Network Gathering March 2026

Investment in Birmingham: who benefits?

35 people came together on Tuesday 24 March for our latest Economic Justice Brum network gathering, facilitated by EJB’s Tim Evans and guided by Conrad Parke from CLES and Birmingham Anchor Network. Massive thanks to the Legacy Centre of Excellence for hosting us.

The conversation around Birmingham’s Investment Strategy built on the discussions we have been holding over the past few months. Each time we meet, we are adding more depth, more challenge, and more shared understanding.

Do we need to think about economic development differently? | CLES

Our learning so far

Trickle down does not work
This is not about ‘increasing wealth’ but addressing poverty
Top-down must be matched with bottom-up
‘Growth’ should not just be defined by increasing wealth
The Everyday Economy is just as important
The Foundational Economy (NHS, education, care, transport, etc.) is just as important
The city must be strong and challenge the developers/investors
And we can help!

Our questions

How is this time going to be different?
What was learned from the Commonwealth Games?
How does short term investment lead to long term sustainable change?
How will the community be represented?
Where is the imagination? Where is the risk-taking? Where is the willingness to do something different?

People are keen to explore practical alternatives, including how investment could be shaped differently at a local level. There was an opportunity to sign up for a number of themed working groups to progress ideas, and as ever, network members were invited to suggest areas of focus.

What stood out most was the appetite to move beyond critique and into action, together.

This is not a one-off conversation. It is part of a growing, collective effort to rethink how investment in Birmingham can work for everyone. If you want to be part of shaping what comes next, we would love to have you involved.

These meetings are a chance to spend time with others who care about building a fairer economy. Our next network gathering takes place at The Signing Tree on 2 June 2026. The main event runs from 10.30am-1pm but please do join us for refreshments and networking from 10am and stay for lunch at 1pm if your time allows. If you’d like to come along for the first time, please contact us and do sign up to our regular newsletter for details about all of our events and activities.

All photos: Simone Roberts