Business greets new era for UK with cautious optimism
As the UK gets used to a Labour government for the first time in 14 years, Gloucestershire's business community gently reminds the party of the key ingredient it needs to deliver economic growth.
Dear Readers,
There seems only one story of interest today - the general election. So we have shelved the feature we had planned and gone all in on some post-election reaction.
In Gloucestershire our votes mean the blanket of Conservative blue that lay across the county has all but disappeared to be replaced by not just Labour but the Liberal Democrats too.
Across the county the results looked like this (the reactions are contained in our main story below).
In Gloucester Alex Mcintyre (Labour - 16,472) replaced Richard Graham (Conservative - 13,041); in Cheltenham Alex Chalk (Con - 17,866) moves aside for Max Wilkinson (Lib Dem - 25,076); in Stroud Simon Opher (Lab - 25,630) replaces Siobhan Baillie (Cons - 14,219), in Tewkesbury Cameron Thomas (Lib Dem - 20,730) trumped the closest contender Damola Animashaun (Lab - 4,298); in the Forest of Dean Matt Bishop (Lab - 16,373) narrowly beat Mark Harper (Con -16,095); in the North Cotswolds Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (17,426), survived to beat off Paul Hodgkinson (Lib Dem - 14,069) and in the newly created South Cotswolds constituency, which includes Tetbury, Cirencester and Cricklade, James Gray (Con - 17,899) came in over Desi Latimer (Reform UK - 5,146). Reform were this year’s dark horse party, and elsewhere in the county managed 7,307 votes in Gloucester (Chris Farmer), 6,6,329 in Stroud (Chris Lester), 6,329 in Tewkesbury (Byron Clifford Davis), 8,194 in the Forest of Dean (Stan Goodin) and 6,502 in the North Cotswolds (Jason Preece).
Saying that today is all about ‘just one story’ is incorrect, of course.
We do make room for another story below, a short catch up about a campaign that has been building momentum in Gloucester for a few years now, and is finding real traction - and that is ‘Independent Week’, which celebrates the many smaller traders and businesses helping made the city an interesting place to visit. All 300 of them!
You can read all of the above below. And if you like this or any of our editions, please do share it using the button below and tell anyone and everyone what we are doing for the county.
And just lastly, good luck to all those involved in the Cirencester Business Awards tonight. We’ll have a full story on this very website over the weekend with all the winners. If you sign up fo rour email you’ll get the results first too!
Have a great weekend.
Please do continue to bear us in mind for your stories and ideas. Contact andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk or telephone 07956 926061.
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Celebrating Independent Week
Away from the election life goes on, of course. For small businesses, especially those in town and city centres, it can be frantic and they can often feel overlooked.
But as so many will tell you, while the main draw might be the big business, the magic and colour is often provided by those independents that bring character, personality and charm to a place.
This week Gloucester BID, the organisation that exists to champion the businesses of the city centre and encourage more people to visit and enjoy, has been doing just that with its Independent Week initiative - pointing to 300 such businesses in the city.
Emily Gibbon, the manager of Gloucester BID, said: “This is something that is celebrated nationally, and we have been doing for a couple of years, but we’ve started shouting about it for a whole week and it seems to be getting real traction.
“It’s about highlighting how important independents are to places, and about the people behind those businesses, their stories and personaliities which make their businesses worth visiting.
“They are often those places people feel most comfortable too, that make them feel part of communities - because they get to know the people who run them and they get to know you.”
And for businesses which don’t have the big marketing budget and rely on word of mouth to survive, such campaigns are vital.
“People’s support and commitment to supporting local businesses is pivotal for their survival, allowing businesses to thrive whilst exploring creativity, collaborating with other like-minded companies, and generally pursuing a passion for the production of food and drink,” said Will Lee, owner of Wholly Gelato, one of the growing number of food businesses located at one of the city’s new star attractions, Gloucester Food Dock - a treasure trove of independents under one roof.
You can find out more about the campaign here.
Our main story is below. Regular readers will know we often paywall our Thursday and Friday editions for the benefit of our paying members, those readers who pay for their email subscription service and help make this CIC sustainable to helping us provide some real journalism for Gloucestershire. If you have not subscribed already, please do consider doing so, as a free or paid-for member.
Business greets new era for UK with cautious optimism
As the UK gets used to a Labour government for the first time in 14 years, Gloucestershire's business community gently reminds the party of the key ingredient it needs to deliver economic growth.
By Andrew Merrell
A landslide victory for Labour it might have been in terms of MPs elected, but in terms of turnout it was one of the lowest of all time, and when all the numbers are in is expected to be in the region of 60 per cent.
It will be the second lowest turnout for a UK general election since 1885, with only 2001 being lower at 59 per cent.
And with as Keir Starmer’s team moves into Downing Street with just 34 per cent of the national vote and the Conservatives are all but swept aside in Gloucestershire, it has left some already wondering with proportional representation might return to the agenda for those who think reform will bring a fairer system.
The Conservatives hold just 24 per cent of that vote.
But all that anaylsis already seems like a distraction for businesses, which have had their fill of that in recent years and hope the new era will bring one thing.
Sam Holliday, FSB development manager for Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath, said: “What businesses want now is stability. I don’t think anyone is expecting radical change and I don’t think anyone thinks the government has a lot of money to play with. But the recent period has been a very unsettling time.”
He did agree with the findings of Business West research we published yesterday here on Raikes, that there was a sense that many businesses were felt they could now move forward.
“I think there is cautious optimism. Our last confidence report was the best we have had for several years. There are still businesses struggling and some closing down, but compared to where we have been I am hearing less talk about interest rates, issues around staff recruitment, inflation is coming back down.
“I think there are a signs that there is a better period ahead, and achieving that will be down to stability to help businesses plan and to invest again.”
Fran Inman is the new chief executive officer for Cheltenham BID, which exists to champion and provide a voice for the town centre businesses.
“Forward it is all about stability and prosperity,” said Inman. “We want to collaborate with our new MP, and we want to work with him on his priorities - which he has already said include high street prosperity.
"He is commited to the economic development and to supporting the town and we want to make sure we all enjoy that prosperous future.”
As for Business West, which pre-empted the election by releasing the data we ran yesterday, which reflected the views of the FSB above, there were warm words this morning for the new MPs across the West – albeit with a reminder to Mr Starmer of promises in the run up to yesterday’s voting.
“We congratulate the new Prime Minister and his government. We look forward to working with our newly elected Members of Parliament to make our region the best place to live, learn and work,” said Phil Smith, managing director of the group, which represents an estimated 100,000 business members employing more than 5,000,000 employees across the region.
“We welcome the Labour Party’s commitment to an enduring partnership with business to deliver the economic growth and stability that we need.
“We also welcome the commitment to involving industry, trade unions and civil society in its plans for growth so we can contribute to building a stronger economy in all parts of the country.
“Our region has a vital role to play in driving UK productivity, increasing international trade and powering sustainable and inclusive growth.
“To do this, business needs the right environment to provide good, well-paid, jobs and deliver the investment that will help fund decent public services and improvements to living standards and infrastructure.
“Our region has great economic strengths, and we ask that this potential is fully harnessed. We need ambitious plans to tackle our longstanding challenges to help kickstart economic growth. These challenges include transport connectivity, housing, and planning.
“We would like to see initiatives that help people gain the skills and support that contribute to growing the economy.
“We also need investment in our emerging and growth sectors like green energy, alongside investing in the building blocks of the local economy that allow our businesses and staff to thrive.”
Diary Dates
📅 The Apprenticeship Roadshow will see the Gloucestershire Careers Hub arrive at AccXel Construction School in Cinderford on Monday, July 8 and Cirencester College on Thursday, 11 July. A panel of apprentices and employers will be on hand to answer all your questions at what are described as ideal opportunities for students interested in the career route to learn more. Find out more here.
📅 July 16: Ever wondered about your leadership style? Even if you think you know what it is, do you know how to unlock its potential? Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with Randall & Payne for this interactive workshop which will aim to help you understand and harness your unique leadership style, foster stronger relationships with your team and build successful partnership through effective communication. Randall & Payne’s Will Abbott will take you through what is called ‘the DiSC model’ on a voyage of discovery. Due to take place on from 9am to 11am at Chargrove House, Shurington Road, Cheltenham. Find out more here.
📅 18 July: Croissants & Questions is a new series of events at Farm491, the agri-tech-focused facilitity which is part of the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester. You are welcome along from 8am to 9.30 am to its Alliston Centre for an informal and informative networking breakfast, meet new senior members (see below) and help us shape agritech innovation future. Find out more and book your place here.
📅 27th July 2024: Hartpury University and Hartpury College Rugby Celebration Dinner. Help celebrate 20 years of Hartpury RFC, 10 years of Gloucester Hartpury Rugby Ladies, and the remarkable triple 10-year anniversary of its treble achievement: RFC, BUCS, and AASE title victories. Find out more here.