A government minister has expressed optimism about Birmingham's economic future despite the city being being plagued by "challenging headlines".
The city council's financial crisis and the recent bins strike chaos have drawn negative global attention in recent years. Amid these circumstances, Darren Jones MP, the government's Chief Secretary to the Treasury, discussed Birmingham's prospects during a visit to the HS2 Curzon Street Station this week.
The government has announced the merger of two bodies into one, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), with the aim of speeding up the execution of major government projects. This move is expected to aid in the delivery of roads, railways, schools, and hospitals.
"Birmingham has always been and always will be a really important city-region for us in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ," Mr Jones told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
He added that as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Government wants to ensure not only Birmingham's prosperity but also the Black Country's ability to seize opportunities.
He said: "We know we've got some inherited challenges here with the city council in particular, where the government is partnering with them to get a grip of the situation and set them up so they can be successful in the future.
"But there is no question that Birmingham and the West Midlands will be a crucial part of our national mission for economic growth."
Mr Jones was pressed on whether he felt that issues such as the city council's financial woes or the disruption from bin strikes could tarnish Birmingham's image, potentially deterring investors.
"These negative headlines are always difficult for any place which is why we want to work with the city council to deal with it as quickly as possible," he said.
"But there is no question that the strengths and assets that Birmingham, and the broader West Midlands, has are really important to us.
"As part of our national mission to try and get the economy back on track, we want to make sure that every region, every place is supported to be able to deliver that success for the country as a whole but also for the local people.
"I appreciate the headlines are challenging right now but we need to get a grip of that and move on and then focus on what we can do together to really drive success here in Birmingham, the West Midlands and across the country."
Former Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street also commented recently on the impact of local scandals, telling LBC: "Now we have the association of the second city of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ with rats – there's where the reputation has gone.
"What I would say to people is we've got to plan now for rebuilding that reputation once again because it's taken one hell of a hammering."
During his trip to Birmingham, Mr Jones acknowledged the "inherited challenges" faced by the new Labour government but emphasised its "very strong approach" towards investing in the nation.
"That will take a bit of time but we are absolutely committed to it," he said. "We'll have a Labour Mayor [in the West Midlands] and a Labour government working together to deliver that and I'm very confident we're going to be able to do that well."
Discussing the National Infrastructure Strategy (NISTA) and addressing project delays, Mr Jones stated: "We've been very clear we want to get Britain building again and HS2 has been building for a long time.
"They've been doing some great things but we also know the project has lost control in terms of time and cost – and that's a real problem for us.
"So there's going to be lots of lessons that we can learn from the HS2 project to apply to other big projects across the country as we look to build more houses, water infrastructure, energy infrastructure and more railways."
Birmingham City Council's financial woes have been attributed to several factors, including the equal pay issue, poor budget planning, demand-driven pressures, the botched rollout of a new system, and funding reductions.
The council's decision to eliminate the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role is currently at the heart of its conflict with Unite the union, which has led to the ongoing bin workers' strike.
Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab has previously stated: "The council is forcing dedicated workers onto pay levels barely above the minimum wage while undertaking a difficult and highly demanding job in all weathers,".
However, Coun Majid Mahmood, the council's cabinet member for environment, recently countered that a "fair and reasonable offer" had been made, insisting: "Not a single worker needs to lose a penny."
He added: "Every worker has been offered the same grade and the same pay within the street scene division of the city council.
"We're here because we are trying to transform and modernise the service."
