A Presentation by Jon Bloomfield

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How European Funding Has Revitalised Birmingham
and Solihull
A Presentation by Jon Bloomfield Interim Head of
European Team, AWM
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HOW EUROPEAN FUNDING HAS REVITALISED BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL

• BIRMINGHAM IN THE 1980s
• Unemployment was over 20
• Our major employing sector Manufacturing, was
  haemorrhaging employment
• The city centre was constrained and with a very
  poor environment
• The city had a very poor reputation in the rest
  of the UK

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HOW EUROPEAN FUNDING HAS REVITALISED BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL

• OUR STRATEGIC RESPONSE
• We invested approximately 550m of EU money since
  1983
• We followed a strategic approach to invest in
  people and physical assets.
• Weve invested in
• Revitalising and expanding our city centre,
• Modernising our business base
• Enhancing our tourism and culture
• Tackling local areas in need of regeneration and
  
• Improving the skills of local people

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HOW EUROPEAN FUNDING HAS REVITALISED BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL

• THE CITY CENTRE
• Widespread investment in Environmental
  improvements - e.g Victoria Square
• Specific projects to break the concrete collar -
  e.g. Masshouse Circus
• A quarter base approach with flagship projects,
  e.g. Millennium Point

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HOW EUROPEAN FUNDING HAS REVITALISED BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL

• OUR BUSINESS BASE
• Investments in the ICC and NEC
• Growth in the service sector
• The first Urban Science Park
• A long term programme to tackle the problems of
  the automotive sector
• A consistent approach of recycling brownfield
  land for new uses
• A rapidly developing creative industry sector

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HOW EUROPEAN FUNDING HAS REVITALISED BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL

• TOURISM AND CULTURE
• Major investments in a range of cultural icons
  e.g.
• Symphony Hall
• The Hippodrome
• The Ikon
• The Drum
• The Rep
• Up and coming projects

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HOW EUROPEAN FUNDING HAS REVITALISED BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL

• INVESTING IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOODS
• Investment in local training facilities
• Investment in local business support facilities
• Investment in local commercial centres
• Often led by local groups
• We have still got more to do

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HOW EUROPEAN FUNDING HAS REVITALISED BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL

• INVESTING IN LOCAL PEOPLE
• European funding is not just about investment in
  buildings
• Birmingham City Council alone has accessed over
  70m in ESF and partners much more
• Investment in training, guidance, capacity
  building etc
• Increasingly important given the need to move
  towards a knowledge based/inclusive society

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HOW EUROPEAN FUNDING HAS REVITALISED BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL

• CONCLUSIONS
• Greater impact than we could have possibly hoped
• Extensive use of monies in 2000-2006 programme
• However we still have much to do in this city and
  metropolitan region. New 2007-2013 programme will
  help, although more self-reliance required.