December 31, 2016 8.30 am
This story is over 67 months old
Reflections 2016: Colin Davie – Helping Lincolnshire businesses trade and flourish on a global scale
Looking back to the start of 2016, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne spoke about the importance of the global economy. At that time I predicted that the Brexit and the US election votes would hold some surprises – and they certainly delivered that! Here at Lincolnshire County Council, we have been very…
Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment, Strategic Planning and Tourism at Lincolnshire County Council. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Looking back to the start of 2016, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne spoke about the importance of the global economy.
At that time I predicted that the Brexit and the US election votes would hold some surprises – and they certainly delivered that!
Here at Lincolnshire County Council, we have been very clear that it is our job to give businesses who trade internationally the best opportunity for their business to flourish.
We’ve developed a strong relationship with the government’s export advisers who work in Lincolnshire and who go out and give businesses day-to-day export advice. I’ve been impressed by the stories of Lincolnshire businesses winning new export contracts during 2016.
As a council, we have done our bit by promoting the Chinese market strongly, establishing an economic friendship link with Hunan province and hosting visits from Hunan delegations.
Lincolnshire education institutions recently visited Hunan and I understand that they will be winning additional business as a result of those visits – which are the result of our the economic friendship that we pioneered.
It’s important to continue to raise the profile of Lincolnshire so that visitors and businesses understand that Lincolnshire is a productive place for them to invest.
Our private sector colleagues in Team Lincolnshire had a strong presence at MIPIM, the international property exhibition, in spring 2016.
The workshop about Lincolnshire as a place to invest was very popular, and several businesses tell me that they are now following up on the excellent leads and contacts that they made at that event.
The cranes that we see on the skyline and the firms building new business premises all show that investment is coming to the county.
I’ve been very encouraged by the range of businesses gaining regional and national recognition during 2016. More locally, the Made in Lincolnshire, Digital Awards, and Select Lincolnshire award ceremonies (to name but a few) have showcased the range of excellent businesses that we have in the county.
Being a councillor gives me the opportunity to visit businesses like that. However, being a councillor also involves shaping, leading, and championing new policies and priorities for the county.
I am proud to be a member of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership board.
GLLEP is rightly recognised as one of the strongest LEPs in the country, and it is currently a leading voice in gaining recognition from the government for further investment in water management in the UK, not just to protect residents against flooding but also to support economic growth.
Within LCC, we have regularly debated the importance of addressing Lincolnshire’s skills challenge – filling vacancies in businesses, raising skills levels, and tackling unemployment. I am pleased that we have managed to attract £13 million to provide extra training and advice to address this skills challenge.
But we recognise that often it is better to tackle challenges and opportunities in partnership, and that is why I have invested time in the Midlands Engine programme.
One of the major benefits of being involved in Midlands Engine is that it can help our businesses to gain access to a major new financial instrument, providing close on £250 million of finance across the Midlands for businesses that want to grow.
And finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention the Poppies Wave at Lincoln Castle. Close to 500,000 visitors came to see the poppies – a sombre memorial which attracted significant people not just to Lincoln but to all parts of the county.
Councillor Colin Davie is responsible for economic development at Lincolnshire County Council.
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Lincolnshire residents are already feeling the impact of the rise in energy bills, which could soar to over £4,000 next year, with some saying they will just cancel their direct debits.
Energy bills for a typical household could hit £4,266 next year, experts warned. The higher estimate means the average household would be paying £550 a month, instead of £164 a month currently.
Two Lincolnshire MPs said they are pleased with the support being offered by the government so far, while a third sounded the alarm for extra support.
This comes after Cornwall Insight criticised regulator Ofgem’s decision to change the price cap every three months instead of six, as higher wholesale prices are also forecast. However, Ofgem said no forecast for next year could be “robust” at this stage and had “limited value”, according to the BBC.
In May, a £400 energy bill support was announced which was calculated on the basis of Ofgem’s prediction at the time that the price cap was likely to rise to £2,800, but experts now believe this will be higher. Here’s an explainer on how to access the energy grant here.
The Don’t Pay UK movement is demanding a reduction in energy bills to an affordable level, saying: “We will cancel our direct debt from October 1, if we are ignored. We will take this action if pledges reach one million by then.”
This sentiment was echoed by The Lincolnite readers, including Laura Jayne Coupland who said: “I will just cancel my direct debit because it’s an absolute joke. It’s about time the government intervened properly, if you care about the people and the economy so much, why are you allowing it? Let me guess, you will benefit from it.”
Kayleigh Dawson said: “I’ve cancelled my energy direct debits and will pay monthly what I can afford to. I’m more conscious on how much money I’m spending on outgoings and limiting them where possible.
“But, in complete honesty, who is not worried about the ever rising cost of just living and surviving? We shouldn’t be going from being comfortable to scraping by because those in powerful positions want second and third homes.”
Karl Anders said: “People seem to have no spare cash nowadays. My print business has gone from £108k during the pandemic to £5k this year. On top of this, we’ll probably be paying £300-£400 a month energy soon based on already thrifty usage.
“I don’t think many people understand how bad it’s going to get with food price rises, etc. There is a “I’ll put a jumper on” mentality currently, which will soon be shattered in October.”
Michael Basford said: “You do what our grandparents did, you cut your cloth. Our grandparents generation were amazing and very pragmatic when it came to making a little go far.
“Make do and mend as my grandmother use to say. So people should be planning for the worst case scenario now, not when it’s here and then too late. Own it.”
Peter Sykes said: “It’ll impact me by not using my heating. Probably not being able to pay my bills. Not able to buy food. Probably lead to a lot of people needlessly dying.”
Karen Price said: “Just had a bill for gas and lecky just under £3k for 8 months! British Gas put an estimate on the bill saying it will be just under £6k for 12 months next year.
“I’m not holding my breath for the October increases and tied myself in to a fixed not variable.
“Since my last supplier went bankrupt and it’s taken oven 8 months for British Gas to get us fully swapped over, it’s already increased tariff twice.
“Five years ago I was paying under £160 per month for both utilities. £2k per year, it’s now getting beyond a joke, considering three family members no longer live at home.
Ady Brodrick said: “Rising costs are a terrible thing for people, however with a change in lifestyle and some education the cost could be reduced. Sometimes it is situations like this that makes us change.”
Dennis Murray said: “Not quite sure how all this happened, except for a bit of rumouring. The country is definitely not going to survive under the current charges.
“Businesses are going to go to the wall, people on low wages are going to end up on full-time benefits, the countries tax recipes will collapse.
“There WILL be anarchy on our streets, people who have never demonstrate will now do it, crime will increase, people will cancel house, car, life, home insurance because they will not be able to afford it.
“Pensioners and other vulnerable people will turn their heating down, and some will die. Transport and personal cars will be a no no. I could go on and on. But this is reality, and what we are facing if something is not done now.”
Lincolnshire County Councillor Colin Davie said there were challenging times ahead for people on low incomes due to rising energy costs and political instability.
He said successive governments “of all colours” had “simply failed the British public on energy”.
“They haven’t planned, they haven’t invested, they haven’t built the infrastructure. So rising energy costs, which we should have been protected, are now absolutely under the whims of other people.”
He said there needed to be a balanced energy mix including solar, nuclear, wind, but that the current infrastructure was disconnected and “not secure”.
And he warned it was only going to get worse with reserves from Norway drying up and other countries having to make drastic changes over how much they export.
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