News - Midlands
Mipim Review
In our first ever national event, Insider invited leading public and private sector players from across the Midlands, North West and Yorkshire to debate this issue - and other efforts to close the economic gap between the UK regions and the South East - at the MIPIM commercial property conference in Cannes, France. Neil Tague took notes
This is a particularly pressing time for our regions in how we face up to the challenge of matching growth in the South East. Leadership in our regions is a key part of this debate. Would a more powerful mayor, such as Ken Livingstone in London, represent an effective form of leadership for the regions and how much extra power should they have?
Mike Wolfe The question shouldn't be are mayors a good idea, but how on earth did government get itself into such a muddle over the issue in the first place. If you look at the US, all cities have mayors. Anyone who runs a business will know that having one chief executive gives a company clear vision and decision making, so why use a structure that involves a hundred people? After a year as mayor of Stoke, I was already more recognised than even an excellent city council leader like Sir Albert Bore who used to run Birmingham. Having a mayor makes government more accessible to the people.
Chris Baker It's about leadership and the authority to act. Liverpool held a referendum and decided not to go down the city mayor route. But Liverpool's council has a strong leadership that gets things done. You can see the benefits in areas such as urban regeneration of having someone who has the freedom to act.
Tom Bloxham As a business that needs to deal with a council, you're looking for leadership. It's not important what their title is. I'd also say that in London it merely adds another layer to the amount of people and processes to deal with and makes it more complicated - what you want is simplicity.
Paul Spooner The cities that have regenerated themselves successfully - such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester - have had consistency in leadership and focus, backed up by strong skill sets and, certainly in Birmingham, project champions.
John Edwards I'm not sure we're having the right debate. Mike Wolfe has done a great job in a struggling city that's going through a period of economic change. What are we expecting the government to do? We've had 20 years of centralisation of government. If we allow local government to work, elected mayors can make a big difference. I'd argue for more power to be given back to the regions, and the ability to raise funds as well. Local government should be allowed to govern, not just impose structures and processes.
Wolfe I agree. Central government totally controls local government, and I think mayors would change that. Could it become an issue in the forthcoming general election campaign? As of yet it's not really caught the public imagination in most cities, but the accessibility of mayors could make people think.
Baker Is there a demand from local communities though? History tells us that once it has taken powers, central government is reluctant to give them back. I would say though, that the North East 'no' vote on elected assembiles was more a vote about the level of power they were offered. The debate is still operating within tight constraints.
The rise of the city is unquestionable. Out of town developments like business parks are beginning to struggle while city living continues to boom. What's driving the growth of the UK city and what are its future prospects?
Bloxham Over the last ten years our cities have been transformed. Back then 'urban' was a dirty word - it was always tagged with urban crime, urban deprivation, urban squalor. Now Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and more are seen as vibrant places that are attractive to investors. City centres are seen as the best places to be, simply because we are social animals.
Spooner In most cities we've seen a critical mass forming. In Birmingham we've seen a retail transformation, in Liverpool we're about to. Re-using land and buildings has been important, and the next wave is about using the skills we have to create new vibrant quarters, and a high quality public realm. If we get it right, we're on our way.
What does the city boom mean for sub-regional cities such as Stoke-on-Trent?
Spooner The Northern Way strategy is hung around eight city regions, which create 80 per cent of the region's wealth. That's where the biggest labour and housing markets are. The challenge is in harnessing the power of the cities to benefit the wider region, and we have a lot more experience of public-private partnership now. For example, you will see Liverpool's Capital of Culture year in 2008 benefit the whole Merseyside region.
Baker 60 per cent of wealth in Liverpool is created in the city region. It doesn't just benefit Liverpool, but the whole region in areas such as transport.
Edwards We're very fortunate in the UK to have on of the three great world cities in London - but the downside is it makes people think we're a city state, and leads to petty debates among the other cities. For instance, I'm fed up about the second city debate. We have great cities able to punch their weight, if they're given the support by the government.
How can our cities challenge the might of London?
Edwards It's not about competing. If Birmingham gains, Manchester doesn't have to lose. We have to make what we've got better, and create superb places, and superb quality of life. Most of the wealth may be in the cities, but they work because of what's around them.
Wolfe Most people like areas of their life to complement other parts. We like the bustle of city centres, but we like some green land as well. The mixture of elements is what makes a city work.
Carsten Kressel, head of economic development, Warrington council (from the floor): How can we ensure that the promotion of a city region doesn't throttle the potential of places outside the core cities?
Baker I think the benefits come in two ways. Firstly, the boroughs surrounding Liverpool will benefit hugely from increased investment and jobs in the city. And secondly, that not all business wants to be city centre businesses, or to be based in the largest cities. All ships can be lifted by the tide.
Bloxham I struggle with the concept that some one person or body decides if a town or city should grow. With vision and good leadership all places can grow. The notion of 'which cities can do what' is crazy.
Spooner Many smaller towns are reinventing themselves. Burnley, for one, is carving itself a niche as a place to live and shop, that offers a totally different experience to Manchester city centre. And in the Midlands we see the Stokes and Coventrys growing alongside Birmingham, because they are unique places.
Nick Ebbs, director, Innes England: I'm not sure the policy framework matches the real world. In Nottingham there are six local authorities for one conurbation, which creates unimaginable delays. The institutional framework is not fit for purpose, and a major shake-up is needed.
Wolfe I agree completely, and one thing we're doing in Stoke is combining local authorities for a more joined-up approach. Where I disagree with Tom is that we do need an overview of the bigger picture between towns - because towns can definitely impact on each other.
Spooner It is possible for local authorities to work together. The next step we are looking at is the creation of joint planning boards and joint procurement bodies. This would speed processes up and allow developers to get on with it.
Bloxham Whenever you draw lines on maps you create problems. I'd like to see more people becoming involved - school governors, local councillors - indeed politics at every level. We have a lot of mediocre councillors, so do something about it.
Wolfe It's something people can commit to for a short time. I'm committing six years to this, and my aim was to bring real life skills to the job.
Jan Anderson, Yorkshire Forward: There's an assumption that local councils understand how regeneration works. Mostly they don't, because there's no training structure in place.
Baker One of the reasons that Liverpool City Council set up Business Liverpool the way it has is to provide a better knowledge-sharing approach to these matters. We've been able to put the structures in place.
Alison Simpson, director of regeneration and development, East Midlands Development Agency: That can work with a unitary authority. But how can you get around all the politics when multiple bodies are involved?
Spooner It's all about a common purpose. A lot of cities have found it worthwhile to sit down together and gain an understanding of what makes a city tick. If you can agree on that, and commit research to knowing what the city needs, we're well on the way to what we all want to see - cranes on the skyline
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This is a particularly pressing time for our regions in how we face up to the challenge of matching growth in the South East. Leadership in our regions is a key part of this debate. Would a more powerful mayor, such as Ken Livingstone in London, represent an effective form of leadership for the regions and how much extra power should they have?
Mike Wolfe The question shouldn't be are mayors a good idea, but how on earth did government get itself into such a muddle over the issue in the first place. If you look at the US, all cities have mayors. Anyone who runs a business will know that having one chief executive gives a company clear vision and decision making, so why use a structure that involves a hundred people? After a year as mayor of Stoke, I was already more recognised than even an excellent city council leader like Sir Albert Bore who used to run Birmingham. Having a mayor makes government more accessible to the people.
Chris Baker It's about leadership and the authority to act. Liverpool held a referendum and decided not to go down the city mayor route. But Liverpool's council has a strong leadership that gets things done. You can see the benefits in areas such as urban regeneration of having someone who has the freedom to act.
Tom Bloxham As a business that needs to deal with a council, you're looking for leadership. It's not important what their title is. I'd also say that in London it merely adds another layer to the amount of people and processes to deal with and makes it more complicated - what you want is simplicity.
Paul Spooner The cities that have regenerated themselves successfully - such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester - have had consistency in leadership and focus, backed up by strong skill sets and, certainly in Birmingham, project champions.
John Edwards I'm not sure we're having the right debate. Mike Wolfe has done a great job in a struggling city that's going through a period of economic change. What are we expecting the government to do? We've had 20 years of centralisation of government. If we allow local government to work, elected mayors can make a big difference. I'd argue for more power to be given back to the regions, and the ability to raise funds as well. Local government should be allowed to govern, not just impose structures and processes.
Wolfe I agree. Central government totally controls local government, and I think mayors would change that. Could it become an issue in the forthcoming general election campaign? As of yet it's not really caught the public imagination in most cities, but the accessibility of mayors could make people think.
Baker Is there a demand from local communities though? History tells us that once it has taken powers, central government is reluctant to give them back. I would say though, that the North East 'no' vote on elected assembiles was more a vote about the level of power they were offered. The debate is still operating within tight constraints.
The rise of the city is unquestionable. Out of town developments like business parks are beginning to struggle while city living continues to boom. What's driving the growth of the UK city and what are its future prospects?
Bloxham Over the last ten years our cities have been transformed. Back then 'urban' was a dirty word - it was always tagged with urban crime, urban deprivation, urban squalor. Now Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and more are seen as vibrant places that are attractive to investors. City centres are seen as the best places to be, simply because we are social animals.
Spooner In most cities we've seen a critical mass forming. In Birmingham we've seen a retail transformation, in Liverpool we're about to. Re-using land and buildings has been important, and the next wave is about using the skills we have to create new vibrant quarters, and a high quality public realm. If we get it right, we're on our way.
What does the city boom mean for sub-regional cities such as Stoke-on-Trent?
Spooner The Northern Way strategy is hung around eight city regions, which create 80 per cent of the region's wealth. That's where the biggest labour and housing markets are. The challenge is in harnessing the power of the cities to benefit the wider region, and we have a lot more experience of public-private partnership now. For example, you will see Liverpool's Capital of Culture year in 2008 benefit the whole Merseyside region.
Baker 60 per cent of wealth in Liverpool is created in the city region. It doesn't just benefit Liverpool, but the whole region in areas such as transport.
Edwards We're very fortunate in the UK to have on of the three great world cities in London - but the downside is it makes people think we're a city state, and leads to petty debates among the other cities. For instance, I'm fed up about the second city debate. We have great cities able to punch their weight, if they're given the support by the government.
How can our cities challenge the might of London?
Edwards It's not about competing. If Birmingham gains, Manchester doesn't have to lose. We have to make what we've got better, and create superb places, and superb quality of life. Most of the wealth may be in the cities, but they work because of what's around them.
Wolfe Most people like areas of their life to complement other parts. We like the bustle of city centres, but we like some green land as well. The mixture of elements is what makes a city work.
Carsten Kressel, head of economic development, Warrington council (from the floor): How can we ensure that the promotion of a city region doesn't throttle the potential of places outside the core cities?
Baker I think the benefits come in two ways. Firstly, the boroughs surrounding Liverpool will benefit hugely from increased investment and jobs in the city. And secondly, that not all business wants to be city centre businesses, or to be based in the largest cities. All ships can be lifted by the tide.
Bloxham I struggle with the concept that some one person or body decides if a town or city should grow. With vision and good leadership all places can grow. The notion of 'which cities can do what' is crazy.
Spooner Many smaller towns are reinventing themselves. Burnley, for one, is carving itself a niche as a place to live and shop, that offers a totally different experience to Manchester city centre. And in the Midlands we see the Stokes and Coventrys growing alongside Birmingham, because they are unique places.
Nick Ebbs, director, Innes England: I'm not sure the policy framework matches the real world. In Nottingham there are six local authorities for one conurbation, which creates unimaginable delays. The institutional framework is not fit for purpose, and a major shake-up is needed.
Wolfe I agree completely, and one thing we're doing in Stoke is combining local authorities for a more joined-up approach. Where I disagree with Tom is that we do need an overview of the bigger picture between towns - because towns can definitely impact on each other.
Spooner It is possible for local authorities to work together. The next step we are looking at is the creation of joint planning boards and joint procurement bodies. This would speed processes up and allow developers to get on with it.
Bloxham Whenever you draw lines on maps you create problems. I'd like to see more people becoming involved - school governors, local councillors - indeed politics at every level. We have a lot of mediocre councillors, so do something about it.
Wolfe It's something people can commit to for a short time. I'm committing six years to this, and my aim was to bring real life skills to the job.
Jan Anderson, Yorkshire Forward: There's an assumption that local councils understand how regeneration works. Mostly they don't, because there's no training structure in place.
Baker One of the reasons that Liverpool City Council set up Business Liverpool the way it has is to provide a better knowledge-sharing approach to these matters. We've been able to put the structures in place.
Alison Simpson, director of regeneration and development, East Midlands Development Agency: That can work with a unitary authority. But how can you get around all the politics when multiple bodies are involved?
Spooner It's all about a common purpose. A lot of cities have found it worthwhile to sit down together and gain an understanding of what makes a city tick. If you can agree on that, and commit research to knowing what the city needs, we're well on the way to what we all want to see - cranes on the skyline
For the fuller picture,
subscribe to Insider
every month.
Close