The delivery of the first Conservative Queen’s speech in almost 20 years marked a significant moment for the UK’s service industries, with particular importance for the private security sector, says Paul King, pictured, long-time Manchester-based guarding man, Regional Director of The Shield Group.
The government has now committed itself to introduce legislation with the aim to rebalance the economic recovery through the devolution of power and the creation of a ‘northern powerhouse’, marking the beginning of an important time for the North, full of economic and business potential. For decades, London has been allowed to grow exponentially, attracting talent and investment and centralising business opportunity to within the boundaries of the M25. Meanwhile, outside of London, business growth has been far more restricted and there is a feeling that relative economic decline in the North is inevitable. However, whilst it is encouraging to see the government now finally giving the North’s potential the attention it deserves, it must be considered as to how the full potential of great cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds can be realised.
Local decision-making will inevitably lead to a better public framework and support network for businesses in the North to take advantage of, helping them to reap the benefits of the UK’s appeal for inward investment. With decision-making responsive to the needs of local businesses – instead of blanket policy implementation from Westminster – the local economies of Northern cities will be able to arm themselves with the best tools relevant to prosper. In addition, investment in infrastructure, transport links and education, both in-school and adult education, will make the North a more attractive place for businesses, and their workforces, to be based. Over the last five years, we have recognised the North’s potential and have invested time and resource into establishing a greater presence here. Last year saw the opening of our all-new regional headquarters in Manchester, playing a part in the huge regeneration project at Manchester’s Trafford Plaza. In Preston, we saw the successful introduction of a state-of-the-art monitoring centre, which is proving vital for both the public and private sectors in CCTV monitoring and has become a core operational base for our nationwide business. Through newly skilled jobs and cutting-edge technological development, we have shown a snap shot of what the North can add to industries across the UK economy, and we believe the ‘northern powerhouse’ commitment will contribute further to this.
Another significant step forward for businesses in the North will be the retention of business rates, a scheme already being piloted in some local authority areas. Furthermore, a study by the Centre for Cities has also found that local business rates could increase the amount of floor space available to business, which is greatly needed for growth in cities outside of London. We hope this policy will be implemented in full and look forward to seeing businesses across the regions gaining from it. However, as the saying goes, with power comes responsibility, and so the onus must lie with these empowered local authorities and city mayors to take a bigger role in tackling the societal problems that those outside of London face, such as higher youth unemployment, lower wages and low-skilled jobs. The government’s promise to delivering two million new apprenticeships is a welcomed announcement, but local authorities need to go further. Using their new powers, local authorities should ensure that each young person leaving school is made aware of the full range of options available to them when starting a career.
Furthermore, if you wish for your apprentices to feel part of the business, my experience has been that nothing makes this clearer than hiring them on the same basis as your permanent employees, including the level of pay. At The Shield Group, we not only empower our apprentices through the opportunity to learn new skills and qualifications, but also through their good wages, underlining the value of their services to our business strategy. Apprenticeships will provide a strong foundation for both the North’s standard of living and business growth, so as a business community, we must do more to encourage them.
In the security industry, nothing is more important than the relationship between the public and private sector. Our partnership with the police is essential to combating criminal activity, whilst our work with local councils and enterprise boards help us to attract new business and develop our expertise about local areas. The devolution of power to city governments will enable us to further these relationships and, though economies of scale and shared expertise, will build a more efficient and effective security sector. The inclusion of the ‘northern powerhouse’ policy in the Queen’s Speech is a positive development, and it is a great opportunity for the North to become a strong competitor to London and the South East. It’s essential that UK businesses take advantage of the attention that the North is attracting and we must not let this momentum pass. p
