Birmingham and Manchester agree to collaborate

THE traditional rivalry between Birmingham and Manchester is to 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.

He also committed to giving Birmingham a better profile on the national stage as a city leader, and an important part of this would be a closer working relationship with the country’s large regional cities.

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.

And when Birmingham sends a delegation to Downing Street later this year to demand a ‘fair deal’ for Birmingham, Sir Albert Bore will discuss issues that affect all of the core cities.

He said: “When we speak to the Prime Minister we will be voicing the concerns of all the core cities and we will be working closely with them to refine the message and our proposals for change.”