A meeting of like minds at Cannock Chase Business Leaders Forum took place recently at the Ramada Birmingham North Hotel at Cannock Chase South, Bridgtown, and in attendance were delegates from the business community, the local authority – Cannock Chase Council, Staffordshire County Council and other voluntary organisations.
The meeting was organised by the Past President, Fred Pritchard and the staff of Chase Chamber of Commerce, and it was designed to discuss the extent of the Local Enterprise Partnership for Greater Birmingham and Solihull which incorporates Cannock Chase.
Mr Brian Francis, CEO of Gestamp Tallent Automotive, is the Cannock Chase representative Board Member on the LEP, and he gave a report as to how LEPs can help the wider community, both with services and particularly job creation, of which Gestamp Tallent have been instrumental in the last year or so of bringing in apprentice programmes and indeed increasing the number of employed in the Cannock Chase area.
Brian Francis was most explicit in the fact that the LEPs are not talking shops; they are there to do things, to help and assist the wider community and bring wealth to the Cannock Chase area.
Present were representatives from:
Pritchard Group plc
Ansons LLP
ATP Industries
Dains LLP
Briggs Equipment
Rhenus Logistics
St Modwen
Traditional Structures
Ultra Electronics
Ultralogic
Aspiration and inspiration were also discussed and the lack of employment or more to the point, the unemployment particularly amongst the young in the area, where it was made clear that inspiration and aspiration were lacking, but needed to be advanced so as to create the right culture of work and enterprise.
The meeting closed on a high note that everyone was up to the challenge in all sectors and that further meetings would take place with the Business Leaders Forum, and sponsors were already arranged in the form of Finning UK, Briggs Equipment and Ultra Electronics of Rugeley – a wide spread across Cannock Chase and with the accent on not only talking but getting things done.