Addressing the issues facing county’s future
LACK of affordable housing, planning red tape, poor business leaderership and outdated recruitment practises were identifed as challenges facing growth in the county.
They were raised in a round table discussion at a conference hosted by University of Gloucestershire’s School of Business and Technology.
Representatives from local businesses and organisations took part in the debate on why Gloucestershire has an estimated productivity rate 6.4 per cent below UK average and is expecting a shortfall of 48,000 unfilled jobs within 20 years.
Deborah Lee, chief executive of Gloucestershire NHS Trust which is the county’s largest employer, said: ““Gloucestershire is a fabulous county and we are fortunate in the quality of the people we attract and retain, but ensuring a sustainable workforce, and reducing a considerable financial deficit, are huge challenges for us.
“The historic bursary for nursing and allied health professional degrees has gone and students face the same £9,250-a-year loan as other students.
“This has impacted on the numbers applying for these programmes.”
She continued: “While 18 year olds aren’t necessarily so worried about this, it can look like a big debt to a 35 year old with children and a mortgage.
“Professionals who are mobile, such as doctors can work anywhere.
“We need incentives that make it easier to live and work in Gloucestershire so we attract and retain the best.
The issue of affordable housing was raised by Ben Westran of Mears Group,
which repairs, improves, builds and manages new, affordable housing.
He said: “Productivity is a very specific issue for us. It’s about how long it takes to turn around a property and get it ready for occupation.
“We see an opportunity to fill the gap left by local authorities, and with six district councils and one county council, at the moment it’s all about finding the necessary funding.
“We’re a bit of a stop gap and the private sector is helping us fill the void in council housing alongside the flexible care services we provide for older and disabled people.”
Gloucestershire College principal Matthew Burgess believes the county is facing a huge divide between children who have done less well in school, and those from more affluent households.
He said: “By and large, employers don’t spend much on training – 80 per cent invest less than £5,000 each year and the assumption that young people are naturally tech savvy is misleading.
“A focus on higher level technical skills is in order and there needs to be a difficult conversation on educational attainment.”
Chris Creed of Creed Foodservice, advocated his business as a model of investment in people development.
He said: “We spend a huge amount of money on training, but we are still encountering 16 year olds who struggle with their communication skills and this is a problem.
“If we don’t get people who are educated properly and ready for work, we are not going to improve our productivity
“If they can’t find accommodation and the roads aren’t improving we’re not offering them an attractive place to work and live.”
Scott Lawrence, a partner at accountancy firm Hazlewoods, believes young people appreciate a social working environment.
He said: “Under-25s do not want to be working from home, they want to work with other young people.
“Getting the right people, simplifying what they are doing and removing cumbersome processes should make their careers much more interesting and encourage them to stay.
He continued: “We also need better infrastructure.
“There is one road in and out of the Forest of Dean, car parking in Cheltenham is sparse, and while we have a public transport system, it is not suited to the young professional.”
A steady influx of European labour has made the UK market complacent, according to Simon Carey of Barnwood Group.
He warned: “The payback from Brexit is really going to hit us in the next few years but we can overcome the construction part with technology.
“The real problem is the bureaucracy associated with building.
“Getting land designated quickly and with planning permission from councils is vital if we want to be a county that’s open for business.”
Simon King of Hartpury University asked why business processes to enable development aren’t working more quickly.
He said: “I do challenge the work ethic we have as a country.
“We have some highly-qualified and experienced professionals, such as the police, who are encouraged to retire from the workforce after 30 years, therefore losing essential experience and knowledge.”
For Antonia Shield of BPE Solicitors in Cheltenham, the future looks bright where technology is a factor.
She said: “Technology is huge for us. The biggest challenge is that artificial intelligence is expensive and we’re a relatively small business.
“The question is how do we compete against larger organisations? ”
Professor Kamal Bechkoum, head of the Business and Technology School, concluded there are clear pathways businesses and the university can pursue to improve the county’s prospects.
He said: “There are recurring themes throughout our discussion.
“Productivity is a key focus and we clearly need a group of people who can act and take things forward.
“We’re proud of the excellent things our county already does well.
“We will now be further engaging with our partners to consider what changes need to be made to take us to the next level.”
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