DQ Magazine Issue 13: Women In Business Edition

TOTALLY FRANK

RISE & GRIND

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ISSUE 13

ROGER CASHMORE

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LEEDS & PARTNERS

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UPTOWN GIRL

#WIBA14

DISTRIBUTED BY:

DOWNTOWN IN NUMBERS

5

The number of minutes a senior Liverpool Council official predicted Downtown would survive when the organisation was launched in 2004.

10

2004

2014

The number of years Downtown has been established.

10,000+

800+

The number of people who have attended Downtown events.

The number of member companies Downtown has across the north of England.

££££££££

800 million+ The number of £££’s that have resulted in deals that have been done through the Downtown network.

18,000

4

The number of people on the Downtown database.

2

The number of marriages that have resulted from couples meeting at ‘Sexy Networking’.

22

The number of divorces that have resulted from couples meeting at ‘Sexy Networking’ (only joking!)

100+ The number of events that Downtown organises annually.

1

The number of locations Downtown operates in.

LIVERPOOL MANCHESTER LANCASHIRE LEEDS

Pair of twins that have resulted from a couple meeting at ‘Sexy Networking’.

dq EDITOR’S WELCOME the female entrepreneurs in this part of the world are an impressive bunch – but we need more of them!

The case for devolution is gathering pace following the Scottish Referendum on independence. Many of the things that Downtown in Business has been arguing and campaigning for over many years are now at, or near, the top of the agenda of our political leaders from the Westminster Village.

Our main DQ feature in this edition looks at why the UK has a problem with women in business – and what some of the solutions might be.

On a lighter note, we carry an extract from our very own Michael Taylor’s forthcoming novel ‘Forty by Forty’ – the tale of a man who had it all and lost it – the infamous Roger Cashmore.

The fact is that additional powers to the Scots will inevitably lead to a demand for genuine devolution to English regions. As others just start a discussion about the devolution possibilities, this DQ continues the debate that Downtown has led for a decade and asks what any new structures might look like – and argues that we need to be more ambitious and determined to demand rather than ‘ask’ for powers and responsibilities that will allow us to take control of our own economic growth plans and infrastructure projects.

As always your DQ has been put together with a good deal of TLC. For all the things you enjoy, thank Frank McKenna; for those things that don’t float your boat, blame Roger Jonas; for any grammatical, spelling or design mistakes blame the editor.

Another huge issue in the world of commerce is that of women in business. Another area that Downtown has been keen to explore,

Jack Hunter DQ Editor

Have a great Christmas and we’ll see you all again in 2015.

Best Wishes,

C O N TA C T U S / C O N T R IB U T O R S

FOR ADVERT ENQUIRIES CONTACT US AT: enquiries@dqonline.co.uk or Call us: 0151 600 5141

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DESIGN & ARTWORK

Frank McKenna, Michael Taylor, Jim Hancock, Victoria Brown, Maggie O’Carroll, Jennie Riding, Professor Lynn Martin, Sue Price, Neil McInroy, Jessica Studderd

Designs & Artwork: Jack Hunter Technical Editor: Chris Wilcox Photography: Adam Kendrick Photography, The Vain Photography, Deana Kay Photography, Soul Child Photography, Mike Black Photography

THIS MAGAZINE IS WRITTEN, DESIGNED AND PRODUCED BY THE DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS TEAM, AND PRINTED BY CALLPRINT © DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS. Downtown in Business can accept no responsibility for the veracity of the claims made by the advertisers. The views expressed are not necessarily the views of the publisher (DIB)

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Manchester may be ahead of the game not only in the north but in the UK when it comes to a co-ordinated governance model that central government trusts to deliver, but significant progress is being made in Leeds, Liverpool and Lancashire too.

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Happy 10th Birthday Downtown In Business

6 T O TA L LY F R A N K

44 WOMEN IN BUSINESS A W A R D S 2 014

40 ROGER CASHMORE

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16 SISTER’S ARE DOING IT FOR T HE M S E LV E S

DEVO MET SPECIAL

CONTENTS COLUMNS

F E AT UR E S

Totally Frank

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The Taylor Report

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Just Jim

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Uptown Girl Leading of Leeds

DOWNTIME

Main Feature: Sisters are doing it for Themselves

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Devo Met Special

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12

Event Feature: A conversation with Tom Riordan and Sir Howard Bernstein

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40 by 40: Roger Cashmore Exclusive

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5

Women In Business Awards 2014

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City of Liverpool Business Awards 2014

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Mancoolian Awards 2014

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Rise & Grind with Andy Bounds

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DQ Cool List

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Downtime

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FRANK MCKENNA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS

excellent American drama series House of Cards (if you haven’t watched it, you must get the box set).

IT’S LEADERSHIP STUPID! At a time when the country is crying out for some inspirational leaders and leadership, it is fair to say that none of the head honchos from any of the UK’s political parties appear in any hurry to pick up the gauntlet.

As we get set for the longest election campaign in living memory, uninspiring and underwhelming is the kindest way I can describe the performances of Prime Minister Cameron, Labour’s Ed Miliband and the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg over the course of this parliament. The three of them are vanilla, and this leaves a vacuum for big characters with little or no genuine political programme to enter the fray and command an audience and a degree of credibility.

Again, Boris is a likeable personality, says what he thinks about airports, Europe, immigration and, indeed, Liverpool – but do you know what his politics are, what he stands for? Boris does good Olympics, but has he got a programme for the future of the country – I’m not so sure.

Nigel Farage has one policy – to get the UK out of the EU. That is a single issue campaign, not a party political manifesto.

And yet UKIP has secured Tory defections, masses of media coverage and on average is winning 15% of support in the polls.

For the left the problem is that its big personality is only just emerging and by comparison to the two beasts that are Farage and Johnson he is relatively unknown outside of the Westminster Village and the political chattering classes.

Lack of leadership is a gift for Farage, and the next big beneficiary could be BoJo as he gets ready to forget his promise to the people of London to serve a full term as its elected mayor and jump back onto the green benches at Westminster.

Labour’s shadow business minister Chuka Umunna is most certainly one to watch, though he hasn’t quite arrived yet. The quicker he can do so the better for his party, which is in danger of going back to a time when it only appealed to its ‘core vote’.

I have to say, only months away from a General Election, I’m a little depressed about the state of political leadership we are currently witnessing. Thatcher and Blair may not have been everybody’s cup of tea, but at least we knew what they stood for.

Boris has been tipped for the top job of the Tory party for as long as he has been touting for the post – which is forever! He offers the type of support to David Cameron that Vice President Frank Underwood gave to the fictional President of the US in the

PLANET LONDON

The drive for devolution to English regions is more than adequately covered in other sections of this issue of DQ. However, what are genuine calls for devolved powers and responsibilities for city regions in the north, can often be seen as an attack on our capital city. Certainly, from my perspective, that is absolutely not the case.

London is one of, if not the, most successful cities in the world. Indeed recently it was given the title ‘most influential world city’ by Forbes, beating places like New York and Paris hands down.

Its recovery from the recession has been driven by determination and hard work – as well as the huge infrastructure resource that it benefits from in terms of government subsidy. As has already been mentioned, London also has Boris, a formidable lobbyist. Before that it had Ken who was even better.

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TOTALLY FRANK

When you visit London, you cannot be other than impressed and energised by the pace, dynamism and excitement that the city exudes. There recently for business and a short weekend break, it was clear to me that I was in a confident place that will continue to grow far faster than not only other parts of the UK, but most parts of the globe too.

What we do rightly demand is that London is not the be all and end all, for just like the UK without Scotland, London without the rest of the UK would be much, much poorer.

Why is it a given that High Speed Rail 2 should start to be constructed in the South East and not the North? Why is it inevitable that the additional airport UK PLC needs should be located in London? Why does London control its own transport strategy whilst the rest of the nation has to follow Whitehall dictat?

It is seen by talented young Brits as the place to head to. It is seen by foreign investors as the place to put their cash. It is seen by Russian billionaires as the place to buy a football team, or failing that property.

It is not London or Londoners, that we who argue for greater powers in our regions, have a problem with. It is those in the corridors of Westminster who seem to believe that we ‘up north’ are best left tendering to our allotments and looking after our whippets, rather than being given the power and resources to shape our own destiny.

For all the chancellor’s talk in recent months of rebalancing the UK economy I just don’t see that happening, and for the north that is not the prize anyway.

We all benefit from London’s wealth, from its growth and from its global influence. We don’t want to stymie that.

market trading area would bring.

Nonetheless, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Pro Europeans, of which I would consider myself one, to continue to defend some of the excesses that are emerging from the Brussels gravy train that is an over bloated and democratically deficient European Parliament – and rows over financial demands which, on the face of things, look like a penalty for success, don’t help the EU case either.

There is little doubt in my mind that the Prime Minister was playing politics with the EU football again recently, as he squealed violently against a demand for an additional £1.7 billion contribution to Brussels on the back of the UK’s successful economic performance in comparison to our European partners.

David Cameron is between a rock and a hard place as he attempts to placate his own right wing backbenchers and compete with UKIP as to who hates the EU more.

Worse, it is not possible for the most enthusiastic Europhile to defend the notion that 10,000 EU officials are paid more than the Prime Minister.

It is a task that he can never win because, as he has been told very directly on many occasions by those people, only withdrawal from the EU is good enough as far as they are concerned.

If pro EU campaigners are to maintain credence and credibility, then we must be even more robust than anti EU supporters in challenging the culture of waste, salary explosion, red tape and lack of transparency that has been allowed to develop unchecked for far too many years now.

His objections to the ‘surprise’ bill came on the back of a poll that showed a healthy lead for pro Europeans if there were to be an ‘in/out’ referendum tomorrow; and despite the surge in UKIP support and the cacophony of noise from the anti EU media, I still believe that when push comes to shove, the British public will see the very real dangers that isolation from our biggest

I want the UK to stay in the EU. But I want an EU that is transformed, from the state it is in at the moment.

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EU CANNOT BE SERIOUS

THE TAYLOR REPORT MICHAEL TAYLOR, CHAIRMAN OF DOWNTOWN MANCHESTER IN BUSINESS

WHAT ROBBIE WILLIAMS REALLY TELLS US ABOUT DOING BUSINESS THESE DAYS

downloaded music and CD sales. At a recent conference, he said: “It is difficult enough for Robbie Williams whose revenues from recorded music have plummeted. His revenues are nothing like what they were five or six years ago.”

We talk to all kinds of businesses. In so doing we ask strange questions and try and get under their skin so we can help them win new customers and get the most out of being in a business network like Downtown.

I started thinking about this at the Manchester Phones4U (in administration) Arena with 15,000 other people as we sat down to watch Robbie Williams.

The tickets were expensive. The show was spectacular. Even if you don’t care for his music, you had to acknowledge this was a piece of theatre, requiring a great deal of work, creativity and effort.

When I went to my first concert in 1979 – to see The Jam – it was so they could promote their Setting Sons album. It was PR and promotion because they were in the recorded music business.

The price of the ticket was £1.80, a couple of quid cheaper than the album they were touring to promote. I bought that as well.

I don’t honestly know if Robbie Williams is even promoting an album at the moment. I dug a bit deeper into this - according to his agent Tim Clark Robbie makes “hardly anything” from

But Robbie Williams is still doing well. It’s just that he’s changed his business model. He’s in the live entertainment business now. Technology, consumer trends and huge appetite for ‘experiences’ have forced a change to his charging structure.

He has worked out what it is that people will pay a lot of money for and has developed a pricing strategy around how he can do that profitably.

I spoke about this recently and the model goes even deeper. Not only will mugs like us fork out for spectacular live shows, an even greater margin can be had when an oligarch or a captain of industry gets a private audience with an artist for his family after the show. There are layers of access that command an even greater ticket price.

And so here we are today. What business are you in now? What do you do now that a client could end up paying far less for in the future?

I’ve been looking into how professional services could be delivered in the future. What it is that a business requires in order to be compliant, but also competitive. Does the filing of documents, such as preparing a set of accounts, working out tax and VAT represent sufficient value to the customer to sustain a charging structure

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on which you can base a business?

And what is the equivalent of the unique premium experience? Business advice, strategic decision making, anticipating problems before they arise?

How much of the calculations, predictions, risk analysis and data crunching can be done effectively by a machine and how much benefits from being touched by the hand of human judgement?

The concept of the Singularity has it that we are less than two decades from a vanishing point where the pace of development of computer processing power is destined to overtake that of human brain capacity. It will have profound implications for how human’s use their memory, how they compute facts. We see this already as we delegate the memory of phone numbers to our digital handsets which retain everything so we don’t have to.

There’s another concept which we are only beginning to grasp – the open source approach to problem solving. Danish toy brick company Lego reinvented itself by turning its most loyal users into product developers. Microsoft recently acquired a games company which has created a sensational modular game called Minecraft for $2billion. Minecraft’s genius lies in its adaptability, the means for players to customize and create their worlds. It is the Lego of the future.

Thinking, reviewing, challenging and iterating have never been more important. These are crazy days, I’m enjoying the head stretching test of it.

I just need to start listening to better music again.

Offering some of the finest food and drink in the North West, Liverpool One Bridewell is a welcoming cultural oasis in the heart of the city. Set in a unique Grade II listed building, this 1850s former gaol and police station has been attracting high profile guests ever since Charles Dickens spent a day here while researching a novel back in 1860.

These days, loyal customers return time and time again for the friendly service and all their home comforts in the unusual setting of the historic cells.

However, if it’s al fresco dining you crave as we head into summer, Liverpool One Bridewell’s gorgeous walled garden is one of Liverpool’s hidden treasures, providing the perfect setting to eat and drink in the sunshine. With a new summer food and cocktail menu launching in May, and the best staff in town, Liverpool One Bridewell is the perfect place to enjoy the warmer nights.

And for life’s bigger celebrations, including weddings and private parties, Liverpool One Bridewell is available to hire.

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Welcome to Liverpool One Bridewell, the city’s best kept secret.

JUST JIM JIM HANCOCK, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS

2015: BIG YEAR FOR LABOUR’S NORTHERN WOMEN

In a year’s time Yvette Cooper (left) or Rachel Reeves (right) could be leader of the Labour Party or hold a senior post in government.

These two women, representing Yorkshire seats, head up an impressive cohort of northern Labour women MPs ready to take office if the party wins (a big if by the way). This pool of female talent is a direct result of the introduction of all women Labour short lists for the 1997 General Election. The women elected then are now in key positions in Ed Miliband’s team. The fact that the Tories and Lib Dems have not favoured this system of affirmative action leaves them woefully short of good female representation in the North.

I continue to believe that the economic recovery and the irresponsible promise of an in/out referendum on our European Union membership will make the Conservatives the largest party next May. However UKIP will act as a drag on the ability of the Tories to win. So we must contemplate the possibility of Ed Miliband winning or being in a position to form a government with the remnants of the Liberal Democrats.

If that is the outcome of the General Election, who are the Northern Labour women who will be governing the country for the second half of this decade? Two of them represent nearly adjacent seats in Yorkshire. Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper sits for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford and the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves represents Leeds West. Both could be contenders for Ed Miliband’s job one day but for

now they are the most prominent of the new generation of Labour frontbenchers.

Yvette Cooper has 13 years more experience in parliament than Rachel Reeves and held key posts under Gordon Brown as Housing Minister, Chief Secretary to the Treasury and finally Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. She might have become party leader in 2010 but stood aside for her husband, now Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls. She could regret that decision if another leadership election arises next year and the party wants to make a clean break with the past.

We know Rachel Reeves well at Downtown in Business as a regular attender of our seminars. A Bank of England economist, she supported Ed Miliband’s bid for the leadership and has held a number of key posts in his team including Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. She is a credible future Chancellor. She emerged well from a spat with the editor of Newsnight who called her boring. That was wrong, but she comes over as very serious and needs to lighten up a bit.

In the North West there are a host of women contenders to be part of a Labour administration. The Eagle twins continue to serve in the Shadow Cabinet. Angela (Wallasey) is Shadow Leader of the House and her jousts with her opposite number William Hague should be a highlight this autumn. Maria Eagle was damaged by a row with Ed Balls over HS2 and was moved from the Transport portfolio to Environment.

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Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) has only been an MP for two years but is already part of Labour’s education team and is tipped for ministerial office. Other Labour women to watch are Luciana Berger (Liverpool Wavertree) Kate Green (Stretford) and Lisa Nandy (Wigan).

On the Tory side Esther McVey is the bright star in a dull sky of maleness in the North. Appointed Jobs Minister in the recent reshuffle, it can only be a matter of time before this former Liverpool business woman becomes a full Cabinet Member. In the House of Lords watch for continued promotion for Baroness Williams, the former leader of Trafford Council.

The Lib Dems have always agonised over affirmative action to promote women candidates because of its conflict with the freedom of party members to choose the “best” person.

The result is that there are no women Lib Dem MPs in the North that I can see playing a leading role in the party in the near future. Lisa Smart has been chosen to try and hold Hazel Grove but she is subject to sniping for not being local.

On the European front the North West continues to be ably represented by Tory Jacqueline Foster. She has a feisty reputation but will face competition from UKIP’s newly elected MEP Louise Bours.

So a rather unbalanced picture of women politicians to watch out for in the North. It is an issue that the Conservatives and Lib Dems need to address urgently.

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UPTOWN GIRL VICTORIA BROWN, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT HIGH PERFORMANCE CONSULTANCY

AN ATTACK ON THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AGAIN? I was shocked to listen to Labour’s shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna’s speech at the TUC Congress. He said a future Labour Government would reform the employment tribunals system to ensure that all workers have proper access to justice. Is he forgetting about the Employer? Tribunal fees were introduced by the coalition last year (as much as £250 for a claim and £950 for a tribunal hearing).

I believe the abolition of fees could be disastrous for the SMEs who are only slowly recovering from the deepest recession in living memory. If fees are scrapped then who is going to foot the bill of a tribunal claim? The tax payer again? The fee system has proved its worth. It discourages malicious and false complaints by challenging those making the allegations to pay towards proceedings. Without this layer, which forces complainants to consider whether their case has merit, the floodgates will open. Disgruntled employees will feel able to bring spurious, false cases to retaliate against their employer for any perceived slight.

Even if they lose they know that the cost of the proceedings will fall on the employer and so in every way, business loses.

Introducing the fee system has encouraged employers and employees to find other, more constructive forms of conflict resolution. By maintaining a dialogue and airing their concerns in order to improve things, employees have been able to highlight concerns while keeping their job, and employers have been able to learn and improve the workplace without the trauma of costly tribunals and replacing staff.

DOES THE GLASS CEILING STILL EXIST FOR WOMEN? Unlike in the past, most women that now reach the higher echelons of business have children. However, no matter how supportive your partner is, and no matter what childcare arrangements are in place, there tends to be an emotional ‘tug of war’ in achieving the balance between home and work. As a HR Consultant, I have found that there is certainly a trend towards organisations becoming more flexible in their approach to female executives. The issue is now how to encourage more organisations to realise the benefits of women reaching top leadership positions, and how to help them get there. More organisations will need to provide far better flexibility and understanding about juggling work with the demands of motherhood.

We fall short of progressive countries such as Australia, Norway and the US, all of which have about 20 % of their top boardroom represented by women. UK organisations should follow the example of other countries. The key issues are likely to require

serious fresh thinking on talent management and, crucially, buy in from the very top.

I am often asked if I believe if there still is a glass ceiling for women. Other than the childcare issues I mention above, I have personally not found any problem entering that board room. The challenges I have faced have been from other women; which is rather disheartening. I was appalled a few years ago when I attended a ‘Women In Business’ awards. The appropriate word to describe the behaviour would be out right ‘bitchiness’ towards successful female leaders by other women! My recommendation to DIB would be to have an event that focuses on improving the attitudes of some women in business. We are becoming our own worst enemy………

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DR DAN JONES, GENERAL MANAGER AT FUSION IMPLANTS

The North West Fund has now invested over £100 million into more than 300 North West businesses. This much needed finance has also created and safeguarded more than 2,500 jobs and it has been matched by a further £50 million in private sector finance.

Financed jointly by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank, The North West Fund supports small and medium sized businesses across the North West of England, with investments of between £25,000 and £2 million.

The North West Fund has already invested in a broad range of businesses across the region, each with an inspiring story to tell about their plans for

Liverpool University spin-out secures funding for veterinary devices Fusion Implants, a spin-out from the University of Liverpool, has developed a surgical implant to cure lameness and restore mobility in dogs. Earlier this year, the company received a six-figure investment from The North West Fund for Venture Capital, managed by Enterprise Ventures.

The Liverpool-based business was launched in March 2013 to produce veterinary implants using the latest 3D printing techniques. The company brings together Dr Chris Sutcliffe and Dr Dan Jones from the School of Engineering and their colleagues Professor John Innes, Mr Rob Pettitt and Mr Ben Walton from the School of Veterinary Science.

Their new device, for use in canine knee reconstructions, is already being sold to veterinary practices in the North West and will be launched nationally within the coming months. Fusion Implants will use the funding to roll out its current product, employ a design engineer and finance new product development.

Dr Jones, General Manager, said: "The use of 3D printing gives greater design freedom than conventional manufacturing techniques and also allows us to combine solid and porous sections for optimum strength and biological performance. Securing finance from The North West Fund will allow us to develop the product further.”

DOES YOUR BUSINESS NEED FINANCE? T: 01925 418 232 E: enquiries@thenorthwestfund.co.uk W: www.thenorthwestfund.co.uk

WE’VE SUPPORTED MORE THAN 300 NORTH WEST BUSINESSES WITH OVER £100 MILLION OF INVESTMENT. Whether you are just starting up or seeking funding to take your company to the next level, investment of between £25,000 and £2 million from The North West Fund could be what you need to help your business flourish.

COULD YOU BE OUR NEXT INVESTMENT? Find out more at: www.thenorthwestfund.co.uk T: 01925 418 232 E: enquiries@thenorthwestfund.co.uk The North West Fund is a £155m investment fund, established to provide debt and equity funding from £25,000 to £2m to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based in, or relocating to, the North West of England. All of our Fund Managers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are unable to invest in retail businesses. Please check the website for a full breakdown of eligibility.

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Earlier this year, The North West Fund launched a new sub-fund, specifically tailored to smaller investments. The North West Fund for Micro Loans offers businesses in the region the option of finance starting from £25,000 up to £50,000.

growth. You can read more about these businesses in the case studies section on The Fund’s website, in the meantime, here is an example of one Inspiring Entrepreneur…

T HE L E A D IN G O F LEEDS Downtown in Business chief executive Frank McKenna and Business Development Manager Alan Cass attended the annual stakeholders meeting of Leeds & Partners in September, and heard some upbeat messages from the half day conference, which attracted over one hundred business leaders from across the region.

Leeds and Partners, the organisation responsible for driving job creation and economic growth through inward investment and the Leeds visitor economy, used the event to unveil the creation of over 1,000 jobs and a significant investment pipeline.

Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, the former Minister for State and Security and Counter Terrorism and a member of the National Security Strategy, led by setting out a vision for the digital and knowledge economy during a keynote speech on technology and finance.

Lurene Joseph, CEO of Leeds and Partners, said; “Our absolute focus has been the delivery of a transformational investment approach to maximise the potential of Leeds and the wider region as a northern powerhouse with global reach. The foundations we have put in place and this early achievement shows our strategic alignment is starting to pay dividends with real and sustainable jobs. We’re now building on this work to embed our differentiated sector propositions and build on the significant assets that make Leeds City Region such an attractive location for investors.”

Details of the city region’s investment pipeline were set out to show that it is stronger than ever; with over 100 projects added, 30 per cent of which are from outside the UK. Active enquiries total more than 3,000 potential new jobs, with significant requirement across retail, manufacturing, health and financial and professional services.

Marian Sudbury, Director of Global Operations at UK Trade & Investment, commented; “Leeds and Partners is very good at positioning Leeds City Region to leverage the national offer by providing UKTI with the detail needed to articulate and evidence a really powerful pitch to investors in overseas markets.”

Andy Clarke, Chair of Leeds and Partners, said, “In the last 18 months Leeds and Partners has laid significant foundations to drive inward investment and grow the visitor economy, with some outstanding early successes. As the emphasis on Leeds City Region’s role in economic development continues with pace and as more and more powers are devolved from central government to the regions, it is right that we should respond to this and build closer alignment and to cement our ambitions for growth.”

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In conferencing, 200 additional jobs have been generated and a move towards a conferencing city proposition, establishing clear links between core inward investment sectors and a pro-active international sales approach, has built a pipeline of over £1m, with two significant residential conferences of 500 delegates each confirmed in the last few days.

James Berresford, Chief Executive of Visit England, said “What makes people visit and businesses invest in Leeds is broadly similar. Leeds and Partners have taken absolutely the right approach to join that together and share what’s special, unique and different about the place. The value of tourism to England is £85bn per annum of which £19bn is generated by overseas visitors.

The lion’s share of that is spent in London. We are pleased to be working with our regional partners and airports to increase international market share for England. Clearly the activities of Leeds and Partners will assist greatly in that.

As well as highlighting the success achieved to date, the meeting laid out priorities for the future, which recognised the increasing importance of city regions and the opportunities that could be derived from a more formal regional structure for inward investment and the visitor economy.

The city region’s intent to be a global fintech hub was also set out; as the potential of its banking and technology sectors, along with the confirmation of the first fintech accelerator outside of London were cited as a prime opportunity to attract fintech businesses to locate and grow here.

Keynote speaker, Baroness Pauline-Neville Jones, demystified digital resilience; “The digital and information economy offers Leeds City Region a promise of great prosperity, but it has to be based on sound development and the capacity and connectivity being carefully built. Leeds hosts the largest healthcare data platform in the world and is already showing how it can be bigger, better and stronger than other UK cities. With a strong academic base it is a great place for start-ups and has the potential to be the go-to place for fintech and data analytics.”

Twenty four hours after the event, Lurene Joseph announced she would be standing down as the chief executive of the organisation next year. Who will replace her? Watch this space!

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THE SISTERS

ARE DOIN’ IT FOR

THEMSELVES!

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DQ

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MAGGIE O'CARROLL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE WOMEN’S ORGANISATION

HIDDEN ECONOMIC TREASURE IN FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP Without a doubt, female entrepreneurs are fuelling economic growth around the world.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? There is a growing understanding that better support structures are necessary for women’s enterprise development.

Too often, gender-blind structures favour men. It’s not good enough to say that supporting entrepreneurship as a whole will encourage more women to set up businesses. Women face significant challenges that men simply don’t, and it’s critical to remove these barriers. Challenges include the fact it’s still easier for men to access business loans from banks, as well as the fact that females still take on the bulk of caring roles. The cost of childcare in the UK is huge and lags behind other European countries in affordability and availability. This effectively puts many women at a disadvantage when pursuing entrepreneurship.

Another challenge is to not just help women establish their own businesses,

but to foster ongoing development and growth.

TRUTH IN NUMBERS

In the past, investors have favoured companies created by men and, according to a 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) US Report, men launch companies with an average startup of $30,000, compared to just $8,000 for women.

A culture that encourages and nurtures female entrepreneurship will have a direct impact on the economic prosperity of the country.

This is despite evidence that womenowned companies achieve better returns on investment (ROI). Research

by Google found that women-led tech companies achieve 35% higher ROI, and, when venture-backed, bring in 12% more revenue than maleowned tech companies. Yet women are still underrepresented in startup communities.

Studies have also shown that diverse teams create better products and run more successful companies. Female entrepreneurs not only contribute to their own economic welfare but, through job creation and innovation, contribute to society.

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If we look at women-owned firms in the US, they have an economic impact of $3 trillion per annum. If those businesses didn’t exist, 16% of the workforce would be jobless.

Since the depth of the recession, the only businesses that have provided a net increase in employment are large publicly-traded corporations – and privately-held, majority-women-owned firms. In all other privately-held firms, employment declined from 2007 to 2013, according to last year’s AMEX OPEN Forum report.

A UK Women’s Business Council report published last year found that by equalising the labour force participation rates of men and women, the UK could increase GDP per capita growth by 0.5% per annum, with potential gains of 10% of GDP by 2030.

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In the US, women-owned businesses account for 16 per cent of total employment. In Canada, women-owned businesses are growing 60% faster than those owned by men. Here in the UK, the number of women starting their own business increased by 16% between 2008 and 2012, compared to just 2% for men.

Female entrepreneurship is a key driver of a country’s economic prosperity. However, its success is contingent on the support it receives. This is a significant problem for the UK and especially for women. Major barriers still exist for women, and we must identify the conditions that foster high potential female entrepreneurship.

THE STATUS QUO The UK and northern city regions still has a long way to go in improving its environment for women to succeed in business.

A recent Gender Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI), which analysed the conditions that foster female entrepreneurship, found the UK is still lagging behind the US, France, Germany and Australia, ranking 7th out of 30 countries for how well we are doing in supporting women’s enterprise. Second-ranked Australia can attribute much of its success to the significant investment in business support, education and training for women, and also a reduction in red tape to help get businesses off the ground.

An OECD report published in July last year, entrepreneurship at a Glance, found that, “Women remain substantially underrepresented as entrepreneurs. Men are 2-3 times more likely to own businesses with employees as women.” Of the 40 countries surveyed in the OECD research, the UK fell into the bottom quartile. The UK also has a higher-than-average gender gap in earnings from self-employment. The GEDI report found there is no single recipe for success, and that changes must occur on all fronts: institutional, access to finance, cultural attitudes, and expectations.

Women’s enterprise needs more investment in support infrastructure including mentoring, entrepreneurial education and the removal of gender bias by financial institutions. By investing in female enterprise in the UK as they have done in the US, we would reap the economic benefits in terms of product and service innovation, job and wealth creation, so why would we continue to ignore this economic treasure?

SHATTERING THE STEREOTYPE

DQ

Most little girls aspire to be ballerinas or pop stars and you certainly don’t hear of any saying they want to be in the waste industry when they grow up and yet, by fate and circumstance, it is exactly where myself and my co directors of Ancorra Environmental Services Ltd have found themselves, driven by a passion for making the world a cleaner, greener place!!

Collectively my colleagues Christine Evans, Lynsey Houghton, Janet Garland, set out to pursue careers in finance, HR and the law but an interest in the rapidly developing European and National environmental legislation and a rapidly emerging market need led us towards a fulfilling entrepreneurial path in the heavily regulated waste and industrial services industry.

The legislation has been developing and so too has the sector being growing rapidly, with a handful of large multinational companies becoming ever present and buying up an increasing market share in all aspects of the waste, recycling and industrial cleaning sectors.

There was speculation that there was no longer room for the small independent to compete against the big brands with their multi-million pound budgets.

When the decision was made to create Ancorra Environmental Services Ltd, I and my co-directors, were happy to challenge this opinion. WE believed that

JENNIE RIDING LLB

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, NCORRA ENVIROMENTAL SERVICES

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people didn’t want to speak to a call centre, or liaise with a faceless brand; even in today’s technological age it was their belief that people prefer to work and build relationships with people and to use a Company they can trust & rely on. It is this focus on good customer service that has been the foundation stone from which Ancorra has been built.

From this a solid business model has been constructed; investment has been made on equipment and specialized vehicles and an extensive training programme for all personnel has been implemented, to ensure that the company delivers and exceeds customer’s needs and expectations.

Ancorra Environmental is not standing still and with our newly developed management system our company is demonstrating a high degree of maturity and excellence in growth and performance.

Our message to all women in business is that having a clear strategy, excellent products and service and ambitious leadership is a recipe for success in any industry sector. Customer response to Ancorra’s service offerings has been phenomenal, resulting in astonishing first year sales on target to be in excess of a £1 million; it seems that this traditionally male dominated industry is benefitting from a woman’s touch.

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DOING IT BY THE NUMBERS- ARE YOU 1 IN 5, 1 IN 7 OR 1 IN ONE AND A HALF MILLION!?

PROFESSOR LYNN MARTIN described themselves as business owners. Is this modesty on their part, over to do with that same lack of confidence which many studies cite? Where women carefully define themselves as self employed rather than as business owners perhaps it is because they are in low return businesses which are another way of finding income in difficult times for employment? Or is it still seen as inappropriate for a woman to aspire to business ownerships, leadership etc as many studies have discussed?

Similarly, does it relate to attitudes towards growth or risk?

Low tolerance for risk may limit the initial investment for women owned businesses, with knock on effects reducing business impact over the life of the firm. So no growth businesses led by women?

So what about you? Are you one of approximately 7 out of 10 women in employment? And, if so, are you one of the 6 in 10 single mothers in employment?

These levels of employment have remained fairly consistent but when it comes to business ownership, things have changed.

There was a time when women who started and ran their own businesses were 1 in a million but RBS studies suggest that there are now 1.5 million women who are self-employed in the UK, a significant rise over a four year period. Despite more women being self employed though, women are still less likely to think of themselves as business owners than their male counterparts.

Only 52% of women who classified themselves as self-employed also reported being women business owner-managers, compared with 74% of men who were self-employed and

While it is true that more men than women run growth and hyper growth businesses, there are women who have shown growth in employment, turnover and profitability. It would be useful to be able to say how many and where they were but the data is not available yet as national data doesn’t include the male/female question. I know they exist however as I have had the privilege of working with some of them here in the UK North West. Let me refer you to Amanda Ball from AD Sprinklers which has achieved 100% increase in 12 months or Ann O’Connor from Fleetsolve whose grasp of growth increased turnover by £1 million in a year. Now those are numbers we can all be comfortable with!

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Advertisers use numbers to emphasise the benefits of their products, advocating the best treatment for the 7 signs of aging or persuading us that 78% of users agreed with their product claims. When it comes to women entrepreneurs, managers and business owners, numbers can be interesting. There may be more – or less - people like you than you imagine. As a female professor, the latest Higher Education Statistics Agency figures show me that on average I am part of a group that is 1 in 5 so for every 5 male UK professors, there is 1 female professor. Within this group I am part of the lucky half that has a permanent job with equal pay and status compared to my male colleagues.

Sue Price CEO of First4Skills Day 126 in First4Skills and new CEO Sue Price is in a determined frame of mind, “I’ve had over 100 days in my business now and am really excited by the fact that the success of my business is gained by helping other business leaders make a success of theirs. I just need to get that out there now – that good people and their skills can make the difference in upping productivity and profit.”

Sue knows what she’s talking about, before joining the Civil Service Sue gained extensive experience of Further Education and Work Based Learning having worked in the FE sector for over 13 years, giving her an academic and a vocational background and a Masters degree in Educational Management.

She does, however, also have a personal interest in the development of the skills agenda. “Having 2 young children makes you aware of how important it is we get this right for all our young people. One of my sons wants to take the academic route, but the other is far more interested in doing rather than learning. I want to make sure that when he leaves school he can take a vocational route that is valued by employers – giving him a different way into his career route, but one that still takes him to where he wants to get.”

Stepping into a CEO role in one of the UK’s biggest training businesses may be a daunting task for some of us, but Sue has relished the challenge. Coming fresh from a top role as Northern Divisional Director with the National Apprenticeship Service she has vast experience of shaping the skills agenda and working with business and Ministers at the top table to rebuild the UK’s Apprenticeship offer and leading the renaissance in us learning to love occupational skills again.

Headquartered in Princes Dock, Liverpool, First4Skills operates across the whole of the UK specialising in offering businesses a total solutions package when it comes to talent management and development. They have an impressive address book, with clients like John Lewis, Argos and Fujitsu – but Sue is quick to point out that over 60% of their work is with the SME employer.

“This is where we can really add value,” she says, “our 30 year experience has taught us how to knit public investment in skills with private sector investment in their workforce to create a programme that has business impact. We don’t believe in ‘off the shelf’, we work with each of our clients to build the programme that answers their needs. Ultimately we want to help them sleep better at night! It also helps that our parent company, the City of Liverpool College, is one of the larger FE Colleges in the country giving us access to other resources which other training companies can’t match. We’ve also got unrivalled experience in helping businesses deliver Apprenticeships – something of which I’m very proud. ”

There’s no doubt that First4Skills is a company reinvigorated by its new CEO. The business plan for this year includes launching 3 new Higher Level Apprenticeships in Leadership & Management, HR and Retail Management, widening its offer in helping businesses recruit and keep staff and a plan to take on a portfolio of Associates to deliver the grand plan.

If the impact on business and the economy needs to be further evidenced, research from the National Audit Office shows why the government are investing in apprenticeships, for every £ that the government invests the return is up to £18 for the economy. That’s why First4Skills mission is to be first for skills through training today’s workforce for tomorrow and its drive is to support the growth of UKPLC. To find out how First4Skills could help your business or to talk to Sue about any of the above give her a call on 0151 243 8312 or email CEO@First4Skills.com. We know she would love to hear from you.

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V ISIT : W W W . W HISTL . CO . U K

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Top 5 Tax Reliefs for SME’s

Gill Molloy, Group Tax Director e: gill.molloy@championgroup.co.uk t: 0161 703 2500

Taxation is part of every business, yet thousands of companies miss out on generous savings simply because they aren’t aware of what they’re entitled to claim. To guide you through the sea of complex legislation, we’ve compiled the top five tax reliefs that could save you money.

1. Entrepreneurs’ Relief When you reach the point where you wish to sell or close your business, Entrepreneurs’ Relief reduces the amount of capital gains tax you pay on all qualifying profits, to just 10%. The relief is available to any sole trader and partner selling all or part of their business, along with directors and employees that possess at least a 5% share of their company. There’s no limit to the amount of times that you can claim Entrepreneurs’ Relief and this reduced tax rate is available up to the value of £10m.

2. Research and Development (R&D) As part of the government’s drive to improve UK productivity, businesses undertaking R&D will receive a 225% tax deduction on qualifying expenditure, as well as the ability to claim cash back from HMRC. If eligible, a company can reclaim costs for staff, materials, software and even utility bills.

3. Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) EIS and SEIS offer some of the most lucrative tax breaks in the UK. Both are designed to boost investment in start-ups and SMEs. In return, EIS provides investors with 30% income tax relief on investments up to £1m and SEIS offers 50% income tax relief on investments up to £100k. SEIS offers more attractive benefits to encourage investment in start-ups, which are sometimes deemed ‘more risky’. Both also provide exemption from capital gains tax and inheritance tax, along with the opportunity to offset losses.

4. Business Property Relief (BPR) BPR provides business owners with generous savings when transferring their company to the next generation. Depending on the nature of the business, BPR provides 50% or 100% relief on the current 40% inheritance tax rate.

5. Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) The Annual Investment Allowance offers 100% tax relief on qualifying capital purchases up to £500,000. The allowance enables businesses to claim relief on a range of items including office furniture, computer hardware, commercial vans and lorries, agricultural, construction and engineering equipment and building fixtures. However, this is a temporary increase, as announced in the 2014 Budget, and the threshold will revert back to £25,000 as of 1 January 2016.

As taxation continues to evolve at pace, it’s crucial that business owners seek expert advice to ensure they’re utilising all relevant tax breaks to help minimise their overall bill.

For more information on any of these tax reliefs, contact Gill Molloy on 0161 703 2500 or e-mail gill.molloy@championgroup.co.uk

Spotlight On: Community Enterprise As one of the fastest growing community oriented enterprise movements in the country, Stephen Robinson sheds some light on Community Interest Companies.

A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a special legal form for an enterprise which exists to benefit the community, rather than to make a profit. As of August 2014 there are almost 10,000 CICs on the Regulator’s register.

CICs can vary from very small organisations to multi million pound turnover organisations employing thousands of people. It is feasible for a CIC to make an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and hold PLC status.

Stephen Robinson, Director e: stephen.robinson@championgroup.co.uk t: 01772 735 000

Fundamentally, CICs are normal companies, however they have important additional features which ensure their social

mission is safeguarded. The two primary features of any company holding CIC status are: • Assets owned by the company are held in an asset lock which secures those assets to applications for the good use of community.

• Limitations applied to dividend and interest payments made to shareholders and financiers ensure a profit can be made, but the primary focus remains on achieving benefit for the community.

The Champion team has a wealth of experience in working with CICs. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Stephen Robinson on 01772 735 000 or e-mail stephen.robinson@championgroup.co.uk

Thinking of Starting a Business?

Starting a business is an exciting time but can also be a daunting one. With a seemingly endless to-do list it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Keith Porter, Director e: keith.porter@championgroup.co.uk t: 01772 735 000

If you’re thinking about starting out on your own, here are our five crucial areas to consider.

1. Business Plan

2. Funding As the most suitable finance option depends on many factors, different sources of funding should be explored, from banks to alternative finance providers.

3. Business Structure Each type of business structure brings different risks and benefits, so make sure you are fully aware of these . Structure will affect the amount of risk you are taking on, the way you will need to pay tax and how much control you will have over how your business is run.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE, PERSONAL SERVICE

4. Employing Staff Pay, tax and insurance are just some of the considerations that come with being an employer - even with just one employee. In addition, the law on workplace pensions has now changed, bringing new obligations for employers under Pensions Auto Enrolment.

5. Legal Obligations Business owners have legal responsibilities in terms of informing HMRC of your new venture, producing accounts and filing tax returns. Ensure you know what your responsibilities are, so you remain fully compliant at all times.

Champion is a leading North West accountancy group providing services that enable a business to grow and create wealth for the owners.

To find out more, visit www.championgroup.co.uk @ChampionAccount

For more information about how Champion can help get your business up and running, contact Keith Porter on 01772 735 000 or visit www.championgroup.co.uk/startups

Follow us on Twitter @ChampionAccount

manchester@championgroup.co.uk t. 0161 703 2500 blackpool@championgroup.co.uk t. 01253 768 718 chester@championgroup.co.uk t. 01244 404 420

preston@championgroup.co.uk t. 01772 735 000 southport@championgroup.co.uk t. 01704 535 687

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Your business plan is an essential first step in securing finance for your business, and determining where it should come from. Your plan should be robust and include realistic cash flow forecasts.

MotionDigital Beyond Video Nik Maguire Co-Founder and CEO at Motion Digital

Lee Holdsworth Co-Founder & Relationship Director

Manchester based Motion digital are a production company with a difference, half of their business focuses on shooting high quality online videos and the other half specialize in a range of tools for generating online sales and bookings from video, in something they call Video Lifecycle Management.

Video has become a critical component in any online and social media strategy, but few companies have yet to discover just what a valuable tool it is for generating online leads and improving sales conversions. This is where Motion Digital come in, they actually shoot videos thinking about the online user, for example which channels the user may discover the video on (YouTube, Linkedin etc) and what online users may be searching for. Then using their own technology, Motion Digital can add booking or data capture buttons directly into videos, which in turn leads to greater online sales.

Celebrity Chef David Mooney (Granada Tonight, Food Hunter) brought to life his Beef’ham Tower Burger and Suet Pudding in a delicious video Homage to the Marks & Spencer “Sexy Food” adverts for his restaurant Beef & Pudding, using Motion Digital TV. With the “Book Now” technology, ravenous viewers could satisfy their hunger at the click of a button by booking a table directly when watching the mouth-watering videos! There were over 20,000 views of the videos on Facebook within the first 10 days with click through table bookings increasing by 10%.

Motion Digital have created other innovative solutions using video, for Manchester based company HR Heroes, email capture technology was added to videos talking about employment law and tribunal avoidance, this means people watching the videos could then add their email directly into the video and receive further information back in relation to the video they had just watched.

Nik Maguire and Lee Holdsworth founded the company and both bring their own set of skills to the firm, Lee has come from the creative sector specializing in SEO and Video Production where Nik Maguire (who goes by the nickname Mr Deansgate) has a technical background having worked for Cisco Systems and 2Ergo as well as founding a number of digital marketing software companies.

The team formed the company because they believed there was a gap in the market which SEO companies and Video Production companies were not servicing, they believe the creation of online video can be justified based on its return on investment and the tools and services they have developed demonstrate this to their customers. Once they have shot video they offer a range of managed services to constantly improve the videos online mission, with one dating site customer this service includes YouTube channel management, video optimization with SEO, new videos weekly and analytics and reporting. This approach has seen the dating site have a 300% increase in site traffic attributed to this YouTube service from Motion Digital.

Motion Digital believes online video can deliver similar extraordinary results for any business who trade online, why not contact Nik & Lee at www.motiondigital.tv and see what they could do for your business?

www.motiondigital.tv @MotionDigitalTV

Get your Downtown video discount go to: www.motiondigital.tv/DQOFFER

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business centre

More than just conference space...

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COTTON COURT

t me l vo cia e d pe s

power to the north

Following a closer than expected contest in the scottish referendum, there has been a seismic shift in the devolution debate in the uk. Among the many suggestions presented by political leaders have been an english parliament, regional assemblies, elected mayors and city-region wide combined authorities.

Here downtown commentators consider what the next stages are in the campaign for more ‘power to the north’

frank mckenna

The corridors of Westminster power have been shaken and stirred following the fallout from the Scottish devolution referendum campaign, with those in favour of independence losing the battle but, arguably, winning the war.

the north needs devo met

The ‘solemn vow’ from the three mainstream party political leaders that promised additional powers to the Scottish Parliament on a whole range of issues from welfare to tax will have to be delivered, and this has left Whitehall mandarins and (mostly) Tory MPs banging on about fair votes for the English and an even playing field.

A whole range of senior figures, including Lord Heseltine and Lord Adonis, have written extensively on city region led decentralisation that would bring together leading decision makers with business leaders to create a genuine ‘localism’ and authorities that can deliver on what is important to their own regions economic growth and social agendas without going cap in hand to central government.

The answer, they suggest, is an English Parliament. Quite frankly I can think of nothing worse. I have sleepless nights imagining the type of country my kids will grow up in with a cabinet made up of John Redwood type characters, ably supported by a rump of Nigel Farage –led UKIPers no doubt, in the unholiest of unholy alliances.

What London centric politicians, civil servants and commentators need to understand is that it is devolution beyond Westminster that is needed, not devolution within an archaic institution that is no longer fit for purpose.

If Scotland is to get Devo Max, then we in the North need to demand Devo Met! The city regions of England north of the Watford gap have to be given the same powers, responsibilities and opportunities as our Scottish counterparts.

Labour is right to object to the Prime Ministers bid to rush through legislation that would create a new constitutional settlement that none of us have discussed, let alone signed up to. Nevertheless, the idea that we need a ‘constitutional convention’ to sort a new governance structure for the UK is highly uninspiring too – and unnecessary.

Progressive politicians and business leaders should be arguing for a timetable to deliver city region and county region governance models. We need an action plan to deliver this – not another talking shop.

The obligation at a local and regional level is for our own civic leaders to get real and pre-empt a debate about how we significantly reduce the number of council’s that currently exist in the north of England. Lancashire is a classic, though not exclusive case in point. A county council, two unitary council’s and a host of borough council’s represented by almost one thousand councillors is not an efficient way to administer effective and efficient governance. Nearby Cheshire has created a structure that has just two local authorities, resulting in huge financial savings. If they can do it, so can other county and metropolitan areas.

Change is now inevitable, but what type of change? The North of England needs to make sure Scotland’s gain does not lead to Northern pain, with a stitch up that would still see us governed and dominated by the Westminster elite! Downtown will be campaigning for Devo Met – I hope you join us.

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nEIL MCINROY

This is our democracy, not Westminsters The devolution genie is out of the bottle and running amok. Three days before the Scottish vote, the 3 main Westminster parties, fearful of a possible ‘yes’ vote, rushed into a ‘vow’, promising substantial new powers for Scotland. This has tied them into a process which is entangling them in a political and constitutional stramash.

Aware that some English Conservative MP’s had worries over this vow, David Cameron – on the morning after the vote - played a political card. He called for English MP’s to have more powers over English laws. Thus, given a greater voice to England in the UK and neutralising the West Lothian question - a longstanding anomaly where Scottish MP’s are allowed to vote on English matters and not vice versa.

As regards to our Northern cities, we have an opportunity and a threat. With the devolution genie out of the bottle, the repatriation of powers and resources to our great cities may come faster. This would be good and long needed. However, a willy nilly rush for city powers, in an asymmetrical fashion with some cities getting this and others not getting that, whilst areas beyond the big cities

In addition, some over-exuberant commentators seem to be getting ahead of themselves, advocating what amounts to city states, with calls for cities to get the same powers as Scotland. Let’s just say, we did give our northern cities significant control over tax, without any prior constitutional settlement or redistribution of economic activity from London/SE to north. Straight away London would want control of taxes too (as is argued by the London Finance commission). In that situation London, as net contributors (they give more in national tax than they take) would keep more of its money.

Manchester and Liverpool who are net beneficiaries (they give less in national tax than they take) would potentially have less money. In that future scenario, we would all look back longingly at today’s inequality!

Lessons from the last few weeks, tell us that this is no time for hasty decisions or narrow plans cooked up in Whitehall. We need a devolution settlement beyond narrow political or individual city interests. A settlement which radically reforms Whitehall and fairly devolves power and resources to cities and local government.

Lessons from Scotland tell us that businesses, unions, and civil society need to enter a broad and deep debate and that their voices must be heard. This is our democracy, not Westminster’s. We need a devolution debate for all.

OR

MICHAEL TAYL

engaged on a head stretching exercise for a professional services body about what the future is going to look like.

The three big themes are globalisation, digitisation and urbanisation. How these mega trends play out in the next century will define us all.

Siezing the moment The preservation of the Union with Scotland is not a cry for more of the same, but for a break with how we do politics.

Downtown is turning up the noise on our Devo – Met campaign because this is an idea that has found its time.

I do worry about the new politics. My concern is about how politics can work better in our communities and deliver real change for our whole nation, as we start from a low base – disengagement, cynicism and austerity. Yet these are times of dynamism and opportunity. I’m

Individuals have the power to design, to tailor and use public services in a much nimble and bespoke way. It is more efficient and more effective the closer it gets to where people are.

When Manchester’s leader Sir Richard Leese spoke at our Downtown Leaders Lunch event the day after the poll, he gave us a remarkable insight into the conversations at the top table of government. He was preparing to welcome his national party to Manchester to carry on the serious conversation about how power is distributed.

Greater Manchester’s readiness deserves more than a commission of enquiry. It needs to be a vision that can refashion

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our political culture.

All of local government gets a kicking when one thing goes wrong. It’s seen as a symbol of how rotten the system is. Not so with central government. And so the inertia, the slow pace of change continues.

Local government is really just local administration. It has been hollowed out, by cutting and by being told to scrap for rations. That needs to be filled again.

There is a need to empower and unlock talent that exists in our communities to enable them to be the convenors of change and action, wherever they are from politically.

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This could be politically dangerous for Labour. Without Scottish MP’s voting on English matters, it would be hard to see (under present electoral patterns) how Labour could form a parliamentary majority over English laws.

Labour has now called for a UK constitutional convention.

Something I argued for in July. And they appear to be edging toward a longer term debate and process.

getting little, is a recipe for more not less inequality.

t me l vo cia e d pe s

Jessica

d

Studder

ut yths abo m e h t g engin

localism

Chall

While attention is rightly focused on Scotland at the moment, a few rumblings over the future of devolution in England have been occurring and look likely to increase in volume after this vote.

A discussion about localism has barely started – a couple of reports proposing decentralisation and place-based budgets , a few articles and some Twitter chat about the possibility of an England not run from the centre. But old habits die hard and scepticism about the localist agenda, particularly on the left, is never far away. Polly Toynbee’s recent article perfectly and articulately encapsulates this stance. It is a view I respect because it comes from the heart and reflects a real desire to overcome the poor life chances that exist for too many in our society. But it is a view I feel we need to challenge as it goes to the heart of how we as progressives get things done, and what we as a party should do with power once we gain office.

The argument has several strands, each of which raise genuine concerns but which collectively amount to a failure of imagination and an inability to envisage a different future.

If they are allowed to go unanswered there is a danger they will constrain our ability as a party to express a vision that is relevant, exciting and radical.

First, and most importantly for Labour, the question is posed: ‘Wouldn’t localism increase inequality?’ This charge does not recognise the correlation between our current highly centralised state and highly unequal society, nor the international evidence of more devolved national systems correlating with more equality, or even the postcode lotteries that exist despite our dominant one-size-fits-all approach to public services. Poverty, inequality and poor life chances are highly complex, interwoven issues which require sophisticated not simplistic responses. The Whitehall machine is a blunt instrument. The income transfers relied upon by a Labour government committed to ending child poverty can be undone swiftly by a determined Tory-led government. High levels of spending on public services cannot survive a financial crash and global recession. So giving local areas the levers to create growth, the ability to invest in people’s capacity to take advantage of new opportunities and rebalancing our skewed national economy are all routes to a more sustainable strategy to overcome inequality we should take seriously.

system of governance that weakens local government, asks councils to be no more than managerial arms of a Whitehall super-state, and forces them to prioritise the administrative demands of a top-heavy governance hierarchy. Then the centre blames councils for being weak, overly bureaucratic and detached from communities. And the circular argument becomes self-fulfilling: each subsequent shortcoming in local government adds weight to the argument not to devolve, while failures at the centre – IT systems disasters, the work programme, benefit over-payments and clawbacks– never seem to dent the viability of a centralised state.

Failures of governance locally are seen as systemic rather than isolated, while failures of governance at the centre are isolated not systemic. And the status quo holds.

But in recent years there have grown challenges to the centralised modus operandi of the left – while in opposition nationally, where Labour is in power locally they have been finding new ways of putting our values into practice despite financial constraints. The creativity coming from Labour local government has been recognised within the wider Labour movement and informed a good amount of thinking as part of Labour’s policy review.

But this seems to only take us so far before the question is asked: What about Tory councils? According to this view, while Labour councils may well be innovating and delivering for their residents, but as long as some areas elect Conservative councils why would Labour nationally cede hard-won power to them? Yet the case for localism (the ‘how’) does not have to detract from nationally determined strategic outcomes (the ‘what’) – the Local Government Innovation Taskforce set out how this could work when Labour is in government.

Empowering local areas with real decision-making capability can create more space for effective local leadership to articulate and fulfil compelling visions for local communities. This can only enliven local democracy, encourage more participation and higher turnouts to create a virtuous circle whereby local electoral success requires broader mandates and support built across the community. This will create more, not fewer, opportunities for Labour locally.

Then poor performance in councils is held up as a reason not to localise: ‘What about Tower Hamlets?’ sums up the refrain.

But failures of governance are just that – failures. There is no excuse for them and they must be tackled head-on. That they have happened within a highly centralised system is a nuance too far for this narrow view. So centralisers would retain a

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JIM HANCOCK

Regional assemblies are the an

swer…

Has Alex Salmond really lost? Is the North going to stand idly by whilst promises made by a panicking government in the last days of the referendum campaign are now redeemed?

Now it is our turn to demand change. However the rushed statement by the Prime Minister on the steps of Downing St the day after the referendum result was announced is full of danger for those of us who want effective power devolved to the North. Mr Cameron is rushing things to appease his backbenchers. The North needs time to make its views heard. That cannot be done by the time of the General Election. The Prime Minister made a brief reference to city regions, so it looks as if he is putting his faith in the Coalition’s patchwork of Combined Authorities, elected mayors, City Regions, Local Enterprise Partnerships and regional growth funds controlled from London. It is not good enough.

We need Regional Assemblies. Not the weak structures that John Prescott had to offer when he was defeated by centralists in 2004, but real powerful assemblies for the North West, North East and Yorkshire. They would be funded by some of the excessive subsidy currently going north of the border and would have power over transport, economic development, strategic planning and health. These are functions which no city region can run on its own. Elected Assemblies would be able to begin the rebalancing of the UK’s economy and avoid the continued domination of the South East and a freshly empowered Scottish Parliament.

Before the anti-region brigade bleat about an extra tier of politicians, I would propose the completion of the move to unitary local government, particularly in places like Lancashire, sweeping away hundreds of district councillors.

An English Parliament is emphatically not what we need, and Mr Cameron does not seem to favour it from his statements either.

An English Parliament truly would be a new tier of expensive politicians and such a body would usually be dominated by southern Conservatives. Scots must no longer vote on England only issues but that can be done by designating bills at Westminster. This proposal would present a problem for a Labour government who would usually face a blocking English majority but if real power was devolved to English Assemblies, the effect of this would be minimised.

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Before the end of this parliament the Scottish Parliament will have the power to levy lower corporation and income tax than us.

They will get new powers to attract inward investment. They may even be attracting some of our air passengers from Manchester and Newcastle airports with lower passenger duty. This is not to mention free elderly care, university tuition and prescription charges made possible by the £1200 per head extra funding Scotland gets as compared to England.

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CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF LEEDS AND MANCHESTER COUNCILS CALL FOR A NEW ‘CONSTITUTIONAL SETTLEMENT’ FOR THE NORTH AT DOWNTOWN EVENT

In a passionate Downtown event in Leeds, Tom Riordan and Sir Howard Bernstein called for major changes to the “bust” Westminster model of Government in order for the North to realise its full economic potential.

It was just one of the key talking points from the event, which saw both men speaking frankly about their desire for a new approach to regional and local government, transport and infrastructure and the labour market.

In front of an invited audience of senior business figures, the leaders of both cities confirmed that in light of the Scottish Independence referendum, conversations to deliver the new deal had “already started.”

On the current model of government, which he called “archaic”, Sir Howard, the chief executive of Manchester City Council, said: “A whole industry has developed down in Whitehall that is based on managing the minutia of how we live in the regions. We can’t even close a footpath or a road without having to go to central Government.

“We’ve had over 20 years of deep distrust of local government, but effective local government is the only show in town when it comes to delivering.”

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council, was keen to add that attitudes toward the North needed to change generally; “There is always a perception that economic help in the north is to help fight decline and that is wrong. It’s been a catalyst to get our act together to make a success of it.”

The restructuring of Merseyside, Manchester and West and South Yorkshire to end the “municipal terrorism” of the late 80s and 90s, was felt to be decisive in enabling the conversations that are now taking place.

Howard added: “We had to rethink our entire attitude to the labour market in Manchester. In doing so 10 local authorities realised they could achieve a lot more working together than they ever could apart.”

“Where we had key hubs of wealth creation we had to give local people access to that wealth, to turn high dependence into independence.”

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That spirit of collaboration and change in attitudes was echoed by the chief executive of Leeds, when it came to the traditional rivalries across the Pennines; “Of course we have rivalries, but when we speak to the core cities in the south they remark on how we refer to ourselves as the ‘Northern Cities’. We are collaborating where it makes sense to do so.

“It’s clear that there is a huge amount of common ground and thinking and that there will be a significant push for increased power in the regions. Whilst Whitehall will undoubtedly be preparing to push back there could well be the momentum to facilitate change in the very near future.”

Following the result of the Scottish Referendum on independence there is a greater need than ever before for the North to get involved in the discussion and debate about devolution in the future.

“Rivalries are healthy and we don’t want to lose that.”

Transport and infrastructure under the ‘One North’ banner was another area of focus and collaboration.

“Across the north we have missing pieces of a jigsaw from Merseyside and its new freight terminal which isn’t connected to the road or rail network to the docks in Hull which are equally poorly connected. Nobody in their right mind would plan transport in that way.

“Over the next 10 to 15 years we will need to prioritise a series of interventions that will include rail, road and water, and we need to think about them together. The Department of Transport will face a challenging time as it’s not equipped to think like that.”

Tom Riordan added: “Spending on transport is 15 times higher per head in London than in the regions. We don’t want to stop spending in London but we do want to redress the balance.

Frank McKenna, chief executive of Downtown in Business, concluded: “It was fantastic to hear the two leaders speak so passionately about devolution, in light of the Scottish vote, and what it will mean for the North.

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“The centre of Manchester to Leeds is 37 miles, that’s the same length as the Central Line. If you start to think about travelling across the Pennines as from one end of the Central Line to the other, you begin to see that journey very differently.”

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n r n e e o i h h t t t or olu n ev r

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The Northern Revolution conference held at Manchester Town Hall at the beginning of July came at a critical time for the debate on how the regions are governed, this was pre-Scotland and way before the party leaders overdosed on DevoMax. We had a glittering array of speakers from politics and business – including a remarkably frank interview between Frank McKenna and Sir Howard Bernstein.

Ajaz Ahmed and John Leech came up with some of their entrepreneurial passion, while Jim Hancock ran a session with rising labour star Jonathan Reynolds MP, Neil McInroy of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies and Terry Christian.

Michael Taylor presented Downtown’s first Black and White Paper, a collation of the thoughts, ideas and provocations gleaned from our hugely successful Business Week.

“We support the work of the City Growth Commission, which asks three questions. I want to say now that that the answer is yes. Now start with how.

Can cities better align skills investment with their wider business and economic strategy? Yes. What do they need to achieve this? Are cities best placed to coordinate infrastructure investment? Yes. What is the role for central and local government? What would be needed to optimise cities’ investment in infrastructure? Are city regions the best governance option from an economic growth perspective? Yes. What are the challenges and downsides? What is THEREFORE needed to give city-based governance tangible, democratically sustainable authority?

Quote of the day was, predictably, from Terry Christian: “New Labour, a cross between Stalinism and aromatherapy.”

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DOWNTOWN PLAYS KEY ROLE IN UNITING CITIES IN HIGH SPEED RAIL CAMPAIGN

Downtown In Business has taken a key leadership role in support of a major campaign to bring vital transport connectivity and huge economic benefits to the Liverpool City Region and wider north of England economies.

The High Speed Rail – Linking Liverpool campaign is gathering more momentum every day and Downtown is proud to be playing a leading role alongside an increasing number of key business leaders across the Liverpool City Region and the Northern Cities.

Our aim is a simple but compelling one, and one that every Downtown member should play an active role in supporting: To get the Liverpool City Region included in full HS2 North-

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South and HS3 East-West connectivity plans and realise the substantial economic benefits of doing so.

The Linking Liverpool campaign was launched this summer by leading Liverpool City Region bodies including the Combined Authority, Merseytravel and the Local Enterprise Partnership.

Downtown has been a strong supporter of this campaign from the start, not just in Liverpool but across our other areas of Manchester, Leeds and Lancashire. The campaign brings together all the key players as a united force to bring greater connectivity to Liverpool City Region for the benefit of the whole of the North.

Frank McKenna, Downtown In Business’ Chief Executive, said: “We have supported the High Speed Rail – Linking Liverpool campaign from the start, not only because of the significant economic benefits for the City Region but also to add weight to the wider Northern powerhouse opportunity.

“It’s important to get behind this campaign now to influence investment and funding decisions which will create a lasting legacy for our region and future generations.

“We’ve hosted two successful business roundtable events with Merseytravel Chief Executive and Director General David Brown, and taken part in a number of other events backing the campaign. We’ve also provided a platform for major league business leaders, such as Sir Howard Bernstein and Tom Riordan, in highlighting the case for high speed rail and recognising the thriving economy and exciting opportunities in the North.

“Freight and logistics capacity is key and without linking Liverpool in to full high speed rail, freeing up capacity, and connecting SuperPORT there can be no Northern Powerhouse. That’s why Downtown In Business is fully behind the High Speed Rail – Linking Liverpool campaign and we urge all businesses to support it too.”

Research shows that the region would benefit from: • • • •

An overall £8.3bn boost to the Liverpool City Region economy.

14,000 new jobs.

An additional £30m a year in business rates, meaning more money for local services.

20,000 more people looking to make the Liverpool City Region their home.

•

723,000 additional visitors, spending around £87m, supporting around 1,740 additional jobs and £66m in annual GVA.

Downtown will host an event in support for the campaign to bring full High Speed Rail to Liverpool on Tuesday, October 28, with Sir Howard Bernstein.

The chief executive of Manchester City Council Sir Howard Bernstein will be the keynote speaker at the important From Manchester With Love breakfast session at The Venue, Royal Liver Building, from 8am-10am.

Sir Howard will explain the importance of HS2 and HS3 to the whole Northern economy – and why he believes the Liverpool City Region must be part of this major infrastructure project.

Find out more about the event at www.downtowninbusiness.com/liverpool

Downtown urges all our members to sign the business pledge at www.highspeedrailliverpool.org/business

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“The needs of the Northern cities are aligned - we are not in competition on HS2 or HS3. All cities need to be connected so that we can all benefit and Liverpool City Region is fully supportive of the One North and Connected Cities activity on high speed rail.

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“Lancashire businesses need to stop being so humble and shout about success” this was the key messages from the Lancashire Business Growth Conference hosted by leading lobby group and networking club, Downtown Lancashire in Business on Friday 10th October 2014.

More than 100 people gathered at Brockholes Nature Reserve Conference Centre to hear from speakers including technology commentator and ‘futurist’, Tom Cheesewright, Marketing Lancashire’s Ruth Connor, Clive Drinkwater from UKTI and Michael Finnigan, founder of Impossible 2 Inevitable (i2i Ltd).

Following an introduction from Jennifer Mein, leader of Lancashire County Council, the event featured keynote speeches and panel discussions around access to finance and exporting, providing delegates with key insights into how to grow their business.

“We know that the last 12 months have been overall positive for Lancashire’s business community, but we’re not very good at shouting about our success,” said Frank McKenna, chief executive of Downtown Lancashire in Business.

“Lancashire does well to punch above its weight and has a lot to offer, but we seem to be intimidated by surrounding cities like Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds.

“Today was a good opportunity to explore what support is out there for businesses and also look at examples of firms that are doing well and what we can learn from them.”

Much discussion was had around the support packages available in the county, such as Boost Business Lancashire, which celebrated its one year anniversary in October.

Andy Walker from Lancashire County Council encouraged delegates to take advantage of such schemes before it’s too late before Clive Drinkwater from UKTI highlighted examples of successful exports.

Clive said: “Whilst the county is excellent at exporting manufacturing, businesses need to remember that other products and services are exportable. We also need to shift away from our reliance on the European Union and target high growth markets in the world, such as Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey.”

Addressing the audience on plans for Marketing Lancashire, Ruth Connor suggested that the county has too many fractions of groups ‘doing their own thing’ and that we need to come together to form a cohesive ‘Lancashire Voice’.

“Lancashire has so much to shout about and we need to take more pride in the county and be more outward facing,” said Ruth.

“We’ve got all the ingredients for success, but growth can only be achieved if we’re confident, ambitious and network.”

The dynamic duo of Michael Finnigan and John Leach from Winning Pitch closed proceedings, providing advice on how to ‘sell more stuff’.

An animated Michael Finnigan said: “The key to success is simply think big and make it happen. Be authentic, genuine and caring and remember that success is nothing to be ashamed of.”

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As an award winning business journalist, I know there are some stories you simply can’t tell. On the basis that you should write about what you know, this is my first novel.

- Michael Taylor

Forty by Forty The inside tale of the crash of 2008 as told by Cheshire bad boy Roger Cashmore. Wanting to cash out and live a life of reality TV stardom, sex on the side and permanent lads’ tours, his contradictions and weaknesses come crashing down, confronting his gilded existence.

In November Michael Taylor’s debut novel Forty by Forty hits the shelves. In this exclusive extract for DQ we find the main character Roger Cashmore about to escape from the cold of a Manchester January day to have lunch in San Carlo.

By midday I’m desperate to get out and show my face in San Carlo and should get there for one-ish. San Carlo is without a shadow of a doubt the number one gaff for nosebag in Manchester right now. If I get there in enough time I’ll get that parking spot on the corner behind Kendals, just before El Hadji Diouf finishes training at Bolton Wanderers and comes into town. It’s on double yellows, but it’s worth it to show off the new Hummer to whoever is in and it’s only £30 if the parking feds get you.

My pride and joy is a H1 Light Utility, which I got repainted in metallic green just to show my commitment to the environmental cause. It has an electric sunroof, which is a waste of time in Manchester. It’s got side steps, roof rails, full leather interior and everyone turns and stares, wherever you are. I lend it to pals so they can pull birds and look good, for a favour of course.

It’s a damp grey Manchester day but in San Carlo the sun always shines. And today it is buzzing like you wouldn’t believe. Breezy bedlam and merry mayhem with waiters flying about like it’s the rush hour in Central Station. The Doris on the door knows me by name and always sees me right, I don’t need to book, but today I’m being treated and there’s every chance they’ll cock it up. “Sort me a booth, love,” I say and give her my wink.

There’s a good crowd around the bar today. I’ve never been a believer in the value of humility. And neither, clearly, does my old mate Paul “the Plumber” Davidson, who is once again regaling the blokes at the bar with his grand plans. He’s holding court while a gaggle of lads sitting on stools at the bar hear his latest stories.

This is the man who fought the law, and won, for a change. He was crucified in the press and accused of being a charlatan.

He was down to his brass buttons and now he’s back. He was

cleared of “market abuse” by the FSA after he took a spread bet on the share price of the company he was floating. Pure genius.

And they never made it stick, but it nearly ruined him. Poor bastard. He never stopped smiling either, or telling stories.

What a guy. And when everyone else was turning their back on him it was always down to me and a few other lads to stick up for him.

He might dress like a striking miner, but every time I’ve seen him lately he’s had a carrier bag full of £50 notes on him. At first I thought he must have become Mickey Thomas’s new best mate, but he picked up the tab for me when we were having a bit of scran in the Alderley Bar and Grill. A couple of days later I was on the train to London and he paid for my ticket. In cash. Top bloke, always liked him. And here he is again, with a new pipe he’s invented which he’s got a few lads to back him and he’s ready to float another new company, the Fluid Leader Group on the Plus market.

He shows me this business card from Sheikh Faisal Bin Khalid Mohammed Al Qassimi. “He’s a member of the ruling family of Sharjah. I’m going to be a billionaire this time,” he says.

Personally I’ve never heard of it, but he means business.

A few other lads are already in. Alec Craig is at the bar, a lawyer and another one of the Alderley crowd. He has a group of lads with him, laughing at his stories, some stockbroker and a cricket lad.

“How’s it going Craigy?”

“Good, good. Let’s have a beer soon. I’ll call you.”

His firm, Halliwells, have just moved into these unbelievably smart new offices in Spinningfields – or Billingfields as we call it now – he’s looking well, obviously been skiing. I predict a bright future for these boys; they have to look the part if they’re going to take on the London firms.

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But that’s the thing with lawyers, they always win. In the boom times there’s deals to be done and fees to be earned. In a recession, everyone starts suing each other and there’s rich pickings being a brief for the insolvency boys.

Speaking of which … there’s a crowd of well fed Begbies Traynor lads in the first booth by the door. The insolvency practitioners of this parish are obviously doing very well these days, with all this talk of recession, or a flushing out of the shit as we call it.

I’ve always liked their top lad, Andrew ‘Dicky’ Dick, who’s always good for a tip on the horses and owns a few himself.

At the next booth there’s a scruffy young lad in a woolly hat drinking coffee while an Asian bloke with a purple shirt, black suit and a ponytail talks to him. He’s obviously some kind of pop star, but I don’t recognize him, but even I can work out that the buffoon with the ponytail must be some kind of talent agent. Do people have to be so obvious?

I scan quickly through the crowd of various muppets: accountant, bank lads, lawyers, journalists, idiots basically, sat cheek-by-jowl alongside a few old dears. These are the ladies who lunch: brassy and obvious and they’re from Wilmslow or Hale, harder and older and they’ll be the Worsley wives.

In the far corner of the bar are four moody-looking lads, all dressed in black with a big older grand-looking bloke with a mane of silver hair and a three-piece pinstripe suit. They’ve got a bucket of champagne and they’re obviously out celebrating.

At first sight I didn’t think I knew them. But it’s all about context and, in this setting, I’m vaguely embarrassed when one of them clocks me. I’m surprised to see him in here, it’s not usually his domain, not like it is mine, so I just nod. But, fuck, he’s coming over for a chat.

“Mr Cash, the main money man,” this brute says in a slightly sing-song way like he’s rapping or some such shit. He’s stunted, smart and ugly, but as hard a man as I’ve ever known. He might not be big but when he gets knocked down, he just gets up again. He never stops. He’s called Tosh and I know him from back in the day. He never quite thanks me for reminding him he had a scholarship to our fee-paying Grammar School and I used to go to Man United with him before everyone else decided they liked football. He’s my tenuous link to the shady side of business. He’s as bald as a coot now, but in the early 80s he had a big pudding bowl of a haircut, the biggest flick in the scoreboard paddock at Old Trafford. He was always useful to have around. In the famous words of the Beach Boys, “the bad guys know us and they leave us alone.”

He’s had a few run-ins with the law; been down a few times, a bit of a grafter, ticket touting, snide gear, knock-off clothes and electrical goods. He was also a hardcore football hooligan at United; he’s even written a book about his grafting days after spending a stretch in Sing Sing prison in America. Called Totally

I engineer it so I can quickly introduce Tosh to Sidney, who won’t even remember, and Sidney to Tosh who won’t even care. This is one of those awkward social encounters I’m eager to resolve to everyone’s satisfaction. Tosh will have told his moody-looking mates in the corner that I’m his millionaire mate who lives in Alderley sees him right for tickets and stuff, otherwise why would he come over. He can’t be seen to be had off by me, anymore than I can really afford to blank Sidney just to talk to him.

“Tosh, top boy, top man, legend,” I say. I reckon I’ve got another six seconds. “Listen mate, I’m glad I’ve seen you, I’ve got an idea for you, something you might be interested in, give me a call.” I thrust a card into his hand, it’s my private one with my private line and my mobile on it. He can go away with my card, a trophy, a mark that I’d shown him some respect, even if he already has my number. I get some peace and time to talk to Sidney.

The old fucker makes it over and, ever the genial gent, offers his hand to Tosh with a smile. I use the crowded bar to move Sidney into some space so we can talk and I can start to worry about what I can put Tosh’s way in case he ever does call me. It has to be a bit more creative than debt collection, which, to be fair, he’s very good at.

“Hello young man, how’s business?” he asks, straight to the point.

“Oh, you know it is Mr Silver, scraping a living, getting by.”

“That’s the spirit,” he says, he looks at me with a glint in his eye, like he’s waiting for me to say the next thing, like I’m going to amuse him.

“You know what, Mr Silver, it’s the burning sky and it keeps a burning bright. That’s my theory.”

“You keep some very funny company. Who was that rogue you didn’t introduce me to?”

And there was me thinking he hadn’t paid any attention to Tosh.

“Ah, just some bloke I know,” I say, trying to brush it off.

“He’s with Freddie Derbyshire, the criminal lawyer, must have been in court today, looks like they’re celebrating,” he whispers, rolling his eyes in the direction of the corner where one of Tosh’s mates is now shouting very loudly and holding the bottle of champagne in their air like it’s the FA Cup. I look over at them and notice that Sidney’s powers of observation are pretty spot on.

“There’s a storm coming Roger, mark my words,” he says.

“Make sure you’re protected,” he says. “There are fortunes made and lost in a recession you know, make sure you make one.”

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Then in the next one along is Sidney Silver, a legend of the business world, with a few of his old boy Jewish brethren.

Always tanned and his eyes always darting around, wherever he is, he’s made millions over the years as a wheeler dealer in building up and selling textiles companies. Now he dabbles in property and tech start ups, as you do when the Sunday Times Rich List has you into triple figures and it’s still roughly half what you’re really worth. He catches my eye and gets all his old pals to move along and let him out so he can come over for a chat. Even with two hip operations and three score years and ten under his belt he’s a fast mover.

Tosh, it includes all the scrapes him and his merry band have been in all over the world: Thailand, America, even Leeds and Liverpool. Last time I saw him he’d become a bit of a fixer in his own right and claimed he was going legit and embarking upon a career as a serious businessman. I remember what he said: “Fook me, if you’re a millionaire it can’t be that fookin’ hard.”

But his shot at the big time, as far as I know, extends as far as running unofficial travel business for getting lads to United matches abroad. He’s rung me a couple of times over the years for tips on avoiding VAT and stuff, but he’s gone a bit quiet of late. So while part of me gets a bit embarrassed when he crosses over into my space, other times I’m highly delighted.

But with Sidney Silver bounding over as quickly as his new hip will let him, it doesn’t quite suit the image to have some small stocky thug in a North Face coat done up to the top, sunglasses on his head (in January) and the 1000-yard stare so beloved of Manchester’s alternative business community.

Sidney is in a good mood and wants to hold court. “The greatest legal device that this legal system invented for the betterment of capitalism is the pre-pack,” he says. “As long as you buy the debt, sometimes at a discount, you can get a business free of all its problems for a bargain price. The administrators are going to be overwhelmed soon, the banks are going to have to repair their balance sheets and will be ready to write down assets. Roger, we can make a lot of money if we’re ready, but you’re too distracted by all of this nonsense.”

He always does this, does Sidney. Baffles me with his tight grasp of detail and law, and business tactics. He never stops. He’s exactly the same as he was when I first got introduced to him. He’s also the same whether you meet him for breakfast, lunch or dinner. He makes my head hurt, but he’s a class act. A money magnet.

“Did you take my advice on pension funds, Roger?”

“Of course I did. Avoid them.” Sidney should know, his empire of businesses have pension funds all over the place, he sometimes uses them to lend funds to do other deals. But he knows better than to have a business saddled with the liabilities of paying out to staff who leave anyway. Waste of time, pensions.

“There’s a flight to quality, though, eh Sidney?”

“Come to my office, it’s time we had one of our chats,” he says, not so much requesting as informing.

“It’ll do you good.”

He turns to talk to the barrister bloke and I’m dragged over. For fuck’s sake, Sidney.

Tall and grand and with a pinstripe suit with white lines wider than the ones Tosh and his pals have been snorting at some point recently, he casts a big shadow as Sidney nosily enquires as to the cause of the obvious celebration.

“My client here,” he says putting his hand on Tosh’s shoulder, “a respectable member of the business community is today an innocent man, completely exonerated of the heinous charge of murder and once again I have exposed the utter incompetence of Greater Manchester Police and their lickspittles at the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Fuck me, murder! Even that’s an upgrade for Tosh.

“Dibble had fuck all on me, Mr Cash. No witnesses, all the phone tap stuff they’d done they couldn’t use, and they couldn’t match the petrol in my car to the type used to torch the car they found Caveman in because some bottles went missing at the labs,” he laughs, still talking in that slow sing-song menace that he’s always had.

He looks at his brief, who’s smiling at him, probably because he gets him so much business. “The Old Bill were desperate, pal,” he says, “this one copper was up as a witness, behind a screen and all that.

They ask him to describe me, and he says ‘a bully’ not, small, bald, white. But ‘a bully’...even the beak had to pull him on that one.”

I smile and give him the Cashmore wink. “Catch you later.”

He smiles, but not with his eyes, and amidst all the bonhomie and the cheering and the noise of a city centre restaurant he mouths to me – “Panacea pay back, Mr Cash. I’ll be in touch.”

I make a mental note that at no point in all of that performance did he say, nor did his brief, even to me, that he didn’t do it. Just that the Old Bill couldn’t prove he did.

What a day, charity, insolvency law, Tosh off a murder rap and thinking he’s in line to be businessman of the year, and now Sidney Silver’s box of tricks.

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Ian Silverberg talks eye health, regulations and corporate responsibility.

0151 709 2012 @SilverbergOptic /silverberg.opticians

This responsibility of care is also reflected in the law. In 1992 health and safety regulation was brought in to protect Display Screen Equipment (DSE) or Visual Display Unit (VDU) users. These are commonly thought of as people who have traditional desk jobs using computers, however in an age where most till systems in shops or bars now have display screens and so many people use tablet devices, the boundaries are becoming blurred.

If employees are using VDU's for prolonged times (more than an hour at a time), their employer must provide them with eye examinations when requested and corrective spectacles when needed. This doesn't mean you have to pay for every employees spectacles, just those who need them specifically for VDU use.

There is no evidence to suggest that permanent damage can be done to the users eye or eye sight, the regulation is there to make sure the user can see the unit comfortably whilst working. A lot of issues arise from fatigue or tiring of the eye from prolonged use on a single unit, including reduced productivity. This is in line with similar rules regarding work stations; making sure users are sat comfortably so that they are not getting any muscle ache or strains.

As I see it there are two ways to look at this. We can just view it as an unwanted cost, a necessary payment to make sure we're protected legally. However, more companies are now seeing it in a more positive way, its an avenue to offer extra add ons to your current staff and make your company more attractive to potential future employees. No longer can we just offer people a basic wage and leave it there, people expect more; attractive benefit packages are now the normal, so going beyond this is now vital.

We have found an increase in our corporate eye care recently from local companies because of this. When I speak to people who have signed up they like to offer their staff something different from the normal chain brands or supermarket opticians (on that note, why would you get your eye's tested by somewhere that also sells tins of beans and toilet rolls?). The ability to go in to a local independent business and build up a relationship whilst also getting all of the discounts and benefits from being in our business club for them and their family is very appealing to staff, and seeing as it costs no more than the chains, its pretty appealing to businesses too.

If you'd like to offer this to your staff, and possibly save yourself some money in the process, please get in touch and we can see how we can help each other.

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As we all know employees expect more from their employers these days, from basic safety in the work place to benefits and extras. After years of law suits over accidents in the work place (hearing damage or asbestos poisoning to name but two), we as business owners know we have the responsibility to look after our employees health and well-being.

The inaugural Manchester & Lancashire Women in Business Awards hosted by Downtown in Business, in association with the Women’s Organisation, was a glittering affair at the five star Lowry Hotel in September.

Maggie O’ Carroll, the chief executive of the Women’s Organisation, told the 270 sell-out crowd that female enterprise and entrepreneurship was still at criminally low levels in comparison to other parts of Europe and the USA – but things were changing, with initiatives such as business awards that recognise and acknowledge the achievements of female business leaders which is an important part of the journey.

An afternoon of celebration of some of the regions most talented women in business saw a host of top companies and business owns walk away with the awards, with Jennie Johnson from Kids Allowed, the head of Manchester Central Angie Robinson and Baker Tilly’s Sarah Rowley among the winners.

The afternoon event carried on late into the evening, with a fabulous after show party at Neighbourhood where much Champagne and Prosecco was consumed – and nominees began to plot their campaigns for #WIBA15.

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winners BEST NEW START UP

Zoe Holland- Zebra Legal

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR Jen Smith – JMW

LEGAL ADVISER OF THE YEAR Christine Oxenburgh – Freeths

FINANCIAL ADVISOR OF THE YEAR Sarah Bell – Duff & Phelps

BUSINESS SUPPORT AWARD Laura Harper – Shoosmiths

HOSPITALITY & SERVICE SECTOR AWARD Lou Kemp – GG hospitality

BEST MARKETER AWARD Sarah Rowley – Baker Tilly

BEST PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL AWARD Rowena Burns – Manchester Science Parks

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Dr Nichola McChrystal – Bioclinics

FEMALE LEADER

Angie Robinson – Manchester Central

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Harper Innovations

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Carol Kane – BooHoo.com

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR POPS

A DECADE OF EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS Jennie Johnson – Kids Allowed

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A DECADE OF EXCELLENCE! The tenth annual City of Liverpool Business Awards took place in the usual spectacular setting that is the Sefton Park Palm House, with over 250 business leaders packing into the venue for a celebration of all that is great about business across the city region.

With a successful inaugural International Festival for Business completed, not to mention a deal sealed for ‘IFB2’ in 2016, Liverpool Vision chief executive Max Steinberg was in an ebullient mood as he waxed lyrical about Liverpool’s recent achievements; and more importantly the great things to come.

Downtown’s chief executive Frank McKenna warned that though Liverpool’s renaissance during the past decade had been remarkable, there was no room for complacency. He also called on leaders from borough council’s across Merseyside to build a more effective partnership with Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson to develop a more cohesive city region strategy and take full advantage of the devolution agenda that was now firmly on the political agenda at a national level.

The big award winners of the night included Merseyrail, B&M Waste Services and property developers Iliad.

The evening ended with a virtuoso performance from award winning vocalist Rowetta – followed by an aftershow party at the Malmaison Hotel that was described as ‘messy’ by those who can remember!

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WINNERS SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE OF THE YEAR Hard Day’s Night Hotel

LEGAL FIRM OF THE YEAR Morecrofts Solicitors

LARGE LEGAL FIRM OF THE YEAR DLA Piper

RECRUITMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR Kingsley Associates

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS GROWTH OF THE YEAR Bibby Financial Services

ACCOUNTANCY FIRM OF THE YEAR Baker Tilly

HOSPITALITY VENUE OF THE YEAR Chaophraya/Palm Sugar Lounge

HOTEL OF THE YEAR Hotel Indigo

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Vivark

START UP OF THE YEAR Cassell Moore

PR AND MARKETING AGENCY Kenyon Fraser

DIGITAL COMPANY OF THE YEAR Epic New Media

PROPERTY COMPANY OF THE YEAR Iliad

DEAL OF THE YEAR Seneca Partners acquisition of Miton

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Bagnall & Morris Ltd

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S AWARD Merseyrail

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH:

On Thursday 23rd October, It took just two hours to wheel away the exhibition pieces, roll out the tables and build the stage, transforming the Imperial War Museum into the magical land of Oz for the 2014 Mancoolian Awards

From the off, the mayhem began, as some of Manchester’s most senior influencers took advantage of North Stars mobile photo studio, disguised in a collection of wigs, flasher macs and flat caps, it was hard to avoid the temptation.

Tin man, Michael Taylor was tasked with hosting the evening and maintaining order. The wizened old wizard, CEO of Downtown, Frank McKenna, opened the proceedings with a rousing welcome. The wicked witch of the west, head of events, Roger Jonas, hurled his usual insults from the back of the room, whilst Downtown’s own Dorothy, Amelia McLeod ensured everything went to plan.

The night was captured on video by Motion Digital TV, under the direction of Russell Brand’s stunt double, the madcap, Nik Maguire, footage of which can be seen on Downtown’s website.

All in all, a truly fantastic evening, a great venue, and most of all the perfect crowd, many of whom continued into the early hours of Friday morning at the fabulous Aftershow bash at Lucha Libre.

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Over 250 guests donned their best party frocks to celebrate the successes and achievements of some of Manchester’s leading lights from the city’s vibrant business community. The night kicked off with drinks, held in the main reception area, under the Harrier Jet fighter, suspended ominously above the head of the guests.

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WINNERS Sexy Networker Male 2014

Simon Calderbank – Big Knows

Sexy Networker Female 2014 Lucy Noone – Beautiful Drinks

Employee of the Year 2014

Sophie Southworth – Journey9

Best Business Development Manager of the Year 2014 Amy Towne – Cube3

Best Legal Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Best Financial Advisor of the Year 2014 Peter Donnelly – Baker Tilly

Best Property Professional of the Year 2014 Will Lewis – OBI

Best Communications Personality of the Year 2014 Sam Jones – Tunafish Media

Best Digital Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Richard Wood – The Media Octopus

Woman of the Year 2014 Kate Vokes – Bruntwood

Man of the Year 2014

Thom Hetherington – Holden Media

Business Personality of the Year 2014 Gary Neville – Hotel Football

Tony Award 2014

Tim Bacon – Living Ventures

Chairman’s Award 2014

Elliott Mueller – Metronet UK

CEO Award 2014

John Leach – Winning Pitch

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Steve Kuncewicz – Bermans

WITH ANDY BOUNDS BUSINESS GURU WOWS RISE & GRIND AUDIENCE The new networking breakfast brand ‘Rise& Grind’ has been introduced to Downtown’s extensive menu of events, and the inaugural ‘coffee fuelled’ morning in Liverpool got off to a flying start with business guru and bestselling author Andy Bounds wowing the 150 delegates with his whirlwind presentation on the tricks and tips on the art of selling.

Hosted by the splendid Richmond Hotel the new event will be held in each Downtown location on a quarterly basis, and has also been well attended in Manchester, where Neighbourhood welcomed the Downtown clan and Leeds, which took place at the Everyman Cinema. The superb Huntley’s will be home to Lancashire’s first Rise & Grind this month.

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Downtown events manager Chris McKenna commented: “A number of our members have been asking for an informal breakfast event to be added to the calendar, and I’m delighted that we have been able to initiate such a popular brand so quickly. For the likes of Frank and Roger ‘Sexy Networking’ is a bit much nowadays – then again can either of them Rise & Grind? We’ll wait and see!”

Look out for details of the next Rise & Grind events in the weekly Downtown events bulletins issued every Wednesday.

Visit www.downtowninbusiness.com to register for all Downtown’s bulletins.

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COOL LIST

EPSTEIN THEATRE Epstein Theatre (previously Neptune Theatre) is famed for its lavish pantomimes, stunning art deco interior and is a staple venue in Liverpool’s theatrical history. The 101 year old grade II listed building was renamed in homage to The Beatles Manager Brian Epstein and reopened in 2012.

This Autumn/Winter season hosts an array of performers gracing the Epstein stage, from Musicians and comedians to Burlesque acts and children’s theatre for the whole family.

Not forgetting our renowned panto Jack and the Beanstalk set to be the best in the City this Christmas.

In 2014 the Theatre launched as a Conference and Corporate Hospitality space and is now fully licensed for weddings, bookings for 2015 are filling up fast so do contact our team on events@epsteinliverpool.co.uk!

Our brand new website coming soon! ww.epsteinliverpool.co.uk @EpsteinTheatre

LIVERCOOL AWARDS 2014 Downtown Liverpool’s biggest party of the calendar year. The infamous ‘Livercool’ awards gala dinner – and for the twelfth year THEY’RE BACK! The fabulous Crowne Plaza hotel will once again host the city’s most dynamic, raucous, wonderful night on the evening of Thursday 20th November 2014 as we celebrate the entrepreneurs, decision makers and individuals who have made a special contribution to the Liverpool city region’s continued economic growth.

For more information on the event, visit: www.downtowninbusiness.com

THEBIGWORD

‘thebigword’ is a global, technology enabled language solutions provider, that delivers translation (written word) and interpreting (spoken word) services. ‘thebigword’ employs 500 people based in 13 offices in 11 countries, working with more than 12,000 linguists worldwide.

At the centre of ‘thebigword’ approach is delivering customer focussed solutions, of the highest possible quality and making the global communication process smooth for over 2,500 public and private sector clients. www.thebigword.com @thebigword

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LUCHA LIBRE

With stunning views over the beautiful River Ribble, yet conveniently close to Preston town centre and the M6, Macdonald Tickled Trout Hotel has an ideal location.

Lucha Libre is a modern mexican street food concept, taking inspiration from the restaurants and streets of Guadalajara – inventive, exciting with a contemporary twist.

Following a £0.5 million refurbishment, the hotel has just introduced a beautiful new Riverside Bar and Lounge where you can relax and enjoy a beverage from our new Costa Coffee. Join us at the new Scottish Steak Club where imaginatively reworked Scottish favourites are passionately prepared by our world class chefs, using only the finest and freshest produce.

No donkeys, sombreros or deep-fried Tex-Mex dishes. Food cooked with lots of love, full with flavour, with great drinks & music to match.

In addition a number of our bedrooms are being re-decorated from top to bottom including beautiful new bathrooms and soft furnishings. The hotel has also retained many traditional features, such as wood beams in our restaurant and an open plan lounge, creating a warm and welcoming ambience.

Macdonald Tickled Trout is always a popular meetings venue due to our convenient location, well-equipped conference suites and extensive onsite parking. Alternatively, our riverside terrace is the ideal place to enjoy a morning coffee with friends or relax with a pre dinner drink as you take in the views. Guests can enjoy the delicious food and drink and then relax in contemporary en suite accommodation, whilst the versitile function rooms are perfect for weddings. www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/ourhotels/macdonald-tickled-trout-hotel/ @MacTickledTrout

That's Lucha Libre until dusk... after that Lucha Noche comes alive and everything changes.

Friendly to all, judging of nobody, grounded and relaxed.

Lucha Libre – also available for office parties and partial or full venue hire. www.lucha-libre.co.uk @LuchaManchester

Lucha Libre aspires to provide somewhere that feels as comfortable for breakfast, lunch and dinner as it does for cocktails,dancing and partying in the evening. A social hub where people from all walks of life are welcome andfeel appreciated.

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM NORTH The multi-award winning IWM North opened on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal on 5th July 2002 and has since welcomed over 3 million visitors. It is the youngest of IWM’s five branches and the first outside the south-east of England.

It is the first UK building to be designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. Clad in aluminium, the landmark building is a visionary symbol of the effects of war. The design is based on the concept of a world shattered by conflict, a fragmented globe reassembled in three interlocking shards. These shards represent conflict on land, water and in the air.

Can’t forget to mention that It was also the home of 2014’s spectacular Mancoolian Awards! www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-north @I_W_M

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THE TICKLED TROUT

NEW COFFEE BAR AND LOUNGE BARLEY & BEANS OPENS IT’S DOORS IN THE HEART OF HATTON GARDEN

EVERYMAN LEEDS – CINEMA JUST NOT AS YOU KNOW IT……

Situated in the heart of the Trinity complex, Everyman Leeds has its very own persona with a focus on hospitality.

Our state of the art venue offers a unique and authentic experience with luxurious sofa seating, footrests, wine coolers and a delicious menu.

Everyman Leeds is home to four bespoke screens, a private screening room, a restaurant which specialises in wood fired pizza, a bar and a terrace, all of which can be privately hired.

With new releases, live screenings form the Royal Opera House, Cult on Sunday and a weekly Kids club you are spoilt for choice; remember you don’t have to watch a film to pay a visit!

Everyman Trinity Leeds Albion Street Leeds LS1 5AT www.everymancinema.com @Everymancinema

The city’s commercial district has welcomed a new coffee bar and lounge ‘with a difference’ in the form of Barley & Beans.

Located at 17 Hatton Garden, the independent brand provides customers with first class food and drink around the clock, serving a wide selection of signature classics including all-day full English breakfasts, sandwiches, burgers and light bites – whilst also housing a fully-licensed bar complete with signature cocktails.

To celebrate their grand opening, Barley & Beans is offering all Downtown in Business members 20% off their total bill when quoting "Downtown" at the point of purchase.

Director Nick Strauss said: “Our aim was to deliver a unique multi-purpose social venue whereby customers can relax, dine and socialise. For us it’s about to providing great service and food and drink that speaks for itself.

“Due to being in such close proximity to one of the city’s main universities and many major businesses, we wanted to pride ourselves on creating a great space for busy professionals. We have installed many plug sockets for laptops and phones, as well as projectors to enable customers to work outside of the office.”

To help support other independently ran businesses from around the region, Barley & Beans serves locally sourced hot beverages throughout their menus, which are supplied by firms such as Joe Black Coffee, which is based in Bootle, and Leaf on Bold Street.

Nick added: “So far the response from the public has been fantastic - therefore we hope to gain high recognition and continued custom as a result of our innovative offerings, ethical trading and personable approach.”

Barley & Beans is open Monday-Thursday 8am-9:30pm, Friday 8am-11pm, Saturday 9am-11pm and Sunday 9am-9:30pm.

For more information visit www.barleyandbeans.co.uk or call 0151 227 2472. www.barleyandbeans.co.uk @BandBLiverpool

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D WNTIME ABode Manchester T: 0161 247 7744 E: reservationsmanchester@abodehotels.co.uk W: www.abodehotels.co.uk ACC Liverpool T: 0151 703 7268 E: kate.nolan@accliverpool.com W: www.accliverpool.com Alma De Cuba T: 0151 702 7394 E: info@alma-de-cuba.com W: www.alma-de-cuba.com Angelo’s T: 01772 257 133 E: info@angelospreston.com W: www.angelospreston.com Atlantic Tower, Thistle Hotel T: 0871 376 9025 E: Scott.Montgomery@thistle.co.uk W: www.thistle.com

Bierkeller T: 0845 533 3000 E: jademorris@burningnightgroup.com W: www.liverpool.thebierkeller.com Bridgestreet Apartments T: 0207 792 2222 W: www.bridgestreet.com/Liverpool.htm Chaophraya Manchester T: 0161 832 8342 E: manchester@chaophraya.co.uk W: www.chaophraya.co.uk Chaophraya Liverpool T: 01517076323 E: Rachael.clarke@chaophraya.co.uk Chaophraya Leeds T: 0113 244 9339 E: leeds@chaophraya.co.uk W: www.chaophraya.co.uk City Wine Bar & Kitchen T: 0151 294 3344 W: www.citywinebar.net Crowne Plaza Liverpool T: 0151 243 8000 W: www.cpliverpool.com EastZEast Ibis Hotel T: 0161 244 5353 E: info@eastzeast.com W: www.eastzeast.com EastZEast Liverpool T: 0151 707 9377 E: info@eastzeast.com W: www.eastzeast.com EastZEast Preston T: 01772 200084 E: info@eastzeast.com W: www.eastzeast.com EastZEast Riverside T: 0161 834 3500 E: info@eastzeast.com W: www.eastzeast.com Everyman Playhouse T: 0151 706 9115 E: development@everymanplayhouse.com W: www.everymanplayhouse.com

Manchester House T: 0161 835 2557 W: www.manchesterhouse.uk.com

Glovers Bar T: 01772 561410 W: www.gloversbar.com

Malmaison Liverpool T: 0151 229 5000 E: ssimons@malmaison.com W: www.malmaison-liverpool.com Neighbourhood T: 0161 8326334.

W: www.neighbourhoodrestaurant.co.uk

Grill on the Alley T: 0161 833 3465 W: www.blackhouse.uk.com Gusto T: 0151 708 6969 W: www.gustorestaurants.uk.com Hard Days Night Hotel T: 0151 236 1964 E: enquiries@harddaysnighthotel.com W: www.harddaysnighthotel.com Hilton Liverpool T: 0151 708 4200 E: lauren.leonard@hilton.com W: www.hilton.co.uk/liverpool Holiday Inn Preston T: 01772 567 000 E: enquiries@hipreston.com W: www.hipreston.com Il Forno T: 0151 709 4002 E: info@ilforno.co.uk W: www.ilforno.co.uk Kuckoo T: 01772 825080 E: Bookings@kuckoorocks.com W: www.kuckoorocks.com La Tasca Leeds T: 0113 244 2205 E: emma.cottam@latasca.co.uk La Vina Liverpool T: 0151 255 1401 E: donna.davies@fiesta-nights.co.uk La Vina Manchester T: 0161 835 3144 E: emma.cottam@latasca.co.uk Legacy International Hotel T: 0844 411 9028 E: res-prestoninternational@legacy-hotels.co.uk W: www.legacy-hotels.co.uk/legacy-preston Liverpool Empire Theatre T: 0151 708 3200 E: JayneLloyd@theambassadors.com W: www.liverpoolempire.org.uk Liverpoool One T: 0151 232 3100 E: enquiries@liverpool-one.com W: www.liverpool-one.com Sapporo Teppanyaki T: 0161 831 9888 E: Manchester@sapporo.co.uk W: www.sapporo.co.uk Signature Living T: 0151 236 0166 E: info@signatureliving.co.uk W: www.signatureliving.co.uk Stratos T: 01772 888880 E: stratos@sanmarcogroup.co.uk W: www.sanmarcogroup.co.uk

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Novotel Liverpool T: 0151 702 5100 E: h6495-sl@accor.com W: www.novotel.com Palm Sugar Lounge T: 01517076654 E:Rachael.clarke@chaophraya.co.uk Piccolinos T: 0161 835 9860 E: piccolino.manchester@piccolinorestaurants.co.uk W: www.piccolinorestaurants.co.uk Radisson BLU Leeds T: 0113 236 6000 E: natalie.boyne@radissonblu.com Radisson BLU Liverpool T: 0151 966 1500 E: info.liverpool@radissonblu.com W: www.radissonblu.co.uk/hotel-liverpool Restaurant Bar & Grill Leeds T: 0113 244 9625 E: rbg.leeds@therestaurantbarandgrill.co.uk W: www.individualrestaurants.com Restaurant Bar & Grill Liverpool T: 0151 236 6703 E: rbg.liverpool@therestaurantbarandgrill.co.uk W: www.therestaurantbarandgrill.co.uk Restaurant Bar & Grill Manchester T: 0161 8320082 E: Cherryl.Pinnington@ircplc.co.uk W: www.therestaurantbarandgrill.co.uk Royal Exchange Theatre T: 0161 833 9833 E: box.office@royalexchange.co.uk W: www.royalexchangetheatre.org.uk The Grill on New York Street T: 0161 228 1444 W: www.blackhouse.uk.com The Living Room Leeds T: 0113 3800 930 E: leedspa@thelivingroom.co.uk The Richmond T: 0151 702 5820 E: info@therichmondliverpool.com W: www.therichmondliverpool.com Thistle Hotel T: 0871 376 9025 W: www.thistle.com Tickled Trout Hotel T: 0844 879 9053 A: Preston New Road - PR5 OUJ Signature Hotel Tel: 0151 236 0166 E-mail: info@signatureliving.co.uk Web: www.signatureliving.co.uk

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Blackhouse Grill Leeds T: 0113 246 0669 E: www.blackhouse.uk.com

Fazenda Liverpool T: 0151 227 2733 W: www.fazenda.co.uk/liverpool/

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW ITS WHO WE KNOW

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