Birmingham elected mayor backed
Plans for an elected mayor for Birmingham have won the broad backing of the city’s young professional community.
A debate staged by Birmingham Future concluded that a Birmingham mayor with suitable powers would be able to get things done more quickly and efficiently for the good of the city.
The plans for locally-elected mayors, for 12 English cities, will be included in the Localism Bill from the Department of Communities and Local Government. Those cities include both Birmingham and Coventry, provided local voters are in favour of the move.
Alex Bishop, a partner at law firm Shoosmiths and former chair of Birmingham Future, was one who backed the idea. “This is a really great city and it needs a really great leader. An elected mayor would provide a clear focal point, an identifiable personality to speak up for the city nationally and internationally,” she said.
“Internationally, no one’s heard of the West Midlands but plenty of people all across the world could tell you where Birmingham is. We need to lead by example so that, in time, our neighbours will see the benefits of being part of a ‘Greater Birmingham’.”
