Why we’ll always be the poor relations here in the Midlands
therefore, the economic impact in simple monetary terms is also much, much higher.
So the Treasury happily signs off big projects like Crossrail, with a public sector price tag of £5 billion, yet has spent years knocking back calls for the Moseley and Sutton Park rail lines.
For housing, the situation is even more acute with the wealthy south not only getting a nice share but green field sites – which are less expensive to develop than say former industrial sites in the Black Country which need extensive demolition and decontamination before a brick can be laid.
This is why big cheques for £15 million were handed to projects in Brighton and Dover, while Basingstoke, Bath, Croydon, Lambeth, Norwich, and Essex also got seven figure handouts.
In the West Midlands only green-field sites, like the former Long Marston Airfield at Stratford-on- Avon, were bankrolled.
There were no grants for Birmingham and the Black Country.
Further rounds of funding, including larger sums, are due to be announced and there are fears that Perry Barr won’t make the cut.
The HIF funding is needed to not only support the 1,000-home athlete’s village, but kickstart the development of a further 2,000 homes in the Perry Barr area.
Birmingham council leader Ian Ward summed up the situation: “When we look at the formula the government is using to determine these bids we can see that by and large it is green belt sites and green field sites that are getting the benefit.”
He said this flies in the face of the government’s policy agenda to deliver homes on brownfield sites.
“With the next round of HIF bids I cannot see how the Black Country is going to be successful,” he said.
“What also worries me is that we have a bid in for £143 million for the Commonwealth Games village and on this formula I think we are going to struggle.”
He fears they will have to fall back on ‘plan B’ – which is house the athletes in university halls of residence.
This would, of course, means that one of the key legacies of the Birmingham bid – 3,000 homes for Brummies – will not be delivered.
Others around the West Midlands Combined Authority table have talked of their frustration.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street agrees and said he met with the housing minister and not only expressed his disappointment over the housing bids, but challenged the calculations used for grant funding.
He says he told the minister he expects better news on the next round of funding announcements.
Politicians frequently talk about joined-up government – in this case they really need to ensure their mandarins are practising it.
The Treasury happily signs off big projects like Crossrail yet has spent years knocking back calls for the Moseley and Sutton Park rail lines