Birmingham’s Local Conservative councillors have welcomed the Economy, Skills and Culture Overview & Scrutiny Committee’s decision to call in the Labour-run City Council’s controversial decision to sell prime development land at Fox Street in the heart of the Knowledge Quarter. The committee has now referred the decision back to the Cabinet for reconsideration.
Councillors Ewan Mackey (Con, Sutton Roughley) and Robert Alden (Con, Erdington) originally submitted the formal call-in request following the executive decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Property on the 16th of March. They argued that the sale undermines the City’s long-term regeneration ambitions, ignores vital strategic opportunities, and fails to deliver increased employment, Business Rates or Council Tax income for the City Council over the next decade. Instead, the Labour Council is prioritising a short-term one-off capital injection a few weeks before the local elections over Birmingham’s longer-term financial stability.
The councillors’ submission highlighted that the decision is inconsistent with the policy intent of the Knowledge Quarter Agreement - a landmark partnership with Aston University, Birmingham City University, Bruntwood SciTech and Woodbourne Group designed to attract and grow life sciences, digital health, fintech and advanced manufacturing activity in the area. Selling the site for other purposes would limit the availability of developable land for these high-value, employment-generating uses.
They also raised the apparent failure to consult the other signatories to the Knowledge Quarter Agreement before the decision was taken, the overlooking of long-term revenue impacts from business rates and council tax, the need for high-quality employment sites, the strategic opportunities linked to HS2, and the broader implications for the Council’s Knowledge Quarter plans, including potential future uses connected to Millennium Point.
Councillor Ewan Mackey said:
We welcome the Overview & Scrutiny Committee’s decision to call this in and send it back to Cabinet. Labour’s rushed sale was yet another example of glossy plans that aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. The Cabinet now has the chance to reverse this short-sighted decision, protect the Knowledge Quarter vision, and deliver long-term opportunities for Birmingham rather than grabbing a quick buck.
Councillor Robert Alden added:
The Knowledge Quarter was meant to be a flagship project delivering real growth and jobs for our city. Even if the Council was not going to proceed with that plan, the site sits at the entrance to HS2’s new station. Selling it off now, for a scheme that does not deliver well paid jobs, would be a huge mistake. The Cabinet should be seeking a national or global headquarters to relocate from London and bring well-paid jobs with it.
We now call on the Cabinet to reverse the decision of its own Property Subcommittee for all the reasons we set out in our call-in. Labour’s decision to sell off prime land without proper consultation or consideration of the wider economic benefits showed a dangerous lack of strategic vision. The Scrutiny Committee has given them the opportunity to think again, they must now do the right thing for Birmingham.
Councillor Alden continued:
It is clear that, having run the council’s finances into the ground, Labour are out of ideas and out of time. Only the Local Conservatives have a plan to clean up the city and unleash its full potential.
The Local Conservatives are urging the Cabinet to use this second chance to reject the sale outright and ensure the site remains available for uses that align with the city’s agreed regeneration priorities and protect Birmingham’s future economic potential.
