Reflecting on 16 years at the Bath Chamber & Initiative

At the end of 16 years as Executive Director, Ian Bell reflects on the impact over that time of Bath Chamber of Commerce and the Initiative in B&NES, part of Business West, on behalf of the business community.

It didn’t take long to work out what were members main concerns when I stepped into the role. Housing, workspace, transport and skills, oh and tidying up the centre of Bath were regular talking points. These days they are concerned about, yes that’s right, housing, workspace, transport and skills, oh and tidying up the centre of Bath.
Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose as we say in the Chew Valley !

It is perfectly true that business is still raising questions about those subjects but it would be wrong to think that no progress has been made when it comes to addressing them, far from it. It’s not easy to judge how effective we have been, but I think it is fair to suggest we have been a positive influence.

Let’s take tidying up the City Centre first. The Council did their best, but resources, as usual, were scarce and our Initiative members felt something better should be done in a World Heritage City. Ten of them put their money where their mouths were and committed to each providing £5,000 a year for three years, which was matched by the Council to produce sufficient funds to employ a City Centre Manager. 

Part of his task was not only to make a difference in the short term, but also to prepare the ground so that a Business Improvement District could be established after the initial money ran out. That meant a Levy could be charged on the larger businesses and so a sustainable model was created which is still continuing to make a difference today.

The long and winding road that is transport can’t be said to have ended up as an unqualified success. Our regular call for a Park and Ride to the east of Bath occasionally seemed to come close to being answered, but it never quite made it. However, we were able to provide Councillors and Officers with information from the University of Bath’s Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems which played a part in influencing the way the Clean Air Zone was brought in. Crucially petrol cars were exempt from charging, so avoiding potentially unaffordable fees for less well-off people who needed their older vehicles to get to work in the City.

We could claim a better mark when it comes to skills, having forged strong and effective links with both our Universities and the College. We were heavily involved for many years with Chef v Chef, the competition which highlighted the talents of young people in Bath College’s Hospitality Department and also former students who had gone on to work and indeed run, professional kitchens. We were able to forge links between the leaders of Bath Spa University and Bath College who also engaged with the University of Bath to help create an environment where all three could work together to produce an imaginative new way of delivering learning.

Members regularly discussed the issue of work space, particularly making the case for more modern offices, to replace the unused and unloved rabbit warrens in Georgian buildings. Happily, huge strides on this issue have been made, with the Quays development, South and North, being a real game changer. Hopefully the new accommodation will allow businesses to grow and stay in Bath, rather than having to go to the likes of Bristol or Swindon.

Of continuing concern is what space will be left for non-office based work. Factories and light industry will still be required in the future, to provide opportunities in a balanced economy so that all our young people can provide for themselves and their families and be able to continue to live and work in the area.

Which brings us to the vexed question of housing, the topic which impacts so much on the local economy, making it difficult to attract staff and contributing to commuter generated congestion. 

The ratio of costs to wages has increased over time, the number of people in unsuitable housing continues to rise and the stock of affordable housing is no where near big enough. We have regularly lobbied for change and there are promising noises from central Government, but we still see bewildering planning decisions to refuse well thought out developments, the most recent example at South Stoke, which included a substantial affordable element.

Currently the power seems to lie in the hands of existing residents, who quite naturally want to preserve the status quo. The voice of the people who would enjoy living in new homes is not heard. Perhaps that will shortly change.

One thing I know will not change is the desire of Chamber and Initiative members to continue to engage in debate on the issues that matter. I have been their spokesman, but relied completely on their well-informed comments and opinions. They are special people who are not only concerned with running their own businesses, but are willing to use their skills, knowledge and experience to help shape what the future of a successful local economy looks like for the benefit of the whole community.