Local Economic Solutions for Sustainability
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Localise West Midlands
The Warehouse
54-57 Allison Street
Digbeth
Birmingham
B5 5TH
Tel: 0121 685 1155
Fax: 0121 643 3122
Email: info@localisewestmidlands.org.uk
Registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee (not for profit) no: 6239211
Localise West Midlands is now registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee (not for profit). LWM's Board is as follows:
Hannah Worth (Chair)
Hannah first came to LWM as a volunteer after completing a Masters in
Global Ethics. She moved on to manage Birmingham Community Empowerment
Network, facilitating community networks that aim to involve people more
effectively in local decision making; and is now a co-founder and associate
of the Chamberlain Forum.
George Morran (Vice Chair)
Currently Director of the West Midlands Convention, immediate past Chair
and currently Secretary of the Campaign for the English Regions, Research
Associate Aston Business School and freelance Regional Governance Consultant.
Previously, Director of the West Midlands Regional Forum of Local Authorities,
Regional Economic Consortium and Assistant Chief Executive of Dudley MBC.
Chris Crean
Friends of the Earth's Regional Campaigner for the West Midlands. Chris
has been involved with Friends of the Earth (FOE) for over ten years,
initially as a campaigner on air pollution and transport in Birmingham
and the West Midlands. He also worked for an environmental consultancy
on contaminated land and industrial water issues. Chris's responsibilities
include developing regional policy, a major strand of which is to develop
a solutions approach - one strand of which will be a localisation of the
regional economy.
Colin Hines
Author of 'Localization- A Global Manifesto' (Earthscan) and an Associate
of the International Forum on Globalisation, a San Francisco based alliance
of activists, academics and economists developing alternatives to globalisation
and free trade. Before that he was the Co-ordinator of Greenpeace International's
Economics Unit having worked for the organisation for 10 years. Colin
is the convener of the Green New Deal group.
Karen Leach (secretary and coordinator)
Karen was previously Campaigns and Project Worker, and Local Food and
Trade campaigner, for Birmingham Friends of the Earth. In that capacity
she was involved in setting up LWM, and has been employed since October
2002 as LWM Coordinator.
Andrew Lydon
Andrew Lydon was initially involved in the Labour Party, where he developed
his interest in decentralisation and economic development in drafting
parts of their Birmingham Council manifesto. Since 1992, when he left
Labour, he has been involved in the politics of the regions as a spokesman
for the West Midlands New Economics Group and even latterly for Birmingham
NHS Concern.
Jon Morris
Currently housing, planning and regeneration consultant. Former Director
of Coventry New Deal for Communities, Chair of Royal Town Planning Institute
Housing Panel, Extensive experience in the fields of housing, planning
and regeneration, as a practitioner, researcher and lecturer. Jon has
also been a member of a number of ministerial advisory groups and an expert
witness to the House of Commons Environment Select Committee.
The following are also actively involved in LWM in various ways:
Phil Beardmore (associate)
Phil is an environmental and third sector consultant specialising in community action on climate change. He established the Birmingham Sustainable Energy Partnership in 2003 and is still involved in its successor, the Birmingham Carbon Reduction Partnership. Phil led Groundwork's climate change work in the region between 2003 and 2010. He is actively involved in the housing co-operative movement and leads on the Greener Together project which aims to promote greener living among housing co-op members. Phil was recently voted one of the Top 50 Green Leaders in the West Midlands.
Pat Conaty (associate)
Pat Conaty is a Research Associate of the New Economics Foundation. He
has produced a number of recent policy reports on local community banking,
rural regeneration and community land trusts, micro-credit for small business,
and affordable housing finance for low income homeowners with disrepair
problems. He was formerly the Development Director of Birmingham Settlement,
an inner city voluntary organisation.
Malcolm Currie (steering group)
Trained as a systematic geographer (Bristol), Malcolm was a full time
teacher in Liverpool; and has also been involved in youth work, community
development, and adult education in Birmingham. He has launched various
community newspapers and festivals; edits the LETS newsletter; and is
presently developing 'bottom-up' projects in community cohesion, such
as the application of digital technology; 'local foods: global recipes';
and integration via performing arts and music.
Phil Davis (steering group)
A former council leader and WM Regional Assembly chair, Phil was also
a trade union officer for 20 years and has extensive lay advocacy experience.
He sits on a number of community and consumer bodies, including the statutory
passenger representation organisation Passenger Focus, and is an NHS non-executive
director. Founder chair of the WM Constitutional Convention (now West
Midlands Voice) he supports elected government for the English regions
and greater financial autonomy for councils and communities.
Jackie Milton (treasurer)
Barbara Panvel (steering group)
Barbara has brought together different people, organisations and ideas
on localisation during her work in both Mumbai and Birmingham, and has
been involved in LWM since our earliest discussions.
Michael Whithouse (steering group)
Michael is a chartered accountant with a degree in rural land management,
based in Shropshire. He is actively involved in various organisations
including the Fordhall Community Land Initiative, the Wasteless Society,
the Institute of Organic Training and Advice, and the Shropshire Hills
AONB advisory board.
If you are interested in getting involved in our Board or steering group
or as an associate, please contact Karen
Leach to discuss this further.