BER2024: New chief vows to make council 'a better partner to do business with'

The new boss of Birmingham City Council has vowed to make the local authority “a better partner to do business with”, writes Dan Harrison.

Joanne Roney (pictured) was addressing business leaders at the launch of the 2024 Birmingham Economic Review, hosted by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and the University of Birmingham at The Exchange in Birmingham city centre.

Originally from Shard End, Ms Rooney returned to her home city in September to take charge of the council which has faced well-documented financial challenges, having issued a Section 114 notice last year.    

In her first public speaking engagement since taking the reins as managing director of Europe’s largest local authority, she spoke of the need to fix the financial situation so that the council can “get back to working effectively with partners in the city”.

Ms Roney said: “I'm here being honest about the fact that Birmingham City Council needs to be a better partner to do business with.

“We need to be more responsive to our communities and to our people.

“It starts with council’s ambition. We have a huge challenge. We have got to fix our finances and we’ve got to get ourselves back to being a convenor of place, with public services that connect better with business, and build our institutions.”

Ms Roney - who previously held chief executive roles at Manchester City Council and Wakefield Borough Council - echoed some of Birmingham’s strengths and challenges that are highlighted in the 2024 Economic Review and said the city must “cling on to its uniqueness” in order to thrive.

She added: “We have produced a new ‘city vision’ for the council which has five priorities and one of the things I’m keen on is that we don’t just become the same as other cities – all cities say the same things.

“We have to cling on to the uniqueness of Birmingham. I’m not here to make Birmingham Manchester.

“It’s so important that we develop the prosperity, the knowledge and the opportunities in Birmingham.

“The city is packed full of passion and talent. It’s got as much energy as other cities – maybe we’re just a bit quieter about it.”

The 2024 Birmingham Economic Review - produced by the GBCC alongside the City-Region Economic and Development Institute (City-REDI) at the University of Birmingham – paints an optimistic future for the city thanks to an improving economy, a resilient export market and the promise of further devolved powers.

However, it also warns that ongoing skills shortages, alarming child poverty rates and cost pressures arising from the Autumn Budget also present significant hurdles.

The launch event, chaired by GBCC chief executive Henrietta Brealey, featured contributions from Gurjit Jagpal, the head of Goldman Sachs in Birmingham, Shazia Ejaz from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, and City-REDI’s Professor Anne Green.

Mr Jagpal said some of the fundamental strengths outlined in the Economic Review provided the “same optimism that brought Goldman Sachs to Birmingham.”  

The financial services giant now employs more than 400 people from its Birmingham offices and chose the city as its permanent home because of “demographics, diversity, connectivity and raw talent”.

“This is a long-term bet for us,” added Mr Jagpal.

Meanwhile, Ms Ejaz discussed employment trends and challenges, as well as the potential impact of new government policies including Make Work Pay and the Employment Rights Bill on employers.

Read the 2024 Birmingham Economic Review report summary.