Midlands pays £1m for office in Brussels
Monday 25th January 2010, 11:30AM GMT.
Councils, quangos and businesses in the West Midlands are spending £1 million a year to fund an office in Brussels, it was revealed today.
The money goes on translating European Union jargon and helping businesses understand the complicated processes involved in dealing with the European Parliament. Six staff also market the region to EU bureaucrats and decision makers to try to attract funding. A new “European Service” for the West Midlands is on the cards, it has also emerged.
West Midland Leaders Board, formerly the Local Government Association, and regional development agency Advantage West Midlands (AWM) is preparing to launch the new service.
It will bring together the six-strong team in the Belgian capital – the site of the European Parliament – and a team based in the West Midlands.
All 33 West Midland councils contribute to the scheme along with AWM and other backers.
In total in 2008/9 it paid out £1,030,608 including £240,317 from the councils, £461,453 from AWM and the remaining £328,838 from other backers.
Members include universities and colleges, Birmingham International Airport and the NEC Group .
Latest reports also revealed the scheme made £273,063 for itself by sub-letting its Brussels office. Bosses today said they would cut costs by 30 per cent over two years because of the recession.
Leaders board spokeswoman Jo Kite said: “The current funding stream runs from 2007-2013 and will amount to £170 billion across the EU.
“In 2009 alone the European team provided briefing, guidance and factsheets on the European funding available, helping public, academic and business organisations in the West Midlands to be aware of and take advantage of these opportunities.”
Staff at the Brussels office were said to be “integral” in securing grants for the West Midlands worth £678m. They also claim to have helped 54,000 people receive training as part of a £98.3m project in the region.
Wolverhampton City Council leader Neville Patten said today: “This European office is part of what we’re all doing to improve the West Midlands as an area.”
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There’s an old saying in journalism: follow the money.
If nothing else, this story makes glaringly clear just how large the power of the European Union now looms in the calculations of local politicians and policy-makers.
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Only way to stop this….leave the EU and its moneygrabbing gravy train!!!!!
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I don’t think a contact is Brussels is that bad.The county next to here in Paris -Val d’Oise-spends a small fortune on repeated adverts on the media to attract business (it’s the county where Roissy CDG airport is).And it works.I have seen taxis in Paris with slogans all over promoting the West Midlands. When I saw the West Midlands stand here at a transport exhibition I felt it was a bit a bit defeatist.But they are in good company : the Antwerp one the same day displayed gross ignorance about local customs problems.All dynamic regions do it.
But remember the EU wants to completely abolish countries in favour of regions.The only snag is that the Celtic region will include from the north of Scotland to Galicia in Spain.
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Oh dear oh dear what silly readers you have E&S.
Have you any idea how much money comes back the other way as a result of the lobbying that having an office in Brussels?
Have you any idea at all?
Why don’t you find out.
Then you will see that £1m is peanuts in exchange. Your readers really do need to read more.
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Well said Connor.
Unfortunately you can’t argue with closed minds.
Same with the Euro, we should have gone in originally then the ”City” wouldn’t be able to screw you with the exchange rate every time you make a transaction.
People who argue against the Euro cite our sovereignty as an excuse which makes me laugh with our multiracial country.
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Indeed, and “English Exile” shows that yours was closed long ago.
It makes me weep to see the idiotic drivel posted by Connor Davies et al, especially when they’ve left this country to live elsewhere.
E.U. membership is the biggest catastrophe to befall this country in it’s history, and it was signed away piecemeal by traitors.
Multiculturalism is a failed social experiment by Marxists – more garbage originated by Leftist imbeciles that the British people didn’t want.
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One again it appears that Conner Davies chooses to make sweeping statements.
There are arguments for and against EU funding – as demonstrated by this article and its replies prior to your own reply. Still, if you’re more interested in calling all E&S readers “silly” then look in the mirror first, perhaps.
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Connor – I’m sure everyone else appreciates your condescending words as much as I do. I’m sure it wins you lots of friends in ‘real life’.
We (UK) are actually net contributors to the EU project. i.e. we put in more than we get out. In this respect we are talking about several billion pounds. This would go a long way to reduce the immense deficit Labour have built up, or indeed to cutting taxes to make the UK an attractive place to do business (much like Ireland has pioneered over the last 15 years).
Ireland has recently fallen on tough times. Their response? To cut costs and bureaucracy but maintain their low tax, pro-business economic model.
The result? They will continue to be more successful than the debt ridden UK over the next decade given the status quo.
Europe is expensive. We should maintain a free trade area, much the same as Switzerland or Denmark, but without the costly bureaucracy.
Power to the people.
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Connor Davies – I think you’ll find most of the money coming out of Brussels is recycled British taxpayers’ cash.
In 2008 Britain handed over £16.4 billion for the EU budget alone. Brussels very graciously gave us £9.8 billion back in grants. By my maths that means EU membership cost us £6.6 billion net, a figure that will worsen over time as the full effects of Tony Blair surrending our hard-won rebate kick in.
Add in the cost of the regulatory burden handed down to our government and businesses through EU directives; plus the cost involved in our own civil servants undertaking EU business at our direct expense; plus the higher price we pay for food because of the Commom Agricultural Policy; and you’re looking an annual bill to Britain of £118 billion – or £1,968 for every man, woman and child in the country.
That might be peanuts in your household, Connor, but, alas, not in mine!
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well there am old saying you get what you paid for and the conservative did just that back in the 60s 70s 80s and part 90s and now we have two pic up the berden of this.
this will have an impact in years two come as we dont know how two stop somthing thats so big in terms thats econmic is getting on part of a super power beyond the welth of a majour super power.
we cannot leave but fight two let our say be hurd and been done about what we say and never back down. the EU has been good two use in once sense in the other its been bad but at least in the next 10 years will tell for me as the econmic situation aka recovery will be ending
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