Insider Media Limited

Construction and development firm Willmott Dixon has become the first major business to nail its colours to the Birmingham-Solihull local enterprise partnership (LEP) mast.

At a briefing this morning, to coincide with the Conservative Party conference in the city, Birmingham City Council leader Councillor Mike Whitby welcomed Willmott Dixon’s commitment. He told a business audience that more than 140 businesses have expressed an interest in working closely with the proposed LEP which hopes to promote enterprise in Birmingham, Solihull, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Tamworth and Bromsgrove.

Willmott Dixon is the UK’s third largest privately-owned capital works, regeneration and support services company and has a strong Midlands presence. It employs nearly 1,000 people in the region and has offices in Birmingham and Coleshill. Last year, it secured a five-year contract from Birmingham City Council worth about £95m to repair and maintain 40,000 council homes and properties in south Birmingham.

Chris Durkin, chief executive of Willmott Dixon Support Services, said: “We have been very impressed by the leadership the city has shown in how it wants to develop and grow, from its ambitious LEP plans to the launch last week of its Big City Plan, which provides a blueprint for the rebuilding of Birmingham.

"It is the sort of direction that companies like Willmott Dixon thrive on and we hope to play a long-term role in supporting the LEP, which can be the conduit for the delivery of the Big City Plan.”

Councillor Whitby said: “If we are to turn the Big City Plan into reality, into property development, jobs and wealth creation, we need the support of firms like Willmott Dixon, who we would welcome on to the board of the new LEP.

“The private sector has a vital role to play in helping us deliver major capital projects within the Big City Plan.

“It is the private sector in our LEP area that will help to lead us out of recession through innovation and investment that leads to job creation.

“As a local authority and within the wider LEP area, we need to support the private sector in order to create economic stimulus.”