Old solutions won’t solve new problems

Trolleybus

There is no doubt that the proposed Trolleybus scheme in Leeds will be controversial as it is  modern, unique, innovative and will inevitably, like any major infrastructure scheme, cause some disruption whilst it is being developed.

I have explained why I believe the project is a good thing for the city region here, and I posed the question to opponents ‘what would offer a better solution?’

This week another business organisation, alongside a local MP, criticised Trolleybus, and argued that there were other ways in which Leeds could tackle its increasing congestion problem.

I read on with bated breath hoping to find the new transport panacea option that had been presented as a practical alternative – only to have my hopes dashed when realising that ‘more buses and more park & ride schemes’ was the non-solution being offered.

Whether we like it or not, buses and park & rides are not seen as an attractive proposition by many people in the twenty first century.

Lack of security, cleanliness, poor reliability and standing in the rain, sleet and snow waiting for one are good reasons why many folk see buses as an antiquated, unattractive mode of transport.

The de-regulation of the industry back in the eighties certainly hasn’t helped, and many of the fleet that you see trundling around, often dirty , tired looking and empty, don’t fill you with the enthusiasm and confidence to hop onto one at the next opportunity.

Likewise, there are more white elephant ‘park & ride’ schemes throughout the country than you can shake a stick at. They cost fortunes and few of them deliver.

For me, any alternative to Trolleybus has to be more modern, more advanced, with an eye to the future; not a cry to go back to the past and attempt to make out that those modes of transport and transport initiatives that have failed us dismally since the huge rise in popularity of the motor car can somehow be the answer.

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got. More buses and park & ride schemes? You may as well let Manchester have the money for its next tram development.

Lancashire finds its voice

Lancashire Finds Its Voice

During the past month Downtown Lancashire has hosted two of the best events we have organised in the seven years since we launched in the county.

The Lancashire Business GROWTH conference held at Brockholes Nature Reserve in October was followed by our annual Lancashire Business Awards gala dinner at Stanley House last week.

I have never witnessed so much optimism, energy and confidence from a Lancashire audience for many a year.

The reasons for this may be multiple; an upturn in the economic outlook, confirmed by the Bank of England Governor on Wednesday being the most obvious one.

But I hope there is more to it than that. I have often argued that Lancashire is a county that has more opportunity and potential than anywhere else in the region. In terms of location, skills, quality of life and a strong business foundation, the county has much to offer.

The problem has been a reluctance to shout about the great things that are here; an inability to coordinate a cohesive marketing message to provide the narrative of the successes and investment opportunities that exist.

If our recent events are anything to go by the private sector has finally found its voice. There was no shortage of budding entrepreneurs, start up’s and growing businesses represented at both the conference and the awards dinner who were more than happy to tell people how great they are!

That is something that many Lancastrians have been shy of doing in the past. Perhaps we have learned from Manchester and more recently Liverpool that telling your story is as much a part of the success journey as the hard work, blood sweat and tears that go into it.

Equally, the public sector through the Local Enterprise Partnership is shaping policy around business support that matches the business community’s needs. With the exciting BOOST initiative signing up its 200th customer this week, it is clear that Lancashire has businesses with aspiration and ambition to grow – with a programme of support that genuinely helps them achieve their objectives.

The glass in Lancashire is more than half full. We are ready to take full advantage of the economic upturn that is ‘taking hold’ according to the Bank’s Governor this week. Bring it on!

To learn more about the BOOST project visit – www.boostbusinesslancashire.co.uk

The Liverpool Echo

Liverpool Echo

The Echo is a Liverpool institution, so Downtown did not take lightly the decision to undertake a poll last week that asked if the local newspaper’s front page headlines had a damaging effect on the city’s reputation.

The vast majority of those who participated in our poll, around 300, believe that it does, and that in itself is cause for concern. You can view the results here.

The reason we undertook the poll in the first place came as a result of consistent complaints from our members during and outside of our events over the past six months, many expressing the view that the constant barrage of crime related front page news headlines was a cancer in the city that was sapping confidence within Liverpool’s indigenous community and potentially putting off potential inward investors.

Of course the Echo can legitimately point to the fact that our poll was taken by only a tiny percentage of people in comparison to its own very healthy readership. It may also argue that the poll was not as representative as, say, a MORI led focus group.

But I think that the gut instinct of Downtown’s members and wider network is a pretty decent reflection of what many in the private sector think, and so I have written to Echo Editor Alistair Machray and asked him if he will meet a few of us to discuss our concerns. I have also offered him the right of reply in TFI, which seems only fair.

As a business organisation that wants our city to continue to grow and progress, we recognise that a successful local newspaper is important. In this city we are fortunate that we have another great title, the Echo’s sister paper the Liverpool Post, and both media outlets not only offer valuable media services, but quality jobs and a significant contribution to the local economy.

Nonetheless, as a local newspaper, we believe that there is a responsibility to balance the need to sell newspapers with a duty of care to the city and its image. Many of the Echo’s front page headlines in recent times don’t reflect our modernised, regenerated, transformed city.

I argued in this blog (Does Bad news Sell?) that the Echo was out of step with the city’s new found confidence and a more upbeat Liverpool community. I still believe that to be the case.

The Echo is not the enemy though. Indeed if we were to ask the question, ‘does the Echo stick up for the city against outside knockers’ we’d have had an equally resounding YES vote. If we’d have asked if you trust the Echo, I think the result would have been positive. And in its campaigning work from ‘Stop the Rot’ to Hillsborough, the Echo deserves huge credit.

But it doesn’t get everything right, and the balance between reporting the good and the bad on its front pages feels to be out of kilter to us at the moment – and those who took our poll last week seem to agree.

I look forward to meeting Alistair to have a constructive conversation about the issue, and I’ll let you know how we get on.

Finally, to the guy from Trinity Mirror who phoned our PR agency last week and told them that Downtown should not expect be getting any coverage in the paper anytime soon, I’d simply say this – don’t shoot the messenger!

CCG condemns Miliband’s HS2 negativity

HS2

The Core Cities Group (CCG) fired a major warning shot across Labour leader, Ed Miliband’s bow this week about his party’s increasing negativity towards HS2. The threat of “open warfare” came from the Labour chiefs of its members, which includes Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds.

What has become clear during my many conversations in Leeds is just how important big infrastructure schemes like HS2 are to the private sector in the city – it is the number one priority.

There is a real strength of feeling that we cannot allow this, and projects like NGT and the Northern Hub, to be hijacked by political wavering.

So it comes as a surprise that there are Leeds MPs and councillors quietly doing exactly that, willing to jeopardise the future prosperity of their city, seemingly  in favour of chasing the ‘not in my back yard’ vote.

If Leeds is going to take advantage of its current position as an economic success then only a concerted and cross-party effort to apply pressure on the Government will see it win investment in these and future projects, rather than chasing crumbs from the Westminster table.

Remember, there remain question marks over the ability of Leeds to deliver major infrastructure projects, in the same way that London was questioned about its ability to deliver the Olympics. Whilst Trinity and the Arena have shown ambition, it is the HS2s and NGTs of this world that show the commitment and determination to get things done.

If Leeds finds itself in another five years without significant progress on HS2 and an integrated transport system (the only major UK city without one) then the finger of blame will rightfully fall on the councillors and MPs who fiddled whilst the future prosperity of Leeds went up in smoke.

Lancashire has the ‘Feelgood’ factor

Lancashire Business Growth Cofnerence

The energy, dynamism and confidence that was evident from Downtown’s Lancashire Business GROWTH Conference last week provides our county with a fantastic platform to progress as we come out of a deep, long recession and head into 2014.

Around one hundred delegates packed into the fabulous Brockholes nature reserve to hear from some top speakers about sales techniques, marketing and the comprehensive BOOST business support programme that has been recently launched by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

However, the most impressive thing about the half day event was the delegates themselves. Great though all the contributors were, it was the buzz created by the business leaders and entrepreneur’s present, along with their challenging and constructive remarks that made the day special.

I have often said that Lancashire is the hidden gem of the North West, and the range of businesses and products showcased at this gathering more than proved it.

From the traditional manufacturing and professional services through to an ever increasing innovative creative sector, there was no shortage of business talent in the room. It was with some satisfaction that many of the messages we have been articulating for several years now appear to have been taken on board not only by the LEP but by the county’s leading educational establishments too.

By working in partnership, the private and public sector can progress Lancashire’s economy at a faster pace, and it was clear from contributions made by Lis Smith (Preston College), John Lonsdale (UCLan) and Andy Walker (Lancashire County Council) that they have put together a range of services that have genuinely taken account of the views of the business community.

This can only assist those with high growth ambitions, and the feeling within the room was that there is an environment within the world of commerce in Lancashire that can really prosper in the next twelve months and beyond.

One note of doubt remains around the ability of our politicians to put aside parochial issues for the more strategic benefit of the county. In Ruth Connor, it is evident that we have a strong leader in charge of the ‘marketing Lancashire’ agenda. She effectively stated to the conference her determination to bring cohesion and co-operation into this crucial area of work. That she must be supported by senior council officials and members is not doubted. The same co-ordination must also be applied to the economic development and regeneration arenas.

Lancashire’s private sector is feeling good. They will not forgive easily local politicians who stand in the way of future progress.