Engineering home made growth requires more focus on business at home says Lib Dem Metro Mayor Candidate Beverley Nielsen
Speaking about the Country Garden agreement signed by Cllr John Clancy, Leader Birmingham City Council, last week, Beverley Nielsen, said: "Councillor John Clancy, Leader, Birmingham City Council, looks to have signed a significant agreement with Chinese developers, Country Garden last week. I applaud the fact that he’s tackling the pressing need for more homes. But I have to ask why we can’t meet this need from within our own business base? Or at the very least have the discussion with them in the first instance."
"Whilst we don’t know the terms of the deal, we should, initially, be exploring opportunities to invest at home, making the best of our quality UK manufactured products and materials, whilst building future skills and vitally jobs for young people."
“Long term deals financed by our public sector (our own taxes), recycled into our own infrastructure requirements – transport, homes, hospitals, education – are all aspects of our own regional economic need that we can predict and plan for. We can aim as far as possible to ensure that these are ‘home made’, investing in our own home grown success which in turn will yield greater results for our residents and region – new jobs, new opportunities and new investment.”
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Home Made Success will make region bigger, better, stronger says Lib Dem mayoral candidate
Although already Britain's largest, most-successful city region, the West Midlands can grow even more and faster, says Lib Dem mayoral candidate Beverley Nielsen.
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West Midlands exporters leads the way to trade with emerging growth markets
Responding to Dr Liam Fox's comments that the country was no longer 'the free-trading nation it once was' and that we 'have become too lazy, and too fat on our successes in previous generations', Beverley Nielsen, WM Lib Dem Metro Mayor Candidate said:
"Exports from the Midlands have grown +34% over the period 2006-2014, reflecting our strong growth from pre-crisis levels.
"Within this West Midlands exports of machinery and transport have doubled between 2008 and 2015, with road transport equipment accounting for half of all exports from the region.
"The West Midlands region's manufacturers have been no slouches in terms of exploiting opportunities in emerging markets with exports to China growing +32% between 2013 and 2014 alone, with the region running a £3bn trade surplus with China in 2014 thanks to our design, innovation and world beating brands, with leading contributions from JLR and JCB, amongst others, and compared with a UK export deficit of more than £20 billion with China that year."
Region top for get-up-and-go says candidate
No other region has more talent and more get-up-and-go than the West Midlands, claims leading businesswoman Beverley Nielsen as she is named as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Metro Mayor of the WM Combined Authority. “Everywhere I go, in whatever sphere I’m working, I find the originality, ingenuity, imagination and sheer hard work that is the hallmark of a successful region. That make us simply the best.” she says.
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