This was probably the key theme of the Business Insights “Driving Gloucestershire Investment” event.
The event which was at Patch, Gloucester on Friday 17th July will be available as a series of Business Insight podcasts and we will announce details of how you can watch or listen in due course.
Some highly significant issues were explored including the impact of Local Government Reform, housing and transport issues, and the concerns over funding for the development of M5 Junction 9A. Ruth Dooley, Senior Partner at Hazlewoods quizzed MP’s Alex McIntyre and Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown on these issues and there were some searching questions afterwards.
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It was generally felt that while a single unitary authority will be better for the Gloucestershire economy in the long run, there could be disruption in the short-term. And, with a more centralised approach, it is vital that local representation – for Cheltenham as well as areas like the Forest of Dean – is strongly maintained. The Chamber has a key role here in retaining a strong voice for local business.
“Together Gloucestershire Has Something Very Special”
Much of the rest of the event was given over to exploring the importance of ensuring that supply chains from developments such as Golden Valley are made more accessible to local SME’s. It also explored the importance of social value and how we need to develop relevant skills locally and crucially, keep them here, through better connections between business and education.
It was good to hear from Jack Kidder, of Golden Valley developer HBD about their commitments to all of these and how working with local communities and Chambers will be of such importance.
As the quote above suggests, he highlighted how the Together Gloucestershire initiative can play a leading role in bringing together key parties to work together to create opportunities for local people and businesses.
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The Chamber was one of the founders of Together Gloucestershire and strongly supports their aims. They have created a wide database of suppliers to enable large developers and contractors to meet social their value commitments on local procurement. They also arrange “meet the buyer” events, where procurement teams and potential suppliers can meet face to face and potentially catalyse mutually beneficial relationships.
Watch this space for more news on these.
The importance of social value was also widely discussed . Chamber Board member Claire Thayers introduced the Social Value Ideas Factory and how businesses can invest beyond commercial outcomes and work collaboratively to deliver huge benefits for local communities.
A separate Business Insights series is in development to explore this topic in more depth. Again, watch this space.
