Chamber speakers unveiled
Lord Michael Heseltine and Andy Street, chairman of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, have been lined up to speak at the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce annual dinner.
The dinner takes place on 25 April, a week before the city decides if it wants an elected mayor.
Lord Heseltine, a vocal advocate of elected mayors, will lend his support to the chamber's "Vote Yes for Birmingham" campaign.
He was the author of a report for the Conservative party which stated that Britain's cities needed directly-elected mayors with "very substantial powers".
"We have to have directly-elected chief executives in the cities of our country; people will then know who they are, they can hold them to account and the central government can transfer very substantial powers to them," said Lord Heseltine.
Chamber president Michael Ward, head of law firm Gateley's corporate team and its joint partner, said: "This is a tremendous coup for the chamber. We are looking forward to having one of the icons of the Conservative Party sharing a platform with one of the most powerful and visible business leaders in the UK.
"We are also delighted that Andy Street has agreed to speak at the dinner. His words will be particularly important as chair of the LEP and managing director of John Lewis, who have an announced significant investment in Birmingham with a new store at the refurbished New Street Station."
