Insider Media Limited

INSIDER: How has the recession impacted on your business or organisation and the sector that you are in?
Ian Dudson The hospitality industry is fairly buoyant but what is missing is confidence. Nobody is undertaking any major project work at the moment and a lot of our business comes from this. There may be a positive side to this in that some of the work we are not getting at the moment will still have to be done. Our strategy within the business is to balance output to current demand whilst continuing to take a long-term view.
Andy Greenhough The work we are doing with employers on the skills agenda is considerable. The number of level two employees who have come through the college in the last year has doubled and we’ve seen an active development in employers gearing their workforce up, hopefully for the upturn. What is concerning is that the number of 16-18 year olds going into industry on apprenticeships has taken a serious downturn.
Tom McCartney Some of our schemes have adjusted but the fundamental schemes have progressed. There is a lot of pressure on agencies who are trying to do things, people like AWM and the HCA. Budgets get cut and there has to be a re-profiling but it hasn’t really affected what we are trying to do. But if the money gets cut again and again and again, of course it will have an effect.
David Webster You could argue that the one thing the credit crunch taught us is that scale of operation is no guarantee of success. The government approach at the moment seems to be, if it moves tax it, if it carries on moving regulate it and if stops moving subsidise it. We need to get back to some degree of normality.

INSIDER: What are the main problems within the sub-regional economy that need to be tackled?
Greenhough The level of skills and the change of the dynamic in industry within North Staffordshire is a major concern. We need to focus on moving people around sectors and making them more transferable.
Webster At Finest we have done quite a bit of work looking at how we can enhance skills levels locally and amongst our young professionals. One of the reasons for the inception of Finest was to maintain quality work in this area. There are lots of talented people in North Staffordshire and we are sick of seeing them drift out to Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.
Dudson We need to bring people into the area: individuals, new businesses and relocation businesses. If we don’t raise our profile and attract people into this area, it will be very tough to solve any of these problems.
McCartney When I look at some of the issues that face North Staffordshire, I struggle to work out why. When you work here and get into the grain of the place it’s hard to see why we’re in this economic position. But the industrial and commercial base we have has to be broadened. We need to change the economic and commercial base of North Staffordshire.

MIKE HERBERT, St Modwen: What are the regeneration partnerships’s short-term plans to attract more shoppers, retailers and businesses to the city centre?
McCartney Through our partnership with retailers we will be delivering the largest Christmas marketing campaign we’ve ever had this year. The public realm is about to start which is a huge project, about £40m. We have a new branding and a major announcement is due on the East-West retail development.
Dudson I think there are some things we can do in the city centre in the short term. We are very keen to introduce something like a park and ride scheme to make it easier to get people into the city and solve some of the parking issues.

DAVID WOOLRICH, F. Ball and Co: What plans are there to encourage the manufacturing industry to locate in North Staffordshire?
McCartney Ceramics is nowhere at the moment in terms of government thinking and it needs to be put onto the agenda. We went down to a St Martins {art college} in London and a lot of the ceramics students there want to set up a business. Why not in Stoke on Trent?
Dudson Ceramics is one of those few manufacturing products that you can start off in your garage. We should also focus on going into other creative industries. We have missed big opportunities to bring big businesses into this city and it was because our inward investment offer wasn’t complete.

DIANE CROOK, Staffordshire University: How will the University Quarter project transform lives in the area?
Greenhough It has the potential of affecting everyone in this city. It gives us an opportunity to sell ourselves regionally and nationally. It’s the beginning of a long-term strategy.
Dudson Staffordshire {university} has a national position in terms of ceramic design. It is a pivotal opportunity to bring people in. And we need to keep them in. There’s an opportunity at the {Keele} science park for technical ceramics for medtech.
McCartney It’s a great project. We need to create that feeling of being in a university quarter of the city. We have had some funding issues but the work is proceeding and will continue over the next five years.

PHILIP WILLIAMS, Keele University: What is the latest news on the planned business quarter?
McCartney In terms of the overall business district, it’s about 1m sq ft. That will change the area forever. Once it gets going it will take on a momentum all of its own. It’s not a quick fix but I think we will start to see activity there in 12 to 24 months.