After first taking office as leader of Birmingham city council in 1999, Sir Albert Bore last week announced that he would be stepping down. October was a tumultuous month for Bore, with two of his Labour cabinet members quitting and others threatening to leave. As pressure mounted, the two-time city leader decided the best thing for the city was to create stability. He will leave the council in December.
Despite the circumstances surrounding his resignation, the impact that Bore has had on the transformation of Birmingham is undeniable. He admits it has been a bumpy ride, but the city is blossoming and he has played a starring role in that transformation.
So who is Sir Albert Bore?
Bore first held the top spot at Birmingham city council from 1999 to 2004 and re-assumed his place as leader of the UK’s largest local authority in May 2013.
But the former lecturer in nuclear reactor physics at Aston University has been involved in the development of Birmingham for much longer than that.
In 1988, Bore established the Highbury Initiative, which promoted the growth of the city centre and the demolition of its old concrete collars. The initiative paved the way for 2,000 acres of the city centre to be re-masterplanned, in a process known as the Big City Plan. It made walking around the city possible, enjoyable even. It enabled the construction of one of Birmingham’s most recognisable buildings, the new Bullring shopping centre, and reiterated the idea that Birmingham was a place worth investing in, a place for business to be done.
Through his commitment, first to the Highbury Initiative, and later to the Big City Plan, Bore has become intrinsically linked with the city’s landmark projects. Not just the Bullring, but also the Mailbox, the National Indoor Arena, Brindleyplace and more recently Arena Central and Paradise Circus.
Since he returned as leader of the council two-and-a-half years ago, Bore has managed to get central government to approve a city deal that has created an enterprise zone within the city centre.
But Bore knows Birmingham can do more than just promote the city centre. For him, Birmingham is the capital of the region and if it succeeds, so does the region.
To make sure of that, he introduced an initiative to create economic growth zones around Birmingham, in Tyseley, Washwood Heath, and Selly Oak, where Bore personally drove forward the £400m medical cluster.
The city is now the poster child for the region’s bid to become a Midlands engine powered by local authorities and local enterprise partnerships all working together.
And under Bore, Birmingham has started to fire up the engine. John Lewis opened with much fanfare at Grand Central, the £600m redevelopment of New Street Station began, and HSBC signed for 210,000 sq ft, moving staff out of London to the city.
His plans for growth of the city have never faltered. There is a concerted effort to promote the region as an ideal location for the growing life sciences sector, with a developer soon to be selected for the 30-acre Life Sciences Campus, and to create hubs of investment and activity around industries already established in the area.
After three decades supporting Birmingham’s regeneration, Bore’s legacy will remain well after he leaves office.
CV: Sir Albert Bore
1946: born in Ayrshire, Scotland
1969: studied nuclear and reactor physics at Birmingham University
1974-1999: lecturer at the University of Aston, Birmingham
1980-present: councillor for Birmingham Ladywood
1986: formed the Eurocities network between Birmingham, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Milan, Lyon and Rotterdam
1994-present: member of the EU committee of the regions
1999-2004: leader of Birmingham city council
1999-2004: board member of West Midlands RDA
2002: awarded a knighthood for services to local government
2006-present: chairman of University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
May 2013: Labour regains control of Birmingham. Bore returns as leader of Birmingham city council
Lifestyle: married with three children
