DO the residents of Bromsgrove and Redditch want to become part of a newly formed ‘Greater Birmingham’ run by an elected ‘metro mayor’ that’s based on Manchester’s model and run as a single combined authority?

Recent comments by the chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce indicate they might, because both councils are already members of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and that it would be a vital component of a north-south corridor into and out of Birmingham – an organisation that would accept having a ‘Metro Mayor’ to get government money, even though the public and councillors have overwhelmingly rejected the concept of powerful mayors when allowed to vote for them.

The inevitable downside for Bromsgrove district would be increased peak time traffic congestion as the green belt land between it and Birmingham would inevitably be sanctioned to be built on by a mayor having the authority to do so – which he would do for the benefit of the City of Birmingham and not Bromsgrove.

Birmingham today spreads over 103 square miles but began life as a parish within Warwickshire of less than 5 square miles, which was first referred to as a town in 1769, becoming a municipal borough in 1838, a county borough in 1839 and a city in 1889.

It was expanded under the ‘City of Birmingham Extension Order’ in 1891 by absorbing parts of Staffordshire and Worcestershire – from where Quinton was added in1909.

Then, by means of the Greater Birmingham Extension Act of 1911, the area of the city was almost trebled by a further extension of its boundaries, which included most of King’s Norton – which was once a small village in the district of Bromsgrove – and also Northfield from North Worcestershire in 1919.

Made a metropolitan district on 1 April 1974, it then absorbed Sutton Coldfield and effectively became a unitary authority in 1986 - Frankley being transferred from Bromsgrove in 1985. So by June 2004, Birmingham had 120 City Councillors representing over one million people, in 40 Council wards.

Then In November 2014, it was announced that Birmingham would be creating a combined authority that would include the four ‘Black Country’ boroughs of Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell and be inviting Coventry and Solihull to join them, which was expected to be formed in 2015. That would be given devolved powers and multi-million pound funding from the government.

Birmingham desperately needs land to build new homes on and has a cash crisis, needing to pay off £1.1 billion in equal pay claims, that have already required it to sell off its most valuable assets, such as the NEC for £307 million; with at present having uncollected council tax arrears of over £105 million.

Councils cajoled into joining may later regret doing so and want their independence back. Herefordshire, which was amalgamated with Worcestershire in 1984, took 14 years of campaigning to win back its independence.

So now is the time to strive to save Worcestershire and its precious countryside from the urban sprawl, that a bigger Birmingham would inevitably result in.

Malcolm Guest Bromsgrove