2011 Annual Lecture by Lord Adonis

Birmingham Unleashed - An elected Mayor, High Speed Rail and Academies

In this year's Annual Lecture eminent political thinker Lord Adonis addressed three topics of importance to Birmingham's economic and civic future: high speed rail, elected mayors and academies.

In his lecture, Andrew Adonis argued for three big solutions to tackle three of Birmingham's biggest challenges. An elected Mayor to provide much stronger and more effective civic leadership. High speed rail to transform transport connections and massively intensify the benefits of Birmingham's the geographical position. And the conversion of all Birmingham's lower performing schools into academies, to transform school standards and skills and to link the world of school to the world of work, apprenticeships and higher education in wholly new and better ways. To read his lecture in full click here.

All these issues have been the subject of lively, sometimes passionate argument across the city of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. This was an opportunity to hear the views of one of the most eminent and eloquent proponents of these policies, to join in the debate and to make other views known.

Andrew Adonis joined the Institute for Government on 1 September 2010. He served 12 years in government as a Minister and special adviser.

The lecture was held at the Thinktank, Birmingham, on 15th March 2011, chaired by Alan Wenban-Smith, Chairman of the Lunar Society Transport and Climate Change sub Committee has provided a response to the challenges raised by the Lecture. Click here to download.