see greater urgency and ambition from civic leadership, with policies developed in partnership with business that actively support productivity, scaling and long-term investment.

Birmingham already has the ingredients for success. What it needs now is clear leadership and a shared vision, consistently applied to unlock that potential.

The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce is proudly apolitical.

We work constructively with leaders of all parties, always in the interests of the business community we represent.

But we are also relentlessly proud of this city.

Whatever the election result, we will continue to bang the drum for Birmingham – as a critical friend, an active partner, and an unashamed champion of its future.

Henrietta Brealey is CEO of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

This column first appeared in the Birmingham Post