Mayors should be ignored by the government at their peril – the redefinition of democratic power

Joseph Chamberlain ‘got things resolved’ despite not having the powers of the new mayors said John Cridland, chair of Transport for the North, at last week’s DevoQT event at the Tory Party conference in Manchester. The power to convene, bang heads together and drive change just by virtue of the office was a theme emphasised … Continue reading “Mayors should be ignored by the government at their peril – the redefinition of democratic power”

City-REDI feature in “Data as Infrastructure” report

Professor Simon Collinson and Dr Amir Qamar were recently featured in a report on data by Prospect magazine. The report, called “Data as Infrastructure” puts together a series of articles and essays on “Smart cities” and how local authorities are beginning to see data as another form of infrastructure. Simon and Amir’s chapter titled “Smart … Continue reading “City-REDI feature in “Data as Infrastructure” report”

University of Birmingham Research Conference, 2017

On 26th September 2017, the University of Birmingham held their first research conference. The theme was ‘Research Futures’ and provided an opportunity to discuss open research questions whilst exploring current issues around the delivery of effective & impactful research. It was aimed at the University’s academic staff, and staff supporting research. City REDI’s Catherine Harris and … Continue reading “University of Birmingham Research Conference, 2017”

Birmingham Policy Lab: Financing Local Public Services

The University of Birmingham and City-REDI would like to invite you to a Birmingham Policy Lab workshop to explore the theme of the financing local public services. As demands on public services grow and austerity looks set to continue, the need to reform and look afresh at the financing of local public services is more … Continue reading “Birmingham Policy Lab: Financing Local Public Services”

Supporting more inclusive employment outcomes in growth sectors

In National Inclusion Week and as part of The Work Foundation’s autumn event series, on 27th September City REDI’s Anne Green, with Paul Sissons from Coventry University and Neil Lee from the LSE, presented findings and discussed policy implications from their ESRC-funded research project on Harnessing Growth Sectors for Poverty Reduction: What Work to Reduce Poverty Through … Continue reading “Supporting more inclusive employment outcomes in growth sectors”

City REDI round up

It’s been a busy month for the City-REDI team. Here’s a round-up of what we’ve been up to… Local and Central Government:   On the invitation of the Mayor of Birmingham, Andy Street, Professor Simon Collinson has joined the ‘West Midlands Funding for Growth Commission’. The Commission met on Monday 4th September 2017 and will work … Continue reading “City REDI round up”

New City REDI publications series

As part of a new blog series, we will be highlighting the excellent research produced by the City-REDI team since 2015, with the aim of creating an online searchable library. You can view this work by searching the blog with the relevant tag, either using the name of the author or the year of the publication. We … Continue reading “New City REDI publications series”

City REDI to host two fringe events at the Labour and Conservative party conferences

City REDI is hosting fringe events at the Labour and Conservative party conferences this autumn, called “Devo Question Time: Connectivity and Growth”. The events, being organised by Devo Connect, focus on transport and connectivity, which have become vital issues where Metro Mayors can have a real impact on the economic growth of their cities. With … Continue reading “City REDI to host two fringe events at the Labour and Conservative party conferences”

City REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) to produce economic review of the region

City REDI and GBCC are working together to produce the second annual Birmingham Economic Review. It promises to build on the first review which provided a unique insight into Birmingham’s economic geography, skills, key sectors and opportunities and challenges facing the region. Professor Simon Collinson, director of City-REDI, said: “This report, and our broader partnership … Continue reading “City REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) to produce economic review of the region”

The West Midlands is in a strong position to tackle the challenges of Brexit

City-REDI’s John Bryson, Professor of Enterprise and Competitiveness at Birmingham Business School, spoke on BBC West Midlands last week. He was asked to respond to recent figures released by Centre for Cities that suggest that cities in the West Midlands are in a stronger position to tackle the challenges of Brexit that those in the south … Continue reading “The West Midlands is in a strong position to tackle the challenges of Brexit”