Laverty wraps up Advantage West Midlands at final AGM
The chief executive of Advantage West Midlands has described the past 12 months as “the most challenging year to date”. Speaking at the regional development agency’s final AGM, Mick Laverty thanked the staff and partner organisations, telling the audience, “I believe Advantage West Midlands will be a hard act to follow”.
Laverty said that this year’s announcement that RDAs would be abolished and replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in 2012 had prompted many inquiries from interested parties about the future of the agency’s land and financial assets, but said that what happens to them is a question “that only government can answer”.
The organisation’s chief executive described having to make £48m of cuts as demanded by the government as “a difficult exercise”. Of the 906 projects which were supported by AWM, 122 had funding reduced or were axed completely.
Laverty concluded the meeting by extending his wishes to the organisations preparing to take the helm under the LEP brand.
He said: “I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all the very best to the businesses, business organisations, local authorities and other public sector partners who now take up the challenge of transforming the economic fortunes of this fine, world-class region.”
