Poll: Should the West Midlands be renamed as 'Greater Birmingham'?
As the boss of John Lewis says that The Black Country should be absorbed into a Greater Birmingham region to help it win major investment, we want to know what you think.
Andy Street, managing director of the department store chain and chairman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, says it would make the West Midlands more competitive. His call comes as the LEP, made up of business and council leaders, has set out plans to bid for a share of a £1 billion government fund.
Mr Street wants the four Black Country boroughs – Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall – to be part of a new 'city region', similar to Greater Manchester.
They would still have their own councils but would help Birmingham keep its reputation as the 'second city' after London.
"Greater Birmingham does not wish to be 'second' in anything," Mr Street said.
"Instead we wish to play, and be recognised for, our role as a competitive UK city-region on a worldwide basis. And that's not just dreams. Our regional economy was hurt at the onset of the recession, but we are emerging more strongly than elsewhere, and steadily a new industrial and commercial powerhouse is taking shape."
The idea has been backed by Mike Wright, executive director of Jaguar Land Rover, which has invested heavily in the West Midlands, including a £500 million engine plant at the i54 business park near Wolverhampton.
He said: "Greater Birmingham is at the very heart of Jaguar Land Rover's global business.
" The Birmingham LEP has asked the Government to let it create a 'growth hub', which would encourage 500 advanced manufacturing businesses to double their expansion plans over four years. It also wants an advanced manufacturing and recruitment agency.
Steve Hollis, the LEP's deputy chairman, said: "It is no secret that resources are tight and the competition for the £1 billion available from the Local Growth Fund will be fierce."
