68 DEBATEIN VIEW


Rizwan Seth –Workspace Business Centres


We have four business centres in Preston and we house 180 businesses in the locality.


The key for us is retaining those businesses within Preston to stop them going to Manchester and spending their wealth there. That then creates a multiplier effect of local businesses, shops and transport infrastructure.


However, there is a need for better workspaces and Grade A offices in and around Preston. A lot of good, large companies can’t find decent office space in the city.


You have then got people leaving Preston and going to Manchester and other places and they are not spending their money in the city centre. That means shops aren’t doing well and employment is not created. Those better workspaces would be an economic driver.


When it comes to being more ‘social’ I believe a big benefit for businesses is retention. And we are not just talking about staff and people here.


Businesses will stay with businesses that are seen to be socially aware. We have a high retention when it comes to our clients.


As a business we have small incubator units and large office units. We’ve seen companies come to us from UCLan as a one-man band or with three or four people and grow into large organisations.


They have stayed with us in different locations, different spaces, because they feel that they’ve been looked after and are being listened to.


The same is true of our centre managers who have been with us a number of years and hopefully will remain for more to come. Once you show you care you get a lot of that retention.


Councillor Valerie Wise – Preston City Council


My portfolio at the council is community wealth building. We see progressive procurement as one of the pillars of community wealth building, which contributes directly to the development of a resilient and inclusive local economy.


We have contracts we put out to tender, and we want to use social value to change how Preston is. We want a better Preston. We want a more resilient economy. We recognise people are really suffering so we want to try and do things that change that.


There are major regeneration projects happening in Preston and what has been really good is the firms involved, such as Eric Wright Group, are working with us from a social value perspective because they see the value.


We have made it our policy that for contracts at £75,000 or over, 20 per cent of the marks are for social value. We’ve got five themes, one of which is addressing the climate emergency. One is supporting the local economy. One is promoting fair employment. We look at whether a firm pays the real living wage, because Preston wants to become a real living wage city next year.


Then there is investing in the future workforce, which includes things that you do in terms of skills and training and also strengthening the voluntary community sector.


What is important is making Preston a better place to live, which means people can afford to live here, they can work here, we have investment here and that money isn’t going out of Preston or Lancashire, but actually it’s staying within. That’s what we’re very much about.


Debbie Chinn – Growth Lancashire


For me it is about transferring best practice. So, when we’re talking to


businesses and finding out what they’re doing and how they’re involved in their communities, how they’re supporting local people, we share that with those who perhaps know less about it.


It is part of the procurement process and businesses are becoming more aware of


what they need to do to win tenders.


A lot of businesses see opportunities but they really don’t know how to go out and get them. That’s where we come in, sharing best practice, looking at the benefits of procurement and helping to get it right.


One of the things that’s helping businesses recognise the processes that are going to help them is the drive of the green agenda, which is running parallel to this. Offsetting by buying a few trees is not cutting it any more.


I don’t think we talk enough about impact and demonstrate that impact, how businesses are making a difference in


Tim Mitchell – Community Foundation for Lancashire


There’s a lot more depth to the ‘S’ in ESG. It is not just ticking a box. It can be defined or redefined based on who is asking the question. Each business needs to look at it uniquely.


Looking at what your community needs is a really important part of that, not just what you think it needs.


It is also critical in a lot of different ways. The ‘S’ is now being measured by investors, if you are not active in your community they will ask, what are we investing in long-term?


It’s not good enough anymore to say I gave to the local football club, to this charity. People want to see why you did it, where the money went and how it was actually spent. Is there an audit trail to prove it did what you said it did?


The ‘S’ is also a hiring and retention tool. Your employees want to know that they’re working for somebody who is going to be giving back and is going to be there in the future.


When it comes to longevity, we manage a fund that was started in 1660 and it’s still giving money locally to the community. It’s mind blowing, not just what you can do today, but that long-term perspective.


When you are involved with your local community and they know who you are, you are now part of that community and that’s when the S becomes a factor. You’re now an employer of choice.


communities. It is not talked about enough.


Businesses can start by reviewing their mission statement and looking at how they incorporate ‘social’ more. Business leaders also need to be seen out in their community more, talking about what their businesses contribute.


And they have got to engage with their staff to find out what the issues are in the community and identify where they can help.


The benefit of all this is staff retention and people in the community that want to work for them.


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