An elected mayor could finally bring the people of Birmingham the civic leadership they so badly deserve

To the Victorians, Birmingham was quite simply the ‘best-governed city in the world’. Sadly, that description would not ring true with 21st century Brummies, as the city’s ruling Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition lurches from crisis to crisis, presiding over ramshackle social care services, a housing department that has been slammed by auditors, and an education system that fails too many of our young people. For too long, the nation’s second city has failed to achieve even second best.

It is tempting to pin the blame for this state of affairs solely upon eight years of coalition rule at the Council House. There is certainly enough evidence against them to assemble a compelling prosecution case. But the truth is that the problems of governing Birmingham run far deeper than the failures of a single administration. It is not just individual politicians or policies that are at fault. It is the system itself.

This failure is writ large in so many respects. Every week, constituents contact me to complain about remote, unresponsive and unaccountable council services. Political leaders hide behind officials when things go wrong, while residents struggle to get answers out of a byzantine bureaucracy in which nobody takes ownership of problems.

It is not just day-to-day services that are affected. The absence of clear, accountable leadership has left the city lagging well behind its competitors. We have no Ken Livingstone, or indeed even a Boris Johnson, to speak up for Birmingham’s interests on the national or international stage, to bang the drum for our businesses and persuade investors to come and create jobs and wealth here. A city with an increasingly young population and a stubbornly high unemployment rate desperately needs a strong voice to secure its economic interests.

Tackling some of Birmingham’s problems – like the outrageous lack of social mobility in some of our wards and closing the skills gap that stops too many of our fellow citizens from even getting onto the first rung of the career ladder – will not be solved by the election of a mayor alone. But a mayor will be uniquely placed to deliver the leadership we need to deal with these complex issues, possessing both a democratic mandate that other agencies lack and the opportunity to articulate a clear vision for the city’s future that others can understand and share.

I am keen to see Birmingham take full advantage of the proposals in the localism bill that would enable the mayor to petition the government for greater powers over other public services. Labour needs to start an early conversation with local people about how a Labour mayor could use this power to deliver real change in their neighbourhood. This is a tremendous opportunity, both to strengthen local government and start a proper dialogue between our party and the communities we seek to represent.

Next year we have an opportunity to rid ourselves of a system that has held Birmingham back. It is a chance to renew the city’s tradition of bold leadership and ensure that Birmingham is ready to face the challenges of our age. This is a progressive cause well worth fighting for. 

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Gisela Stuart is MP for Birmingham Edgbaston

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Photo: Rick Harrison