Birmingham spends almost £200m in local economy

Birmingham City Council spent £194m in the local economy last year, according to new figures released by the local authority.

A report that went before cabinet last week (20 April) on the council’s social value policy shows that £194,619,328 was spent by the local economy in 2020/21.

An analysis by the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) 56% of the council’s procurement spend (£661,074,655) is with businesses located in Birmingham, while 79% (£926,869,841) is with businesses in the West Midlands.

The figures also reveal that Birmingham City Council provided 68,141 weeks of local employment in 2020/21 and 430 weeks of local work placements.

In addition, it spent £3,172,513 with social enterprises last year.

According to the report, Covid ‘has not had a negative impact on [the] delivery of social value’.

The council first adopted a social value policy in 2013 and it is also represented on the West Midlands Social Value Taskforce and on the National Social Value Taskforce, which comprises representatives from all sectors to jointly develop and share best practice.

Birmingham City Council is represented on the Anchor Institutions Network facilitated by CLES.

This group which includes Aston University, University of Birmingham, University Hospital Birmingham, WM Police, Pioneer Group and Bourneville Village Trust works collaboratively and coordinates activities in order to bring about more local spending by the partners particularly with social enterprises and the third sector.

The council is also coordinating social value activity with WMCA and the organising committee to ensure that the Commonwealth Games social value outcomes can be consolidated.

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