Manchester and Birmingham councils forge links
THE ‘second city’ rivalry between Manchester and Birmingham could be put to one side in a new spirit of collaboration.
Sir Albert Bore, the new leader of Birmingham City Council suggests the so-called Core Cities – including Manchester and Birmingham – should work together.
“Manchester is sometimes a competitor of ours. But they are not the enemy. We share vital strategic interests and we should work closely with all the Core Cities to make sure our collective voice is heard,” he said in his first policy statement as leader.
Sir Albert and Manchester’s leader, Sir Richard Leese, will work closely together to strengthen the case for both cities with government.
He said: “This marks a clean break from the old approach of competing with the other cities for attention. Instead we recognise that the cities share a common interest in seeking more powers and fairer funding so we can boost growth and create jobs.”
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This is not just a city issue. Every part of the UK needs our major cities to be delivering strong and sustainable growth. Manchester very much looks forward to working with Birmingham, along with the other Core Cities, to ensure that growth is maximised across the UK in the coming years.”
An early example of this new ‘grown up’ relationship is that the two cities are already exploring ways to share resources and take forward a number of important policy issues.
