Executive Director’s Report
September 2007
The business community laid down some clear red lines on what needs to happen before thousands of new homes are built across the Midlands. Business pushed for action to tackle truck crime and retail crime. Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell MP, was urged to ensure the tendering process for the 2012 Games was fair. Proposals were presented to the Government on business support. A new report revealed that Asian fresh produce could be profitably grown in the Midlands.
Planning
The business community laid down some clear red lines before thousands of new homes could be built across the Midlands.
Business sector members on the West Midlands Regional Assembly’s Planning Partnership made clear at a special meeting convened in September that before the Government’s request for thousands of extra homes to be built across the region, then two clear conditions has to be met. These are that:
- Infrastructure needs to be in place before the new housing developments occur for good and sustainable planning reasons and to avoid ill thought out ad hoc developments;
- Business developments must go along – hand in hand – with new housing developments so there will be local jobs for local people – not create the sink estates of the future.
Business sector members of the Planning Partnership also called for series of other measures including:
· A clear statement that the road network must be integrately linked to public transport developments;
· Secure truck parks should be provided to prevent growing incidents of truck crime;
· Small locally owned shops should have their place alongside large chain stores in town centres to benefit consumers and ensure fair competition;
· Business premises must not be sacrificed for short term pressures for housing – which could damage prospects for local jobs.
The key Planning Partnership meeting that will make the key decisions on this issue before recommendations are presented to the Government will take place in late October.
Crime
Closure of a secure truck park near Wolverhampton could lead to an increase in truck crime, the West Midlands regional business community has warned.
The warning was given to South Staffordshire District Council by the West Midlands Business Council’s Regional Business Crime Forum Chairman, Mike Cherry, who urged the council not to give planning permission that would lead to the loss of the Nightowl truckstop at Junction 1 of the M54.
Mr Cherry, who is also the Federation of Small Businesses’ Regional Policy Unit Chair, said:
“With twenty five per cent of National Truck Crime occurring here in the West Midlands, it is time this menace was properly dealt with”.
“According to the police, the average cost per truck crime incident is over £30,000”.
“Diesel theft, slashing of curtains on trucks, truck and load thefts, and most seriously, the serious attacks on drivers themselves are all part and parcel of truck crime incidents that must be more effectively dealt with”.
“One way to do this is the provision of secure truck parks so that drivers and their vehicles are safe – but the problem we have in the Midlands is that hardly any secure truck parks exist”.
“One of the few exceptions is the Nightowl truck stop near Wolverhampton. Now that is under threat and the haulage industry has told us that the implications of its potential closure will exacerbate the problem and could affect local residents as well”.
“So, today, I have written to the leader of South Staffordshire District Council, Cllr Brian Edwards, urging him not to give planning permission that would lead to the loss of this truck park, and we shall be calling on the Regional public bodies to at last make adequate provision across the region for secure Truck Parks in the Regional planning regime”.
We also expressed concerns that there could be a rise in retail crime incidents. On 1 October, the age of when a person can buy tobacco will rise from 16 to 18. It is feared that as hardly anyone is aware of the change that those currently aged between 16 and 18 will no longer be able to purchase cigarettes. It is feared this will inevitably lead to shopkeepers being abused and attacked when they are told they cannot by any tobacco related products.
The business community is warning local anti crime groups across the West Midlands region to be prepared for this trouble.
West Midlands Business Council’s Regional Business Crime Forum Chairman – and Federation of Small Businesses’ Regional Policy Unit Chair – Mike Cherry – said:
“While the Government ensured the publicity on smoking in public could not be missed, hardly anyone outside of the retail industry knows that this ban is coming into force”.
“Local shop keepers have told us that, as a result, a minority of teenagers will cause trouble as they will think the refusal to sell is against them personally as they do not know about this new National ban”.
“Had the Government widely publicised this ban well in advance, then all this could have easily been avoided”.
“We have done our bit by warning local authority anti crime groups – formally known as Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships – to be aware of the potential problem, and well as working with Trading Standards on this issue”.
“We hope – in the last ten days before the ban comes into force – that even at this late stage the Government undertakes to widely publicise that this new ban is coming into force from 1st October”.
2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
The West Midlands Business Council held a special seminar in Worcester for key security firms advising them of the commercial opportunities that will arise from the 2012 Games.
However, concerns have been expressed about one aspect of the 2012 tendering process. Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell MP, was urged by the West Midlands regional business community to delay support for a planned launch of new website features until shortcomings are tackled.
Louise Bennett, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive and Chair of the West Midlands Business Council’s 2012 Games Business Taskforce said:
“We have become aware of plans by Olympic organisers, London 2012, to launch a national portal towards the end of the year which could lead to the creation of unnecessary barriers to participation by a full range of businesses through the design of the tendering process”.
“While plans for a national portal to help Midlands firms win work from the Games is a worthy goal, we are worried that when firms register their interest for work – the answer to the key question as to why that firm should get the work will not be considered – until after the shortlisting stage has been completed”.
“Instead, the computer system – the Electronic Brokerage Service (EBS) – will score a series of Yes/No questions to decide on who gets shortlisted – a system that is mainly not used in business, the Government or local councils as it could lead to value for money bids being missed”.
“That is why we have written to the Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell MP, to urge the Government to intervene in this matter to address these shortcomings before the expected launch of the system later this year”.
“In the meantime, Midlands firms can find out about all tenders – directly and indirectly linked to the Games – by going, free of charge, to www.ready-for-business.co.uk”
To know more about the direct and indirect tender opportunities from the 2012 Games please go – free of charge – to www.ready-for-business.co.uk
Business Support
The paper chase that firms need to seek grants must end, the West Midlands regional business community has declared.
The West Midlands Business Council proposed a number of measures to improve publicly funded business support services that are offered to micro, small and medium sized businesses in response to the Government consultation on the future of business support.
West Midlands Business Council’s Business Support Working Group Chairman – and a member of the CBI’s SME Council – Peter Wall – said:
“Publicly funded business support programmes should focus on helping with the development of smaller businesses”.
“However, a plethora of Government schemes has led to firms needing to follow a paper chase of grants instead of where the real action should be – the chase to successful growth”.
“In our submission to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s consultation we urge the Government to use public money wisely on business support”.
“Our proposals include:
- Developing further specialist business support advice services for firms in different business sectors;
- Business Relationship Manager needed for continuity of business support;
- Business support fitting the needs of different sizes of business – not one size fits all;
- To decide on how to focus funds for intensive business support by ensuring the fundamentals in any particular business is sound;
- The single access point for business support services should also signpost to private sector sources of business support.
“Frequent changes in publicly funded business support schemes have undermined business confidence”.
“That is why we have told the Government that any changes they want to follow through on must go with the grain of new West Midlands regional structures in business support”.
“A fresh round of uncertainty would be bad for business and bad for delivering value for public money”.
“Business Links can deliver. It has been invaluable for my small Birmingham manufacturing firm, W G Eaton Ltd. Eatons is now in a good competitive position – and my business would not have got there had it not been for the diversity of support available through Business Links”.
“The recommendations in our submission would tackle the Government tooing and froing on business support – and would make a real difference in further ensuring business support services went further in helping to create jobs and prosperity for every family at the heart of the UK”.
Asian Fresh Produce and the Rural Economy
Asian crops can now be grown in the Midlands – that is the conclusion of a leading university which has led to plans by growers to come together to exploit this new market.
West Midlands Business Council Deputy Chairman, Dr Sarindar Singh Sahota OBE, said:
“The report from Harper Adams University College has revealed that fresh produce that is normally imported into Britain from Asia – such as Pakistani red carrots, kohl robi and mouli – can be profitably grown in the Midlands”.
“Producing this produce here in the Midlands could ensure that quality foods are offered to consumers – with global produce being supplied in some supermarkets as well as in shops serving the black and minority ethnic communities”.
“By growing global produce in the Midlands we are also helping the environment by cutting down on air miles that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions”.
“We are taking this work one step further”
“Today, the National Farmers Union, the Asian Business Forum, Harper Adams University College and the West Midlands Business Council will be discussing with growers how we can turn this potential market into a profitable reality”.
“In addition, growers can call Andrew Richards at the National Farmers Union on 01952 400500 for free advice to access this profitable market”.
Martin Hingley of Harper Adams University College who led the research team that resulted in today’s report added:
“It is time to re-think our reliance on imported produce”.
“There are great opportunities in under developed markets, under served by the current fresh produce distribution system, that could link un-tapped potential from West Midlands growers with exciting markets with black and minority ethnic communities and elsewhere”.
National Farmers’ Union’s Senior Policy Adviser for the West Midlands, Andrew Richards, said:
“This initiative offers exciting new opportunities for growers to benefit from a growing and developing market”.
“It comes at a time when our customers increasingly want to purchase fresh produce that has been grown locally and from sources of known provenance. By sourcing local products, consumers can be confident that the produce will be straight from the fields and pack house and will be of the highest quality”.
“It will also contribute to strengthening the local economy and the battle against climate change”.
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