Birmingham could be next Detroit, warns Bassi
Outspoken entrepreneur Paul Bassi has warned that Birmingham could go the way of Detroit - the US city decimated by the decline of its manufacturing sector - if today’s “weak” leadership continues to prevail. Speaking to Insider, Bassi said: “I am concerned about the West Midlands. The leadership is weak. There needs to be a strong and determined individual at the top. Currently we have all these mini-organisations. We need to put personal agenda aside for greater good.” Bassi, who is president of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, has wide business interests in the Birmingham area. He is the controlling shareholder of property firm Bond Wolfe and a joint owner of auction house Bigwood. He also owns 20 per cent of Real Estate Investors. “Until we do have strong leadership, with one message, we will never get the big projects – the Commonwealth games, the Capital of Culture, the national stadium and the rest,” he said. “Indeed if we are not careful we could be the next Detroit.”
