VISION WEST REPRESENTATION
Our voice across the region
IAN BELL
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET
IAN LARRARD DIRECTOR SWINDON & WILTSHIRE
Conservative to a Liberal Democrat administration which has produced an alteration in priorities. However, as a business leadership organisation we are completely non party political and will of course forge a constructive partnership with newly elected councillors.” He added: “We are also keen to modernise the local economy and are able to facilitate joint working with Bristol when it comes to making the most of the talents contained within the creative sector. Another way we are actively supporting change is to encourage our members to assist in ways of persuading our talented graduates from our two Universities to stay to live and work in the district after their studies. That will grow our talent pool and allow existing companies to grow and potentially aid the attraction of inward investment.”
Swindon
Bath and North East Somerset In common with the other areas, the issue of transport is right at the top of the agenda in B&NES. The Initiative, under executive director, Ian Bell, has been visible and vociferous in making the case for the most imaginative bid to win Government funding for a Transportation Package for Bath, just one of five West of England schemes which will be considered.
Mr Bell said: “One of the elements which has changed during this process is the switch in leadership of the local authority from a
Initiative activities are gradually building up a head of steam in Swindon under the leadership of Ian Larrard. He is galvanising members and establishing a routine of meetings and events. He said: “We have formed committees to concentrate on matters such as Retail and Visitors, Transport, Planning and Developers and Skills and Employment. We have also been heavily involved in the work that has been undertaken to produce the bid for a Local Enterprise Partnership for Swindon and Wiltshire. “We are also looking at ways in which we can play a part in helping our young people, for example by supporting the Plan 500 programme in Swindon for combating youth unemployment and also assisting in the activity which will bring a University Technical College to our town.” The underlying challenges for business remain the same. However, over time they are bound to vary in their detail in different places. The Initiative provides a golden thread of connectivity and consistency but allows our members in their own areas to approach them in the way that suits them best. It is a flexible and sustainable method which can take us to 2050 and beyond.
Business West is involved in local Chamber of Commerce activity as well as engaging regularly with British Chambers of Commerce which concentrates on issues of national significance. But director of chambers, Nigel Hutchings, says there is also a role for an organisation somewhere in between, which is why, 13 years ago, South West Chambers was formed to debate topics of concern to our region as a whole. In the early years South West Chambers provided a forum which could represent the interests of members on the then emerging South West Regional Assembly and also to the South West Regional Development Agency. South West Chambers also sat with regional representatives from other business organisations including the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Business and the Institute of Directors to take on a wide variety of tasks such the opportunities created by the London 2012 Olympic Games and the economic downturn. During the life of the Regional Assembly, South West Chambers was regularly consulted on the Regional Spatial Strategy, how to tackle the issue of migrant workers as well as helping form strategies for rail improvements and lobbying on behalf of regional airports. Of course, the Regional Assembly has been gone for some time and the Regional Development Agency will close for good next March. However, those changes make the role of South West Chambers, if anything, more important, to ensure that a regional voice is heard in debates which affect the economy and that there is an extra element between the local view and national policy.
At our meetings South West Chambers is not overly concerned with what has gone before. We are much more interested in what is to come in the future.
For example, we are heavily concerned with skill and training, coaching for growth, creating healthy workplaces and influencing the beginning of the process for a new Great Western Franchise which will be awarded in 2013. We have also had considerable input into Broadband enhancements, especially in rural areas of the region, and will continue to promote the needs of the entire region for improved infrastructure. There’s a lot to do in the South West and our group of Chambers will play a part in delivering the improvements that business badly needs.
Business West Update SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 11
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