Iron Angle: A decade of standing still
With a few notable exceptions – the Bullring, Brindleyplace and the German market – the noughties might as well never have happened in Birmingham.
Anyone travelling back 10 years in time would be shocked by how similar events then were to those facing the council today.
True, the local authority at the end of 1999 was in Labour control under the leadership of Albert Bore, who had been in the hot seat for just a few months.
The big issues of the day bear a striking resemblance to 2009, which leads Iron Angle to conclude that, actually, not much has been achieved in 10 years.
Council staff sickness levels were soaring in 2000, standing at an average of 11 days a year per employee, leading to a stern warning from the newly formed cabinet that this would not be tolerated. New measures to control absenteeism included formal interviews when people returned to work, written warnings and eventually the threat of the sack. As we approach the end of 2009, sickness levels are rising again and stand at about 10 days, and “tough” new measures to control absenteeism include...formal interviews, written warnings and the sack.
The cash crisis in social services was another troublesome issue at the dawn of the new millennium, despite attempts to slash £6.4 million from the budget. Projections of a £13 million overspend in 2001 were greeted with horror by council leaders, and with scarcely hidden glee by opposition Tory and Lib Dem councillors who rounded on Labour’s apparent mismanagement.
Today, social services is still overspending and has recently been rescued with a huge handout from the government’s Working Neighbourhoods Fund. The only difference is that this time it’s the Labour opposition making claims of financial incompetence.
Progress on regeneration was being hampered 10 years ago by delays in moving forward with the Arena Central scheme in Broad Street, including a landmark 900ft 50-storey tower which, it was said, would create 6,000 jobs. Roll forward a decade: still nothing is happening as far as Arena Central or the tower, now called the V Building, is concerned, with a warning that the recession means work may not start for a further 10 years.
During 2000, Coun Bore launched ambitious plans to redevelop all of the land within the Paradise Circus roundabout, which would mean demolishing the Central Library, Paradise Forum shops, the Conservatorie and the Copthorne Hotel. He spelt out the lavish project at a special reception for financiers and developers held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Invited guests watched a video depicting what might be built on the Paradise Circus site.
The Conservatives were a bit sniffy about this in 2000, but nine years later the Tory-led council has relaunched proposals to redevelop Paradise Circus, having recently commenced work on a new library in Centenary Square.
Meanwhile, the council in 2000 announced radical plans to demolish the NatWest Tower in Colmore Row and build a new skyscraper in its place. The project is still to get under way, with prospective developers British Land recently announcing a delay in their scheme for a new tower.
And when they weren’t talking-up regeneration or arguing about public spending, the city’s political elite in 2000 was gripped by the possibility that Birmingham might follow London by having a directly-elected mayor. The council was under pressure from the Labour government to commit to an early referendum on the issue – a consultative poll was eventually held and resulted in a majority of people voting for an elected mayor.
Labour Ministers fudged a decision back then and declined to order a binding referendum. This issue may finally be resolved in 2010, if the Conservatives win the General Election and carry out a pledge to require cities like Birmingham to vote on having a mayor.
And one truly odd incident from 2000. A quality of life survey of the world’s major cities by management consultants Mercer placed Birmingham ahead of Barcelona, Milan and Rome for the first time.
Birmingham finished joint 58th in the report which was topped by Vancouver in Canada. Other cities in the top ten included Zurich, Vienna, Bern and Sydney, while Barcelona came 60th, Milan 65th, and Rome 69th.
Birmingham’s total of 98 points also put it ahead of Hong Kong, Lisbon, Miami, and Athens.
But how can this be the case? After all, current Tory council leader Mike Whitby is fond of reminding us that Birmingham wasn’t even on Mercer’s radar before he took control in 2004. But we were ahead of Barcelona, Milan and, for goodness sake, Rome all the time.
Perhaps things weren’t so bad in 2000 after all?
