Archive for September, 2009

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PRESTON NEEDS SOME ATTITUDE

Friday, September 25th, 2009

A recently published report, commissioned by the Northwest Regional Development Agency to investigate Preston’s future economic potential, has highlighted that Preston has been treading water for years, and has failed to take advantage of the last decade of economic prosperity.

The 188 page dossier, compiled by consultants GVA Grimley, exposes weak civic leadership as a major problem and describes Preston as the North West’s ‘best kept secret’; not helped by ‘an incoherent marketing strategy’.

The report goes on to highlight the still significant opportunities available to the UK’s newest city, with the Tithebarn development seen as a central plank to Preston’s regeneration and renewal.

The Economic Potential for Preston paper also suggests that stronger leadership and more effective promotional campaigning would have seen the city on a par with Liverpool.

I welcome this no-punches-pulled assessment, not least because it vindicates many of the comments that Downtown Preston has made during the past two years.

If Preston is to take advantage of the potential it undoubtedly has it needs an injection of that thing Liverpool has in abundance – attitude!

For too long the city has allowed its Red Rose neighbours to dictate the pace of change (slow), manipulate agenda’s and ignore the strategic sense of placing Preston at the heart of a Lancashire city-region.

There also seems to be an unhealthy scepticism whereby, for Prestonians, the glass is always half empty. Almost any initiative is met with disapproval and complaint; most recently the excellent pop concert event was pilloried by many in the community, rather than welcomed.

Attitude is about ‘can do’ and that is what Preston must be about from now on in.

It also means being tough on occasion, and the stance taken by the new leader of Lancashire County Council, Geoff Driver, who, it has been suggested, is threatening to withhold cash from Fylde coast local authorities unless they drop their objections to the Tithebarn project, is a step in the right direction.

The appointment of Eliot Lewis Ward as chief executive of Preston Vision is also good news for the city.

As for marketing Preston, well almost anything will be seen as an improvement. But, free of charge, how about this for a strap line? Preston – the business friendly city with ATTITUDE!

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DECLARING AN INTEREST…

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

I attended my first meeting of the Liverpool City Council Regeneration & Culture Select committee last week in an advisory capacity.

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion at which a whole host of important issues, including the Cruise Liner Terminal, the Garden Festival site and the 2010 World Expo were discussed and debated.

However, before we could get down to the business of the day, a good fifteen minutes was taken up with the absurdity of council Members having to declare an interest in all sorts of nonsensical things. Gary Millar in particular, whose energy and commitment to the city means that he is involved in numerous initiatives and organisations, had a list as long as my arm.

The paranoia with which this item is now viewed by councillors is understandable, given that failure to abide by the rules leads to a potential ticking off by the national standards board, alongside the negative publicity that goes along with it.

In the vast majority of cases, what councillors are actually expressing is ‘having an interest’ rather than a pecuniary interest which, of course, should always be declared.

This barmy waste of local government time has been imposed by parliamentarians. What a pity they didn’t introduce similar standards of reporting for themselves.

NO ORDINARY JOE
DLIB hosted a private meeting with the Leader of the Liverpool Labour Party Joe Anderson earlier this week. Joe, and his colleague Steve Rotherham, who was Liverpool Lord Mayor in 2008 and now holds the Regeneration & Culture brief for the Labour Group at the City Council, spoke openly about the challenges they would face if they were to take control of the authority next May, and about their vision for the city’s future.

Whatever the politics of those in the room, all those who attended have commented on how impressed they were by the Labour Leaders presentation and performance.

LEADERS DEBATE
A larger audience will get to see Joe Anderson in action for themselves in February 2010, as both he, and the Leader of the Council Warren Bradley, have both kindly agreed to participate in a ‘Leaders Debate’ event that DLIB will host in association with City Talk.

I am sure this will be an occasion that generates a significant amount of interest, and I am delighted that Warren and Joe recognise the value of directly talking to, and addressing the issues of, the private sector from across the city.

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CALL IN DECISION NO SURPRISE

Friday, September 18th, 2009

The Governments announcement that it is to call in the planning application for the £700 million redevelopment of Preston city centre is disappointing, but should be of little surprise to anybody.

Even before the very aggressive opposition emerged from neighbouring local authorities, it was always the case that a project the scale of the Tithebarn scheme would end up at a public inquiry.

It is, therefore, a little concerning to hear Preston’s civic leaders express the view that the preferred developers, Lend Lease and Grosvenor, may now walk away from the development.

It would certainly be disingenuous of them to do so, on the basis of this latest news. Developers with the knowledge and experience of these international companies would have, or should have, budgeted for a public inquiry right at the outset of this process. If they walk now, they will be demonstrating a disloyalty and betrayal towards Preston that would be totally unforgivable.

Those of us who support Tithebarn now need to build a strategy alongside the developers to convince the planning inspectors that the case for the initiative is strong, and indeed will offer hope and economic benefit not just to our city, but to the rest of Lancashire too.

MUSEUM LATEST
Downtown is working hard alongside the Lancashire Evening Post, to keep the National Football Museum in Preston. A petition has received the backing of well over 1,000 people thus far, and a number of luminaries, including Sir Bobby Charlton, have supported the call for the attraction to remain here.

DPIB and the LEP are now planning to call a meeting of leading decision makers, local, regional and national, to discuss some of the issues that will affect the outcome of this debate, and we hope to bring you further details of this initiative next week.

Meanwhile, it is important that we are not drawn into a battle with Manchester city and its leadership. The council Leader, Sir Richard Leece, made it clear in his recent blog, that Manchester were approached for help and have not been predatory in any way regarding this issue.

I believe that whatever the outcome, Manchester will form part of the solution to this problem, and certainly its involvement means it far less likely that the facility will be stolen by London.

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CHRIS GRAYLING

Friday, September 18th, 2009

It is always fascinating when you get the opportunity to interview a senior politician, particularly one that is preparing for power with an agenda for change.

So, it was a pleasure to host the latest DLIB event yesterday, at the offices of DWF, where Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling responded to my questions on a range of issues including public spending cuts, local government structures and crime and disorder.

The positives I took from Grayling’s remarks yesterday:
*He and the Conservative Party do understand cities more so than previous Tory administrations. If, as I expect, they are in government next year, and Liverpool elects a Labour council, there will be no return to the type of confrontations we witnessed in the past. He was warm in his praise for Labour leader Joe Anderson describing him as ‘decent’ and someone he could do business with.

*The tram project is not off the Tory agenda as reported in some places last month. He is prepared to look at the case for the scheme, and is meeting with Mersey Travel Chief Neil Scales to review the Business Plan for the initiative next month. He warned that Merseyside local authorities need to be united behind any plans that are brought forward.

*Liverpool will have a referendum on the issue of an elected Mayor. Grayling said he would be ‘amazed’ if Liverpool didn’t vote in favour of changing the way the city is currently governed.

Negatives for me were:
*The continued talk of Northwest Development Agency abolition. The thought of local authorities across the city region being put in sole charge of strategic decisions and economic development is frightening. I hope the consultation that we have been promised by the Conservatives on this issue is genuine.

*The full impact of cuts in public expenditure, however inevitable, does not seem to have registered with Chris; and his suggestions on welfare reform and changes in the law and order arena sounded like initiatives that have been tried, and failed, before.

Overall, though, an extremely confident, progressive and welcome presentation from the man who will be one of the most senior members of the government this time next year.

And any bloke who enjoys the music of China Crisis and has a ‘crush’ on Cameron Diaz, as he also revealed yesterday in a tongue in cheek end to the session, cannot be a bad ‘un.

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SAVE OUR MUSEUM

Friday, September 11th, 2009

The news that the national football museum, situated at Deepdale, is considering a move to pastures new is disappointing, but can be of little surprise to anyone.

The facility has relied heavily on public subsidy since its launch in 2001, with the Northwest Development Agency, in particular, providing the necessary resource to keep the museum afloat.

 

Anyone who has visited the museum cannot help but be impressed with the way in which it has presented the history and tradition of the beautiful game to its estimated 100,000 annual visitors. However, has it done enough to maximise its potential, engage with the local business community and, most importantly, provide an offering that is attractive to the younger generation.
For those of my generation and older the football museum is full of memories and memorabilia that take us back to a golden age never to be seen again. To kids and twentysomethings, it is what it says on the tin. A museum- and a pretty boring one at that.
Where is the opportunity to interact; to participate? Computer games, penalty shoot out competitions, the chance to meet today’s soccer stars. And, from a money spinning perspective, where are the merchandise sales?

 

The museum has missed a trick in failing to recognise the need to modernise and that lesson needs to be learnt if we are successful in the campaign to keep the facility in our city.

 

Nevertheless, there are good arguments to support our campaign.

 

I am told that to move the facility a cost of between £6 and £8 million will be incurred. It is also the case that much of the archive would have to remain in Preston, come what may.

 

From a social inclusion aspect, too, Deepdale represents the type of area that NEEDS to have this kind of attraction. And from a regional perspective, isn’t there a need to have a balance of offerings across the North West? Surely it is unhealthy to house everything in Manchester and Liverpool.

 

It is true, too, that the lack of support from the professional football organisations is nothing short of a disgrace. For the FA, the Premiership and the Football League to turn their backs on a venue that provides the community with the opportunity of witnessing and celebrating the games rich tradition and superb heritage tells us a lot about the folk who run our national sport today.

 

For the monthly salary of an average Premiership player, the museum could be saved. It is the football authorities; not the public sector, nor the private sector of Lancashire, who need to cough up. It’s the cash rich soccer industry, which needs to demonstrate that it can still identify the value, as well as the cost, of something.

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