Glasgow Business . 7 www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com


Uncover the growing list of Glasgow’s developments and investments 22


Three-year business plan to drive Chamber forward


G


lasgow Chamber of Commerce has introduced three new strategic objectives to


build on its progress as it sets out its Business Plan for the next three years. Te strategic objectives are: • To make continuous improvements in the value of the services delivered to members


• To increase the measurable impact of Glasgow Chamber on policies and programmes that support the growth of the city economy


• To maintain steady improvements in the financial sustainability of Glasgow Chamber In this, the first of the three years of the plan, Glasgow Chamber is


commited to focusing strongly on improving its value to members. It is reviewing its operations, re-examining all the ways it communicates with members and introducing a new Customer Relationship Management system. Glasgow Chamber will also


be supporting Glasgow City Council in their refreshing of the Glasgow Economic Strategy and in the delivery of the City Deal. It will continue to help broadcast


Glasgow’s status as a great place to do business. Another initiative is the launch of the Glasgow Business Support Fund courtesy of the donation of £100,000 from Te Watson Foundation.


Look again at business rates


Glasgow Chamber of Commerce is reassessing its position on Business Rates following a raft of changes affecting the charges in recent months. The move follows an announcement from John Swinney, the Cabinet


Secretary for Finance, of a Scottish Government review of Business Rates. The Chamber process of policy re-examination will also look at the


implications if Business Rates were to be devolved to city regions. Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber, said: “We will look


at what the implications would be of giving city regional local authorities clear financial incentives to invest in economic development and business growth through a closer link to Business Rates.” The review follows a time that has seen the reassessment of Business


Rates falling out of line with similar processes in England. There is also the issue of valuations that underpin the Business Rates poundage figure having been based at the top of the cycle of valuations in the property market. The review process began with a discussion with a selection of Glasgow Chamber Directors led by the Centre for Cities.


Buchanan Galleries project


Senior members of the Glasgow Chamber team have been working hard behind the scenes in the last few months to help move the £400 million Buchanan Galleries expansion project forward. Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of


Glasgow Chamber, has met regularly with all the players to help put one of the city’s most important inward investment projects of the decade back on course. He has engaged with Scottish Government Ministers, key agencies and the project’s backers and investors to help encourage progress after the project


was put on hold in summer 2015. Developer Land Securities put out


a statement at that time announcing a pause to the scheme while works on the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) progress. Buchanan Galleries would


expand to include over 100 shops, a 10-screen cinema, 25 restaurants and new car parking. Stuart Patrick said: “We have


been working away hard on this, focused on the underlying principle that Buchanan Galleries is one of Glasgow’s most important inward investments of this decade.”


Expansion plans


Renewed backing for Heathrow runway


Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, has urged the UK Government to decide urgently on the airport runways question. And he has renewed calls


for the Government to back the recommendation by the Howard Davies Commission for a third runway to be built at London Heathrow. Mr Patrick said: “The UK


Government’s own Airports Commission said that a new runway should be built at Heathrow and we have backed that decision as providing the best option to have a truly global hub airport for Glasgow businesses to use. “We would also like to see


further investment at Gatwick – but Heathrow is the best


option for the new runway. Our engineering, life science and whisky industries in particular need to get to markets around the world and Heathrow with its current dominance in long-haul flights is the best way to achieve that.” The renewal of Glasgow


Chamber’s call on the issue followed the Government’s decision to further delay the decision following an earlier promise that they would decide by the end of 2015. The Commission, chaired


by Sir Howard Davies, took three years to review the issues, received more than 70,000 submissions and decided unanimously on the Heathrow option in its 342-page report.


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