Justice Secretary Jack Straw is to be the keynote speaker at a major conference in Birmingham on Thursday October 29.

The West Midlands Economic Forum event, Financing recovery... funding innovation and investment, will be an opportunity for the city to step up its bid to entice the Ministry of Justice from London.

Other cities are also in the race which could mean several thousand jobs moving out of the capital, albeit it is now thought unlikely to happen this side of the General Election.

Barrie Williams, chairman of Business Voice WM, who will also be speaking at the event, said: “This will be a chance to showcase Birmingham to Mr Straw and emphasise what an excellent location it would be for the Ministry of Justice.

“The city is a major legal centre and Birmingham Law Society has been pushing hard for a positive decision from the Ministry.”

Other speakers include the Conservatives’ Shadow Trade Minister, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, and senior Lib Dem MP John Hemming.

The conference is organised by Business Voice WM, Forrest Research, Aston Business School, Birmingham Business School and the Fair Finance Consortium. Held at Aston Business School, it also features senior academics, commercial banks, venture capitalists and leading economists. The all-day event is free to attend.

The Government will be urged to do more to help the West Midlands climb out of recession

Barrie Williams cautioned: “The West Midlands region has been the worst affected region in the UK from this recession. One in five young people is out of work, repossessions have seen a steep rise and firms are still having problems accessing the finance they need.

“Business Voice WM has been working to get action to mitigate the impact of the recession upon Midlands’ businesses. But, much, much more needs to happen.”

Mr Williams will outline five key steps the organisation has been pressing the Government to act on.
• Short time working assistance – it is keeping people in jobs in Wales and parts of mainland Europe, but so far has not been picked up by Westminster.
• Credit Insurance – the Government has failed to go far enough, introducing a top up domestic credit insurance scheme the terms of which exclude most small and medium sized businesses, and providing nothing at all for exporters.
• Energy Prices – Utilities are demanding money up front putting intolerable pressures on businesses.
• Staggering of tax payments – the arrangements in place remain vital and the Government should resist pressure from HM Revenue and Customs to end the arrangements.
• Liquidity – the banks need to bring back loans and overdrafts and not push firms towards invoice financing, making business planning difficult.

Mr Williams will state: “It is these five steps which, if addressed, would have a disproportionate impact on helping the West Midlands region – and the country – move out of recession.

“There are wider systemic issues that need to be addressed. For instance, what can we do to diversify so that we can meet the global challenges of the future? Taking these short time actions now would mean a stronger business base to build on for the economic opportunities of years to come.

“After all, despite the problems we are facing, the West Midlands is still the UK capital for manufacturing. Our rural economy is robust and this provides opportunities for future growth. And we have the largest professional services sector outside of London.

“Let’s get the short term action right so we are in good shape for the recovery.”

To register for the conference, call Bernadette Edwards on 0121 245 0139 or email info@businessvoicewm.co.uk