West Midlands NO! Campaign

The Birmingham Post reveals the real reason why Telford & Wrekin Council left the city region. and it was nothing to do with changing statutory requirements for membership causing them to reconsider.

Telford was forced out because the city region wants its independence and statutory powers and it can’t have them if Telford is a member because it’s not physically joined to the rest of the city region.  Commenting on the decision to squeeze Telford out so he could build his empire, the Chief Executive of the city region quango, Dr Simon Murphy, said:

It was a very difficult decision, but taken in the wider interests of the West Midlands

Good old Simon Murphy, working for the common good of the West Midlands with barely a second thought about how he would be elevated from the boss of an unelected, toothless quango to the head of a powerful, unelected quango with a multi-million pound budget and legal powers to set policy for elected councils with a hugely inflated salary to go with his new power and responsibility.  What a guy.

If the bid is successful, the city region will be able to designate areas of towns and cities where it can keep business rates for the next 25 years.  It will also be able to take out loans to pay for “economic development” and will have the statutory responsibility for setting training skills and employment policy for the elected local authorities that are still part of it.

How can the local authorities who are part of the city region possibly think that handing over powers and responsibilities to an unelected, undemocratic quango that is unanswerable to the electorate is in the best interests of the people that they are supposed to represent?

The rest of the city region should sit up and take notice of what has happened to Telford.  It stood in the way of Simon Murphy’s empire building and obstructed his dream of a Greater Birmingham so it was cut loose “for the common good”.  Telford got out before too much money had changed hands and before the city region got the power to force policy on it or appropriate its business rates but the rest might not be so lucky.  The city region’s application to make its declaration of independence has already been sent, time is running out.

The Birmingham Post finishes by saying:

Telford’s departure was welcomed by the West Midlands No group, which campaigns against regionalisation

It certainly is welcomed and we will continue to press the rest of the city region members to wind up this undemocratic and expensive quango before it’s too late.