Birmingham Post & Mail

[Biosonic]

We don't really need to use the Downing St petition because we can FORCE the council to have a referendum

[U475 Foxtrot]

I'll sign it

There's some good debate about Elected Mayors and Whitby fighting on the Stirrer

http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=1

[majabl]

Originally Posted by U475 Foxtrot

I'll sign it

There's some good debate about Elected Mayors and Whitby fighting on the Stirrer

http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=1

Serious question here: why wouldn't it be better to have a mayor not just for Birmingham but for the wider West Midlands county/conurbation? Not only would this position have more national clout - 2.5x on population alone - but it would allow for some joined-up government and region-wide action.

[woodhousen]

how can i sign this petition?

[ShavenHeaden]

Originally Posted by woodhousen

how can i sign this petition?

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/docs/i...4A56812694.pdf

Fill in and send off that - though you have to be eligible to vote in Birmingham City Council elections

[SimonTheSoundMan]

Originally Posted by majabl

Serious question here: why wouldn't it be better to have a mayor not just for Birmingham but for the wider West Midlands county/conurbation? Not only would this position have more national clout - 2.5x on population alone - but it would allow for some joined-up government and region-wide action.

It will be a regional elected mayor as far as I know.

[Telfordboy]

A city-regional one anyway.

[majabl]

Are you sure? From reading the Mail forums linked to, only those living in Birmingham get their vote counted as VALID in the petition. Are there two campaigns to have a mayor running, one for Birmingham and one for Greater Dudley (), and we're getting confused between them?

[Mercurius]

I thought that this is only for an elected mayor for Birmingham and not for a regional one. Around 35,000 people or 5% of electorate needed to spark a legal requirement of a vote on the matter although as has been said before they would need to be Birmingham residents.

[ShavenHeaden]

Maybe this is why Whitby seems to be more media friendly as of late - I've read, heard and seen more of him in the local news over the past month or so than I have over the past year it seems. Maybe he's trying to make himself more well known so he can credibly stand for Mayor should it come to that.

The problem there will always be with a Birmingham Mayor is if he or she has enough power and support from central government. Ken has done some very good things for London, but we can't compare the effects of a London mayor to Birmingham - they're too different, especially with regards to the London political bias. I'd worry that Birmingham's mayor would be stuck without the power to do anything.

Also, a lot of people have talked about Digby Jones for mayor - I think it could be disastorous for the city. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see him in charge, but not with Brown as PM. I sense Digby wouldn't play politics, and would be extremely forthright and demanding - and by all accounts Brown hates that. That's what got the BBC screwed over the licence fee settlement. Digby is a fantastic businessman, it all depends if he can be a good politician.

[majabl]

So basically what we're saying is that a mayor would be powerless unless we had city-region status, and if we had city region status then the mayor wouldn't be of Birmingham but of the entire city region.

So is the Mail wasting everyone's time on this one?

[woodhousen]

Originally Posted by ShavenHeaden

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/docs/i...4A56812694.pdf

Fill in and send off that - though you have to be eligible to vote in Birmingham City Council elections

dont worry, i am registered.... though i only wana sign my name, ????

[U475 Foxtrot]

I've seen Clare Short or Karen Brady mensioned elsewhere and reckon they could both do a good job

[SimonTheSoundMan]

Originally Posted by ShavenHeaden

Maybe this is why Whitby seems to be more media friendly as of late - I've read, heard and seen more of him in the local news over the past month or so than I have over the past year it seems. Maybe he's trying to make himself more well known so he can credibly stand for Mayor should it come to that.

Erm, elections in May perhaps?

I would like an elected regional mayor. It is about time Birmingham, Dudley, Wolves, Sandwell and others came together to work as a region. We are fighting between each other when we all should be working together.

Mr. Brown would be brilliant for the region. He knows what we can offer, and he will invest. I know this from speaking to him in person a number of times.

[ShavenHeaden]

Originally Posted by SimonTheSoundMan

Erm, elections in May perhaps?

I would like an elected regional mayor. It is about time Birmingham, Dudley, Wolves, Sandwell and others came together to work as a region. We are fighting between each other when we all should be working together.

Mr. Brown would be brilliant for the region. He knows what we can offer, and he will invest. I know this from speaking to him in person a number of times.

I don't recall Whitby - or indeed much of anyone - campaigning much at the last set of locals; perhaps I've just been paying more attention to local media lately.

As for Brown - would you really expect him to say anything other than that? He's not going to say he has no plans to invest in a city where there are votes. If he will invest - why hasn't he already? What exactly is he waiting for? There's no reason he needs to wait until he's PM to show this benevolent side everyone seems to speculate that he has.

[bileduct]

Originally Posted by ShavenHeaden

Also, a lot of people have talked about Digby Jones for mayor - I think it could be disastorous for the city. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see him in charge, but not with Brown as PM. I sense Digby wouldn't play politics, and would be extremely forthright and demanding - and by all accounts Brown hates that. That's what got the BBC screwed over the licence fee settlement. Digby is a fantastic businessman, it all depends if he can be a good politician.

That was the argument against Ken in London too though - that relations between him and the government were so bad that everything would descend into destructive mutual antagonism (Brown in particular is notorious for his hatred of both Livingstone personally and London in general). But despite their huge rows over Tube PFI etc Ken's done a pretty good job of running the capital, kept the support of Londoners and in the end has got more power off the government, to the extent that they now have to deal with him pretty much on his terms.

No government is going to mess too much with a high-profile figure who is both popular and efficient, particularly in such an electorally pivotal area as the West Midlands.

Not saying you're wrong (I don't really know that much about Jones personally), but don't underestimate how powerful a significant national public figure, with extensive and influential contacts throughout business, media and government, popularly elected at the head of the country's largest local authority, would be if he managed to get some significant achievments under his belt early on.

Having the mayor created by a local petition mobilizing local opinion against an entrenched municipal bureaucracy would also be eye-opening at the national level, and would only increase the initial legitimacy and strength of an incumbant too.

[fruit&nut]

Originally Posted by ShavenHeaden

Also, a lot of people have talked about Digby Jones for mayor - I think it could be disastorous for the city. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see him in charge, but not with Brown as PM. I sense Digby wouldn't play politics, and would be extremely forthright and demanding - and by all accounts Brown hates that. That's what got the BBC screwed over the licence fee settlement. Digby is a fantastic businessman, it all depends if he can be a good politician.

He must have a great deal of experience from dealing with Politicians when he was heading up the CBI.

I'm a firm believer that he we got him elected into the he could move and shake things up a bit for the City. BUT...arguing against myslef a bit, I thought he would when he was at the CBI and that seems to have coincided with Birminghams slow-down in pace of re-birth. I'd like to think it's just coincidental. I still blame our loss of momentum on dear old Theresa Stewart.......

[Engels]

I'm not really interested in this city mayor role. I', not convince it is a properly thought our idea. What we really need is a proper elected form of regional government to which central government would devolve money and power to over things such as transportation projects etc... The current situation we have is with transport for example is that schemes that are decide by councils (or a combination of councils) have to bid for central government funds. I don't see why central government should be in charge of deciding where the West Midlands spends it's own money on transport.

[dreamtime]

6.94 The Masterplan must identify and prioritise the areas for development in the city.

It must also recognise the significance of the expansion of the city centre. It must also think of the new parts of the city centre between the inner and middle ring roads as more urban in future. Currently it feels suburban with low densities, low rise and undistinguished architecture.

The quality, density and height of the extended city centre must be raised over the next twenty years. It provides Birmingham with a great opportunity to undertake world class urban development.


Are we not getting there? expanding into eastside and Digbeth? also the cube shows nice modern architecture does it not? are w enot on the way to the goal if not yet breaking the height limits? What do we have to do next?

and now this from the post & mail >>>>


Eastside regeneration praised by EU commissionerApr 2 2007







The development of Birmingham Eastside has been highlighted by the European Union as an excellent example of urban regeneration.

Danuta Hubner, Commissioner for Regional Policy, singled out the Masshouse project and the demolition of the "concrete collar" Queensway ring road as an excellent example of the use of EU structural funds.

Mrs Hubner made her remarks at a recent meeting of the European Committee of the Regions, timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome that founded the European Union.

Birmingham's successful bid for money from the European Regional Development Fund enabled the Masshouse scheme to go ahead and kick-started the regeneration of Eastside.

Mrs Hubner described Masshouse as an "excellent example" of how European funds could be used to deliver economic development and new jobs while also levering in private sector funding.




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Demolition of the elevated inner ring road at Masshouse, replacing it with a surface level development, established access to the Eastside area and created the conditions for investment by private developers, she added.


Sir Albert Bore, who in 1999 when leader of Birmingham City Council launched the Eastside project, is a member of the European Committee of the Regions.


Sir Albert (Lab Ladywood) said: "I was particularly pleased that an EU Commissioner singled out Birmingham as an example of a city successfully accessing European funds to bring about the regeneration of a city and so provide the conditions for new jobs.


"It was a real boost for Birmingham for this to be said in the presence of many senior representatives of the European Commission, European governments, regional presidents and city mayors.


"The accolade is well deserved. The Eastside vision is gaining widespread recognition as one of the best examples across Europe of bringing together European funds, local government and private sector entrepreneurship." ..SUPL:

[Biosonic]

DT - don't view the masterplan as having a go - it is saying what we need to do. It is absolutely right - we are taking some steps forward but we are also failing to do so in other places. This helps give a bit more focus hopefully