It was all smiles as George Osborne and Michael Heseltine joined Birmingham's business leaders and politicians to launch the city centre enterprise zone.
The event showed the city’s agencies working together, and receiving support from central government.
But was it a fair reflection of the situation Birmingham is in?
There are some reasons to be optimistic. City council leader Sir Albert Bore and his colleagues in the local authority have concentrated in building strong relationships, with other major cities through the core cities initiative; with the local enterprise partnership, and even with many members of government.
Cities Minister Greg Clark has a good relationship with the local authority. So does Lord Heseltine, not a member of the Government but a senior Conservative politician who is advising ministers.
Even George Osborne has got on board, apparently drawing up proposals to support Lord Heseltine’s proposals for regional development which Birmingham is spearheading.
Very little of this would be happening if Sir Albert was taking the more confrontational approach some of his Labour colleagues might be hoping for. The city cannot turn down opportunities for partnership in the hope that a future Labour government will throw money at it.
The region can also take heart from the fact that the local enterprise partnership, the body to which Lord Heseltine wants to devolve funding and cash, is functioning and providing leadership, which is not so true in every part of the country.
That’s not to say our local leaders or institutions are faultless or always get things right. It is also extremely disappointing that Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles is refusing to meet with Sir Albert, the leader of the nation’s largest local authority, and seven other council leaders, to hear their concerns about funding.
It remains to be seen whether enterprise zones, the government’s city deals and Lord Heseltine’s ideas will actually work when push comes to shove.
But as local enterprise partnership chairman Andy Street said, business leaders and property professionals have an essential role to play too.
They need to sell the city across the world in order to make the city centre enterprise zone and other projects succeed. It’s all to play for.
