We all know that a critical objective of any local government is to develop local business. And it’s no different here in Rushmoor. ANHCA was fortunate enough to speak to Cllr Gareth Lyon, who is playing a leading role in helping make Rushmoor the best place in the UK to do business. It’s a big ambition, but one the Conservative-run Rushmoor Council is taking seriously…
George
Hi Gareth, thanks so much for joining us today!
Gareth
No worries at all George. It’s really important we find time to talk about all the things we’ve been doing at the Conservative-run local council – I’ll happy to talk for hours if you’d let me!
George
Ha! Perhaps we’ll go for 30mins for now, but who knows how many follow-up interviews we’ll end up doing…
To start though, and for those who may not know you, can you introduce yourself please?
Gareth
Of course. I’m Gareth Lyon, the portfolio holder at Rushmoor for planning and economic growth, and I’m also the Conservative West Heath Ward councillor.
George
Great. As you know, we're here to talk about business in Rushmoor today. So, to kick things off, what makes you so passionate about helping the businesses thrive in Rushmoor?
Gareth
I think it's incumbent upon any local council to try and do what it can to help give its people more opportunities and more chances to succeed.
That’s what drives me and the team, and that’s what’s been the inspiration behind our overarching aim - making Rushmoor the best place in the UK to do business.
George
Can you tell me a bit more about how you and the team came to pursue such an ambitious but exciting goal?
Gareth
Business is at the heart of what it is to be a Conservative. Business is about creating jobs. Good business also helps others by offering people products or services at a quality and price that they would want. In sum, it benefits everyone.
We know Rushmoor has vast potential to be the best place to do business in the country, and the Conservative Council and I are fully focussed on ensuring that potential is fulfilled.
George
To achieve this, I suppose you need to first understand the business environment. Can you tell me a bit about Rushmoor’s business landscape?
Gareth
Sure. It’s the technology and aviation industries which have come to dominate the local business scene. The main reason Farnborough exists in anything more than a large village is because of Farnborough airport. Not many people know that before Farnborough airport there was a balloon factory, supported by lot of creatives designing cutting-edge technological innovations in the late 19th and early 20th century. Aviation has been here for a while!
It’s hard not to overstate the importance of the aviation industry to both Farnborough and Rushmoor. Everyone knows that it’s one of the areas in the UK, and indeed in the world, that you go to for aviation expertise. That's why in recent years, Gulfstream decided to invest in Farnborough, rather than one of the many other options across Europe, for their European headquarters. It’s this aviation strength and pedigree that the local Council and I are seeking to complement and develop further.
George
I would agree. I think this would be reflected if you were to ask someone randomly in the country about Farnborough - I bet they’d mention the Farnborough Air Show!
Gareth
It’s not all about aviation though. We've also got wider technology firms in the area. There's a number of large microchip and software companies that are based in Rushmoor, and we’ve also got broader automotive technology with the likes of BMW. Large scale research and investment by the Ministry of Defence over years has also encouraged businesses to invest in the local area.
Rushmoor also benefits tremendously from fantastic transport links, something I think often gets overlooked or unfairly downplayed. This is a critical enabler for Rushmoor, and puts local businesses in a fantastic position to develop and grow. Farnborough is the biggest private airport in Europe for example, which attracts quite a lot of investment in off its own right, but more importantly, for the vast majority of us who can’t fly privately, we have the Direct Line into London, as well as the nearby M3.
George
Walking around Aldershot and Farnbourgh, I’ve seen lots of smaller non-aviation businesses. I’m assuming they are also a key part of the business landscape too?
Gareth
They are indeed. These businesses are set up, owned and grown by local people, and are arguably at the very centre of our business environment.
We call them small and medium sized enterprises – SMEs – and whilst there is clearly an important role to play for the big investors in the area like British Aerospace and BMW, SMEs are critical, and where most of the innovation and dynamism comes from.
So when we think of our local economy, we primarily try to think of these businesses, and what will help them to succeed. What can we do for example to make it easier to set up a business, to grow a business, to employ more people, or to attract invest.
George
This is all music to my ears Gareth, but as we know, great ideas like these don’t always translate into the desired reality. How do you and the Conservative Council actually plan to improve our local businesses, and make Rushmoor the best place to do business in the UK?
Gareth
That’s a fair question. We are very aware of the need to deliver this, and not just ‘sell’ an idea.
Firstly, there are a number of businesses that are struggling in Rushmoor due to both the current economic climate as well as other more local factors. This is matched across the country where town centres are struggling. But in Farnborough we have a very good success story. We have bought the Meads shopping centre for example, and we are actively working with the shops and restaurants that to try and help them weather the economic storm and grow. We're seeing more restaurants investing in Farnborough, we're seeing more leisure services coming in. I’m confident there'll be some good announcements coming that way soon – watch this space!
In Farnborough and in Aldershot, we are also running more events to draw people into the town centre. These aren’t just creative events, like markets of different types, but also things which draw upon our heritage or attract people at different times of the year, whether it's Halloween or Christmas. We’ve seen some really encouraging signs from our efforts too.
George
This sounds great Gareth, but what about businesses facing really specific, micro circumstances? I know for example that lots of small businesses in North Camp have found business hard recently with all the road works going on. What is being done to help them?
Gareth
Another good question, and one I’m glad you asked. We are very aware of the unique circumstances facing the businesses there and are continuing to do lots to assist them. We’ve introduced business rate relief schemes for example, as well as and parking in the area to attract more customers in.
George
I had no idea you’d been doing all of that, and I’m glad to hear it. Going back to your plan to make Rushmoor the best place to do business in the UK, are there any other things you and the Council team have been doing to make this a reality?
Gareth
Oh gosh yes, lots more. Something we’ve been looking at is how the Council operates. How do we change our ways of working to make us more efficient and more business friendly?
As part of this, we've introduced a three-part deal with SMEs in Rushmoor. Firstly, we are looking at our procurement frameworks to make sure that local SMEs get a fair look in and are able to benefit as much as possible. We know that local firms, local smaller firms, can often provide great service and often at a lower price and better value to the taxpayer. So this change is all about making sure local firms can bid for Council contracts, and encouraging them to do so.
The second part focusses on prompt payment. We are very aware that for smaller firms, reliable and quick payment of invoices for goods and services is essential, so we've agreed that we will pay for invoices within 30 days of the delivery of goods and services. So if you’re a small business owner in Rushmoor, you’ll now have peace of mind that once you've delivered your part of the bargain, you will get the money back into your business in a reasonable period of time, and not suffer painful delays.
The third and final thing we're doing is introducing an element of social value to all our dealings with contractors and larger firms. We are now requiring these larger firms to try and use local SMEs as much as possible in their own supply chains, giving them a chance to be able to bid and compete for those for those areas. In our mind, this sends a very positive signal to local firms, telegraphing that we understand their business environment, and that we want to give them every opportunity to develop and grow.
George
I’m no economist, but I can see how these changes will help drive growth across Rushmoor. People are also a critical part of any business environment though. Is there work being done to help develop the next generation of Rushmoor entrepreneurs?
Gareth
Yes, lots. We are working very closely with the Federation of Small Businesses at to try and identify any other obstacles that might be impeding growth. We want to encourage students at, for example, Fanrborough Tech to be able to not get a job with the skills they've learned, but to use those skills to set up their own business.
So in Farnborough town centre, we've been looking at trying to make some of our vacant shop units available for students to be able to try out their skills as a business, and to see if they can get a small business going off the back of that trial.
We are also organising regular forums between the Council and local businesses, both small and large. These are important opportunities for these firms to voice their concerns, share experiences, and to lobby the Council for necessary changes to make our business environment even better.
We don’t stand on ceremony here. We’re a Conservative council, which means we don’t engage in vanity projects or introduce vindictive and nonsense regulations to appease our own egos. We want open and free dialogue with our local businesses, and we shall endeavour to make sure we provide a predictable, supportive and stable business environment as a result – that’s something you’ll always get with the Conservative administration here in Rushmoor!
I really hope that any businesses reading this come away with the message that in Rushmoor we are pro-business and if they have any ideas about how else we can help make Rushmoor an even better place to do business so pelase get in touch!
