Our county is open for business, says town MP

After the sharp shock of the recession comes the grinding, pounding headache of the aftermath.

Jobs are still being shed, and spending cuts mean few have much to be optimistic about.

But in south Worcestershire, often seen as the business backwater to its more economically developed north, business leaders, politicians and local authorities are giving a more upbeat message.

News of £17 million of Government funding towards Worcester Technology Park goes a country-mile towards keeping heating giant Worcester Bosch – a major employer – in the county, and was greeted with delight by business leaders.

And it coincided with an optimistic announcement by West Worcestershire Tory MP Harriett Baldwin that Malvern’s high technology industry was “open for business” after she was shown around defence technology firm Dytecna.

Malvern has had more to celebrate with QinetiQ’s pledge to commit to the town for the next five years, following multiple rounds of job cuts and departmental sell-offs.

Critics might say with good economic news hard to come by, it is easy for some to ‘talk-up’ the occasional good news to make things seem better than they are.

The more sceptical might observe the £17 million Government grant announcement was in fact a re-allocation (and a downward revision) of the money which had already put aside by the old Government.

But the fact is the economic hangover will end and the message from MPs such as Mrs Baldwin and Paul Sampson, Worcestershire County Council’s business and policy chief, is that if they do not talk about the good news nobody else will.

Nor will ‘good things come to those who wait’ and without preparing the economic ground for the upturn, the UK in general faces years of a flat economic recovery.

“We’re in an economic cycle,” said Mr Sampson.

“Our job now in the public sector is to help create an environment where it is easier for business to do business, for companies to talk to each other.”

That thinking is at the heart of the creation of the county’s new local enterprise partnership (LEP), although most residents would be forgiven for saying: ‘eh, what’s that?’ The LEP is a group of businesspeople, organisations such as the chamber of commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses, who together with councils will be deciding what the county needs to make more money, create more jobs, and make Worcestershire better off.

For example, it is bidding for new Government enterprise zones – business rate-free zones – in Worcestershire, and supported the city technology park bid.

In the future it will make such bids on behalf of all the county’s businesses and its councils.

Mr Sampson believes Worcestershire must also develop its “hidden talents” if its economy is to expand, and residents can share in the success.

“All businesses want to expand, they need to expand. So does the county if it is going to create more jobs,” he says.

“The truth is if we don’t have people like Worcester Bosch and Mazak (Worcester) and Dytecna expanding, then there won’t be enough jobs for the children of our residents when they grow up.”

Only last week Mrs Baldwin was hailing Malvern’s “brains” – a select number of firms which have developed a niche high-technology industry creating and keeping much needed engineering, manufacturing and research jobs.

The technology and innovation industry is an answer to keeping Britain’s competitive edge when firms with low overseas labour costs can undercut more traditional run-of-the-mill manufacturing operations.

“In south Worcestershire, science, technology and innovation is absolutely key to the development of this area,” says Mr Sampson.

“What we need to do is add value, because the expertise is already here.

“Innovation is a key strength – that is why firms like Worcester Bosch are doing well, because it’s based around new technology.”

And QinetiQ – a high technology defence firm – has also announced plans for its own technology park at Malvern, in addition to the already neighbouring science park in Geraldine Road.

Mr Sampson said: “That is where the public sector comes in.

“We cannot get involved in the market, but we can listen to what business wants and make sure we have capacity in Worcestershire for firms to come in.

“And where the market has failed to deliver, we can then step in.

“That’s why we had Government money to buy land for the university – which produces skilled graduates for the job market, and Blackmore technology park in Malvern.

“There will be consequences for large developments, but we have to keep growth and to do that we need to keep skills and expertise here and make Worcestershire a place where firms can do business.

“Because if we don’t then business will go somewhere else.”