Chief Executive
A balancing act
There is plenty for Glasgow to shout about but we want to ensure our business community continues to be supported while sustainability messages receive the limelight
IT
IT WAS HEARTENING TO HEAR numerous folk at the State of the City Economy Conference in early January excited about Professor Greg Clark’s ‘Bragging Book’ for Glasgow, spawned from a Chamber of Commerce idea that we all need to shout about our city’s success stories. There is, indeed, plenty to shout about in Glasgow in 2020. The big headlines will be on how the city prepares for the massive profile and activity of COP26 when it arrives in November. It offers an unrivalled opportunity for the city to be presented on the world stage. However, as representatives of the business community, we also want to ensure any commercial traders who face disruption and inconvenience to their livelihoods are properly recognised and recompensed by the decision to bring this global United Nations- sponsored event to the city. Achieving net-zero carbon in
Scotland by 2045 is a laudable target but we shouldn’t assume this will be easy. We must balance the needs of commerce and economic growth with climate change and sustainability. To this end, the Chamber is redoubling its efforts in working to build the city’s Circular Economy. It is exactly the right thing to be doing. While we have got off to a great start, there is more that can be done, particularly in the construction and building supply
We must balance commerce and economic growth with climate change and sustainability”
chains. The Chamber has a contract with Zero Waste Scotland on the practical delivery of individually tailored responses to SMEs, while it is also engaging with Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow City Council to explore how both city and industry-wide plans can be developed. Glasgow businesses have already done a great deal to curb their carbon footprints. Indeed, statistics show that our firms have cut emissions by very nearly a half in the last decade: no mean achievement. The real areas which require attention on their carbon outputs are in transport and in the heating of our homes. The issue of low-carbon transport is being dealt with by the Connectivity Commission, and here we welcome the first steps towards a Glasgow Metro, while we have some way to go to agree the proposals for tackling the home heating issue. The Chamber remains opposed to a ban on private vehicles in the city centre and
any knee-jerk measures which might harm footfall
into our retail and leisure outlets. Let’s ensure we have a proper discussion about the consequences of well- meaning initiatives. We will be pressing on
with our highly successful
international trade missions in Germany, Italy, the United States and China. While Brexit has now officially happened, we remain open for new streams of business activity in Glasgow. I would recommend and encourage anyone with a business interest in overseas trade to consider joining our programme of missions in 2020. Our award-winning work with
DYW, Developing the Young Workforce, in Glasgow, with career- building opportunities for young people in Glasgow’s secondary schools, remains a significant part of our 2020 agenda. We still have work to do in connecting disadvantaged communities into Glasgow’s growing economy. While we are blowing the positive trumpet for the city and talking about quantum engineering, precision medicine and space communication, we need to get this message out into the schools. Our recent event - Scotland’s Biggest Parents’ Evening at the Glasgow Science Centre, was doing precisely that. There is also the UEFA European Championships during the summer, with six weeks of football descending on the city. Again, this shows our prowess as a Capital of Sport and a city that turns out to cheer vociferously for all kinds of competitors. That’s something else we can happily brag about too. Have a great year.
Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive chiefexecutive@glasgow
chamberofcommerce.com
www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com 9
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