By Cllr David Cornish
As of Friday, December 1, I’m very honoured to be picking up the role of Executive Member for Business and Economic Development, as my colleague Clive Jones stands aside to focus on becoming Wokingham’s next MP.
Clive has been a great champion for local business and he will be a hard act to follow.
This is both daunting and exciting at the same time.
It’s daunting because we’re all far too familiar with the challenges that the current economic climate brings us. Although slightly lower than the record levels earlier this year, inflation is still very high, and this produces a huge challenge for businesses that see their own costs continually rising but know that they can’t easily pass them on to their customers.
The tough times faced by consumers were reflected in August and October this year by significant national drops in retail spending, which hit our town centres.
And our shops are sadly, also on the receiving end of a national epidemic of shoplifting, which the police need to tackle with some urgency.
Despite the challenges, it’s also an exciting time for businesses in Wokingham as well. The growth of our creative industries at Shinfield and Winnersh is not just great for film and TV folk, but for the very many small trades and others that supply them.
All across the borough, new enterprises are springing up as individuals take advantage of new technologies and ways of working to start up new businesses from their homes or other small premises.
And as much as new development is a mixed blessing, the construction industry also brings jobs and wealth to the borough.
I’m going to have two priorities over the coming months.
The first is to get out and talk to people who are operating a business. I want to fully understand both the challenges and the opportunities they face, both in general but also in any areas where the council might be able to help.
Of course, this is not something new.
My predecessor Clive Jones led the way in encouraging Councillors and officers to talk to businesses frequently. We met many local employers at the Wokingham Jobs Fair in September and we’re looking to hold a similar event in Woodley in the new year.
We’ve also been out and about talking to retailers across the borough.
But it’s important that these aren’t just one-off events – we want to make interacting with our business community a way of life at WBC.
The second priority is to work with officers to evolve a new strategy for business and economic development across Wokingham.
We are only a mid-sized local authority, and our resources are limited, so it’s important that we use what we have to the greatest possible effect. The development of this strategy will, of course, be led by input from businesses but also from other key stakeholders as well, including parish and town councils.
Councillors from all parties will be welcome to input into this – I know from experience that the last thing needed by people running a business is a culture of ‘playground politics’. What businesses need is some stability, certainty and long-term thinking and I’ll always be ready to talk with sensible members of any political group who put the interests of the borough first.
Helping any local economy to thrive and grow in such tough times is not a task to be taken lightly, but I look forward to working with everyone who has an interest in making Wokingham a great place to do business.
Cllr David Cornish is the executive member for business and economic development on Wokingham Borough Council and ward member for Finchampstead South Ward
