The Chamberlain News

Isn’t it time that Birmingham became a full-fledged Metropolis?

Indeed, doesn’t the city council itself tacitly admit the advantages of smaller units as it seeks to devolve powers to district committees? Yet at over 100,000 people each, these districts are larger than many of England’s standalone local authorities. Wouldn’t it make more sense, then, simply to let them be such?

Neither is it only the localities which would benefit from such a scheme. Far from it: Birmingham as a city would be the big winner. For by moving from being merely one of England’s many district councils to one of its two Greater Metropolitan Authorities it would be well-placed to become, alongside London, one of the world’s great cities.

At the heart of such an aspiration must be the impressive city centre, which, as the city’s chief glory, ought to be separated from the boroughs and placed directly under the metropolitan authority. The authority’s other responsibilities should then, as in London, to be restricted to a few city-wide issues such as transport, in order for it to be able to focus primarily on developing Birmingham’s national and international reputation as a place to frequent and do business. The boroughs, meanwhile, would be able to concentrate on developing local services and strengthening their local communities – an arrangement that represents, I believe, an optimal division of labour.

As to personnel, the metropolitan authority should consist, I suggest, not of a whole new tranche of local politicians, but of a selection of borough councillors, and be led by – dare I say it – a directly-elected Mayor, as the city’s nationally recognised figurehead and spokesperson.

A plan like this isn’t on anyone’s political agenda at the moment as far as I’m aware. Given that it, like all major administrative changes, would involve serious upfront costs, that isn’t in these economically challenging times all that surprising. Nonetheless, it is worth floating the idea now, ready for the next time the economy is on an upper – which is the only good time, after all, to make such expensive, albeit advantageous, reforms.

London has been enjoying the benefits of a full-fledged metropolitan structure for a long time now. Isn’t it about time that Birmingham started making its own plans to do the same?

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