Sweet deal for growth in Birmingham
A raft of initiatives to boost economic growth in Birmingham will be on the agenda today as Business Minister Michael Fallon visits the city…
A raft of initiatives to boost economic growth in Birmingham will be on the agenda today as Business Minister Michael Fallon visits the city to champion government support for the area’s economy.
The Minister will be putting the seal of approval to a new deal to cut red tape for Mondelez International, owner of the Cadbury’s brand which will reduce duplication and costs whilst maintaining high safety standards.
The deal, known as a primary authority partnership, means Birmingham City Council will provide advice to all of Mondelez International’s UK sites on regulations including food safety and hygiene and has already lead to Mondelez International cutting £250,000 in packaging costs alone.
Mr Fallon will then visit Quality Plated Products (QPP), a manufacturing company in Great Barr who have been awarded a loan of £245,000 from the government’s Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative. The company uses a unique technology to supply metal plated plastic to the automotive industry. Thanks to the government support it will be increasing capacity, creating an additional 11 jobs and starting a new apprenticeship scheme.
Business Minister Michael Fallon said:
Birmingham has long been an engine of the country’s economy, and my tour around the city has shown that’s certainly the case today.
The government is doing all it can to support the West Midlands; whether that’s direct support through our Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative to companies like QPP, rolling out ultra fast broadband, or helping household names like Cadbury by reducing the amount of red tape they have to deal with.
By taking clear and decisive action and giving direct help to companies and regions they can realise their growth potential and compete in the global economy.
The Minister’s tour will also see him visiting Aero Engine Controls, a leading aerospace and defence manufacturing company. This is part of a series visits today by Business Ministers to discuss how business and government can work more effectively together to tackle barriers to growth, boost exports and grow high value jobs in the UK. The Minister will also meet members of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership to discuss their ‘Strategy for Growth’.
Notes to editors
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Primary Authority partnerships can be formed to cover key aspects of environmental health, trading standards and fire safety services, including health and safety, fair trading, food standards and product safety.
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There are now more than 600 businesses and 97 local authorities operating one or more of the 2,016 primary authority partnerships. The scheme covers more than 58,500 premises. 37% of businesses involved are SMEs. It was introduced in 2009 and is administered by the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. More information is available here: http://www.bis.gov.uk/brdo/primary-authority
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The Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative is a national fund of up to £125m to create more competitive supply chains, sustain or create new employment opportunities, and create better synergies and sustained collaborative relationships throughout supply chains that participate in this initiative. More information is available here: http://www.innovateuk.org/content/competition/advanced-manufacturing-supply-chain-initiative.ashx
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The government’s industrial strategy is about looking to the future, presenting a long-term, whole of government approach to supporting British business, giving them the confidence they need to invest, hire staff and grow. Long-term strategies are being developed in partnership with industry in key sectors including aerospace, nuclear, and the information economy - the aerospace strategy will be published in the coming months.
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The government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries’. It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011: * To create the most competitive tax system in the G20 * To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business * To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy * To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.
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Work is underway across government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the government wants the economy to travel.