Prospect Leicestershire Launch
Curve Theatre, Leicester April 8, 2009
Nick Carter, Chairman - Opening Speech
"My Lord Mayor, Chairman of the County Council, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the launch of Prospect Leicestershire, the new economic development company for Leicester and Leicestershire. Welcome to the start of what we are all determined will be a new and more effective way of guiding our local economy through difficult times into a more prosperous future.
In a few moments we will hear from Councillor David Parsons, Leader of Leicestershire County Council and then from Councillor Ross Willmott, Leader of Leicester City Council. Then David Hughes, chief executive of Prospect Leicestershire will outline some of the activities of the new company before we get a briefing from Ted Cassidy on the very exciting Phoenix Square development. Then I will be back with some closing remarks.
We are here today, in this remarkable building - a shining example of Leicester's burgeoning regeneration - to mark not just the launch of Prospect Leicestershire but also to celebrate the vision that has put our city and county on a new path.
The decision by the leaders of the city and county councils to work together on economic strategy is unique in the UK. The structure created to guide that work is also a national first.
The economic alliance between the city and county produced a multi-area agreement which was signed off by Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier this year. That sets out ambitions for greater prosperity and sustainable economic growth across the whole area.
Prospect Leicestershire is one of the key delivery vehicles for this new strategy. We are charged with delivering physical regeneration and growth, business innovation and support and inward investment across Leicester and Leicestershire.
We have brought together a strong and dynamic board from the private and public sectors to guide the company's work. We have brought together the team from the Leicester Regeneration Company and the Invest Leicestershire team from Leicestershire Promotions - and from early May we will all be based at 2 Colton Square - flagship building of the city's new Business Quarter.
The company will build on the successful regeneration work already started in Leicester, seek to extend it to areas around the city and work with organisations across the county to create jobs, improve skills and promote business and housing growth.
For the first time, there is now one organisation that can make doing business with the city and county much easier. The unique combination of expertise in regeneration, development, relocation and investment, working together under one leadership, will help to give this area a unique advantage in a hugely competitive market.
Prospect Leicestershire is thus ideally placed to offer an exciting ‘no boundaries' proposition to potential investors, developers and companies looking to relocate.
Even in the short time since the company was established, networks across the city and county are being reinforced and new partnerships forged. The relationships that are developing around the new shared economic agenda are leading the way for the rest of the country. This galvanising of the public sector and especially the business community is unprecedented.
The economic climate could hardly be more challenging, but now is the time when we all need to mobilise to meet the challenge.
Nick Carter, closing remarks
We have heard the political leaders talk about their vision and their commitment to this new shared economic strategy and to the new company, Prospect Leicestershire, that will play a key role in helping to deliver it.
We have also heard David Hughes outline the growing range of opportunities and challenges the new company has started to engage with in just its first few weeks.
In the two months since I took this job, a great many of the conversations I have had with people from the private and public sectors have dealt with the challenge of breaking down barriers, seeking new understandings, forging new relationships, demolishing silos and generally getting more joined up.
To me, the new company's ‘No boundaries!' proposition is not just a new invitation to the outside world to look more closely at what we have to offer, it is a rallying cry that reflects our internal challenge.
Can we really get more joined up? Can we make sure that the unity around economic strategy at the top levels in our city and county councils - and in our district authorities - is matched all the way down through those organisations? Can we make sure that the business community of Leicester and Leicestershire, through their established organisations and through the new Leicestershire Business Council, are really working together effectively on the new agenda? And can we improve the links between other organisations, companies and institutions - like our three outstanding universities - to make the very most of what we have?
I pose these as questions - but, of course, none of them are options. We can, we must and we will do this. Whether we call it ‘no boundaries', ‘more joined up', ‘partnership', ‘breaking down barriers' or ‘smashing the silos', we can get better at working together.
And it has already started to happen. For the first time, leading members of the business community, through the Leicestershire Business Council, are engaged with political leaders and senior officers in planning our economic future. At the same time, representatives from a range of organisations are already working to develop policy proposals around business enterprise, transport, rural issues, skills and housing.
This is not going to be a simple process - but the first, important steps have been taken.
The team at Prospect Leicestershire will be fully involved in this great new enterprise - and I know the will is there across both the public and private sectors for us all to work together more effectively for the benefit of our economy and for the people who live and work in this great city and county.
I look forward to working together with all of you - and let's make sure there really are no boundaries to what we can achieve together."