Your county needs you!

Following months of wrangling, back biting and parochial politics, Lancashire has finally established a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), and the county’s business community has met the news with.....some scepticism actually.

The make- up of the board members has left people wondering if there are enough voices on the LEP who will articulate the needs and views of the SME market, and at a time when the government is pushing female entrepreneurship it is a concern that there is only one woman representative – and she is from the public sector.

However, I think such complaints are wide of the mark, and what Lancashire’s private sector now has to do is ensure that it plays its part in helping the new LEP shape an agenda for the future that does reflect our views, hopes and fears.

How is the economy performing at the moment? What sectors are strong, which are weak? Are the banks really open for business? Does the business community feel confident?

These are all questions that are being frequently asked by commentators and politicians as the UK economy struggles to convince many that it has come through the worst of the downturn and is now heading towards recovery

We often complain about decision makers not pursuing business friendly policies, not communicating or consulting effectively.

If you can’t be bothered telling decision makers what you think, they are unlikely to be bothered trying to find out.

Frank McKenna
Downtown Business in Lancashire