December 31, 2016 8.30 am
This story is over 59 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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The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
We are saddened to report that a 27-year-old man has lost his life in a road traffic collision today (2nd December).
We were called shortly after 7pm to reports of a road traffic collision involving a motorcycle at Station Road, Tydd Gote. Despite the efforts of medical staff, the man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
The A1101 was closed at around 7:40pm.
We are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact us immediately. If you were driving in the area at the time and captured dashcam footage, we would like to hear from you. There are a number of ways to get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 346 of today’s date.
We are appealing for witnesses following a serious collision on the A1.
Officers received reports of a two-vehicle collision at 5:41pm involving a black BMW X5 and a silver Citroen C5.
The driver of the BMW sustained minor injuries and the driver of the Citroen sustained serious injuries. Both were taken to hospital.
| Photo: RSM Photography
| Photo: RSM Photography
The A1 remains closed in both directions while emergency services are dealing with the incident.
We would like to hear from you if you witnessed the collision or were driving in the area at the time and captured dashcam footage. If you can help, there are a number of ways you can get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 304 of today’s date.
Children at a Lincoln school were treated to a PE session led by Team GB medallist Sam Oldham.
The pupils at Lincoln Carlton Academy were specially selected by Persimmon Homes South Yorkshire to enjoy the unique training session as part of the housebuilder’s partnership with Team GB.
Gymnast Sam Oldham, who won a team bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, was guest of honour at the school where the pupils completed a warmup session, an obstacle as well as admire his medal and Olympic torch.
Year 1 teacher, Leah Catten said: “It has been wonderful to welcome Sam to our school. We aim to give each child the best start in life so they can succeed with confidence and Sam’s inspiring session helped the children to understand that anything is possible, if you work hard.
“He talked about uncovering his own potential and that’s what we want for our pupils. He has been absolutely wonderful, and the children were amazed by his back flip.”
Sam said: “It was wonderful to be working with the children.
“It feels great to give back at the end of my career. I am approaching my final chapter, but these guys are just starting out.
“I never had an athlete come to my school to talk about the amazing things sport can do for you, so hopefully the kids will feel really inspired today to get into sport because it is so important for their mental and physical health – maybe some of them could even be Lincolnshire Olympians of the future.”
Alastair Hart, sales director of Persimmon Homes South Yorkshire, added: “The school is not far from our Greetwell Fields development, and we are always keen to support the communities where we are building.”
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