Midlands mojo is rising, says Hollis
Success of the local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) is vital if the Midlands is to "regain its mojo". That's what Steve Hollis, head of KPMG in the Midlands and deputy chairman of the Birmingham and Solihull LEP, told Insider.
"I got involved in the LEP because I wanted to be in a position to drive change," said Hollis. "Businesses in the Midlands have the skills to bring the right people together to achieve that change, and that is what the LEP is all about. The quality of the businesses in our region is great, but we need get our mojo back. It's about building trust between the central machine in Whitehall and the people who do business here."
He spoke to Insider as the government was set to announce the 26 locations which would benefit from the enterprise zone. They will be sited in and around Westside; the Snow Hill district; Southern Gateway; Digbeth creative cluster; Birmingham Science Park Aston and the Jewellery Quarter.
Hollis said that the future success of the LEPs will be determined by the ability of those running them to "put individual interests to one side and set up a strategic plan".
He added that the likes of George Osborne, Vince Cable and Eric Pickles are "committed to rebalancing the economy", but admitted that both Whitehall and the government both think they control each other. "The problem with dealing with London is that you have to deal with a lot of 'operational machinery', but there are things being done to address this. You can't just jump from one model to another immediately. We're on a journey."
Discussing the siting of Birmingham's enterprise zone so close to the city centre, Hollis said: "The government applaud our boldness. We were always going to have complaints from landowners whose land we didn't chose for the enterprise zone, but we think our choice is in the best interests of the LEP owners - by that I mean local businesses."
Talking about the potential of further enterprise zones for the country, Hollis said: "I hope we can get at least another one in the region, but we don't need another one in Birmingham. To have another one in Birmingham would give the impression that the first had failed. However, if were to get another enterprise zone in our LEP area it would give us much more scope to attract inward investment."
