, Mayor of the West
Midlands, has called on Prime Minister Andy to appoint a dedicated Minister for
the Night-Time Economy.
The call comes a day after the Prime Minister gave artificial
intelligence its own place at the Cabinet table, naming the
country's first cabinet-level AI minister.
The Mayor says the night-time economy has earned the same
recognition. In the West Midlands it supports around 324,000
jobs, close to one in four of the region's workforce. About
100,000 of those are in nightlife itself: the pubs, restaurants,
grassroots music venues, theatres and cinemas that give our towns
and cities their character.
The Mayor is calling for the new Minister to sit within the
expanded Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade -
led by Secretary of State .
, Mayor of the West
Midlands, said: "Andy Burnham understands the night-time economy.
He championed it in Greater Manchester with a Night-Time Economy
Commissioner - so he knows what it means to a place and the
people who live there. He's previously called for support and
relief for the industry, so he gets it.
"Yesterday he gave AI a minister. I'm asking him to do the same
for the night-time economy.
"This is one in four jobs across our region. But more than that,
it's the cultural life blood of our places. It gives people
somewhere to go, something to do, places to meet. The industry
has taken a battering from Covid, rising costs and business
rates. They need someone in government whose job is to fight
their corner."
The West Midlands Night-Time Economy Commission, set up by the
Mayor last autumn, reported in May with 25 recommendations for
reviving the sector. Among them was a call for a national
champion in government to join up policy on tax, licensing and
transport. The Commission also called for later buses and trains,
safer streets and stronger support for grassroots venues.
The Mayor said: "We're getting on with our part here in the West
Midlands - we've got a plan to address the challenges locally.
But a minister in Government would pull the national picture
together, so the whole country works to the same plan. We need to
look out for the thousands of people who make their living after
dark - giving our places the vibrance we all love."
