Birmingham’s new city council leadership has hit back at claims that a restructuring of cabinet roles left no one with direct responsibility the provision of sporting and cultural facilities.
Sir Albert Bore, leader of the controlling Labour group, said he would take personal control of leisure, sport and culture strategy and two other cabinet members would be involved in day to day decisions.
And he attacked the outgoing Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition for failing to secure any major international sporting events for Birmingham after 2012, claiming that the administration had “run out of steam”.
His comments came after leading Liberal Democrat Martin Mullaney said it was a mistake to get rid of the cabinet post for leisure, sport and culture, which he held until losing his council seat on May 4.
Sir Albert (Lab Ladywood) insisted that arts, culture and sport would “take centre stage” in Birmingham under his control and announced details of a summit meeting bringing together arts and sporting organisations across the city.
The remit of the meeting will be to see how the city council and its partners can encourage the development of arts, culture and sport in Birmingham.
The summit will also be asked to examine how the leisure sector can be an attraction for inward investment and the creation of jobs and career opportunities.
Giving details about how the new cabinet system would work, Sir Albert explained that deputy council leader Ian Ward will oversee the city’s arts, culture and sport budget, with the cabinet Member for Commissioning, Contracting & Improvement, Stewart Stacey, ensuring that the arts and sport budget is effectively used by organisations receiving council grants.
Labour’s radical devolution plan will ensure that many decisions about arts and sports funding are made at a local level in District Committees, Sir Albert added.
Sir Albert said: “Over the last few years the steam has run out of the city council’s commitment to arts, culture and sports.
“We are not making the best of the many opportunities inherited from the past. For example we have not one major international sporting event planned for the city in the years beyond 2012. We need to start working now to attract visitors and create jobs.
“We know there has been growing frustration amongst those who value arts and sports across the city. Our summit will give them an opportunity to advise the council on how we can reinvigorate the cultural and sporting life of the city.
“Labour has created a unique structure where three members of the cabinet have arts and sports promotion as part of their portfolios, and with District Committees given the opportunity to develop arts and sports as they see fit for their local communities.
“This is a new era and we want to work in partnership with those who have knowledge and expertise in these fields.”
What Albert is saying is complete rubbish. What the previous administration did was get a number of national and international sports events to become regular annual fixtures in Birmingham sporting calender: the UK heat of the annual international Diamond League athletics event is now held every year in Birmingham; bringing the worlds finest field and track stars to Birmingham – this event is broadcast around the world. Birmingham now hosts every year the UK Athletes Aviva Trials and the BUPA Great Birmingham Run, both of which are screened on national TV.
We were also refocusing our strategy for attracting future sporting events, which included bidding for numerous athletic championships, both indoor and outdoor. One event we were particularly keen on was hosting was the European Athlete Championships at Alexander Stadium in either 2018 or 2020. We hope that the new Labour adminstration continues with this proposal.
The previous adminstrations record on sport is second to none: we invested ten of millions of pounds in improving the quality of all our sporting facilties both from grass roots to international standards. The Council has through direct investment and loans, helped improve the quality of Alexander athletics Stadium, Edgbaston Cricket ground and the rebuilding Harborne Swimming pool. Long neglected playing fields were starting to see investment, such as Holford Drive in Perry Barr and Belchers Lane playing fields in Small Heath.
Phrases such as: “I thought you were doing that”, “Isn’t that your job” and “don’t blame me, I was doing my bit” all come to mind here.
Just add some volatile personalities like those with their fingers in this particular pie and you have a recipe for farce and chaos.
Still, I am sure they know what they are doing…
@ChamberlainFile ….which means that Albert and the Labour administration have no idea on how to move art and sport forward in this city.
If the new administration shows a genuine willingness to listen to the communities, acknowledge the needs and empower them to be at the sharp end of the solution; then I think we are in for an exciting new era. Private sector partnership maybe, but not when it runs rough-shod over local communities. Power to the people!