ldp business magazine, november 2009

M O N T H L Y R E G I O N A L B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E

BUSINESSLDPLDPBUSINESS

Global accountancy leader’stwodecadesat the top

LawCrisis: Legal firmsbattle recession+ Inside: JobcentrePlusEngageMagazine+On thebuses:Drivingdownemissions

Whole worldin his handsWhole worldin his hands

w w w . l d p b u s i n e s s . c o . u kN o v e m b e r 2 0 0 9

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CLB Business Solutions brings you the peace of mind which comes with knowing that key aspects of your business, includingemployment law matters, health and safety, disputes, debt collection and payroll, are being taken care of by professionals. Thismeans that you can get on with what matters most to you - your business.

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Can you afford not to have CLB Business Solutions?Call us free on 0800 032 0974 orvisit us at www.clbbusiness.com

Canter Levin and Berg Solicitors1 Temple Square, 24 Dale Street, Liverpool L2 5RL

Tel: 08000 320 974, Fax: 0151 239 1001Email: [email protected], www.clbbusiness.com

CLB Business Solutions is a trading name of Canter Levin & Berg Solicitors. Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Number 44668)

Partners: Kevin Pinkstone, Mark A W Flynn, Martin Malone, Ian Fitzpatrick, Louise Burns-Lunt (non-lawyer), Peter Mitchell, Romilly Houghton,Richard Hughes, Claire Jansz, Ian Troop, Claire Campbell, Rita Krumins, Richard Sibeon, Ian Smith, Elizabeth Saunders, Hazel Roberts

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4NEWSLiverpool FC’s visitor drive

11INTERNATIONAL TRADEDow Schofield Watts embarks onIndian joint venture

14SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYSoftware City hits Liverpool

17BIG INTERVIEWDavid McDonnell, Grant Thornton

22HOW GREEN IS YOURBUSINESS?Arriva and Stagecoach in drive tocut bus emissions

25BIG FEATUREMerseyside’s legal sector and how ithas coped with the recession

31PROFESSIONAL SECTORSDeloitte aims to double its Liverpooloffice in size

32COMMERCIAL PROPERTYDaresbury’s 1m sq ft plan

33ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTFocus on Halton

40EDUCATIONEntrepreneurs of the future

42THE LIST

43SOCIAL DIARYCarolyn Hughes out on the town

44RESTAURANT REVIEWItalian Club Fish

46NETWORKERBarry Turnbull is understarter’s orders

LDP

IN HIS children’s novel, Millions,author Frank Cottrell Boyce’s maincharacter, Damian, wonders whythere isn’t a patron saint of estateagents.

There are saints for the likes ofbakers, sailors and swineherds, butnever in the whole of history has anestate agent been beatified. He endswith saying: “It makes you think”.

The implication is that none ofthem have ever been good enough, ofcourse.

So it comes as a little bit of asurprise to discover that, earlier thisyear, the Roman Catholic churchassigned St Matthew to overseebankers, a profession every bit asloathed as estate agents these days.One of the 12 Apostles and author ofthe first Gospel, St Matthew is nowthe patron saint of accountants,

bankers, book-keepers, Customsofficers, financial officers, moneymanagers and stockbrokers.

The church says people who areconsumed by worries about moneyshould aspire to be like St Matthew,because he gave up his job as a taxcollector to follow Jesus.

But, as recent trading results fromsome of Britain’s and America’sbiggest banks show, there are manybankers who do not need anyintervention on their behalf. Either

that or bankers are pretty good atpraying. Those employed byGoldman Sachs, in particular, musthave spent a lot of time wearing theirtrousers’ knees out because theirbank has bounced back with somedegree of vigour and they arealready in line for big bonuspayments.

The banking profits are,of course, to be welcomed,a point underlined by theFinancial ServicesAuthority’s publication ofproposals about how best totackle systemic risk in thebanking sector. The paper, ineffect, asks what type ofbank should be saved (fromfinancial collapse, notdamnation)?

The debate has

been heightened by the interventionof the Governor of the Bank ofEngland, Mervyn King, who madethe case for splitting investmentbanking activities from retailbanking so as to limit the risks to

ordinary depositors’ life savings.The Governor’s commentshave provoked ChancellorAlistair Darling to clarifythe fact that this is notgovernment policy. Labourdoesn’t want to see anyseparation of activities.

The Conservatives, on theother hand, are morereceptive to the idea, but

qualify that by saying itcould only happen in

Britain if othercountries did the

same, making

EDITOR’SLETTER

BUSINESS

EDITORBill Gleeson0151 472 [email protected]

DEPUTY BUSINESSEDITORTony McDonough0151 330 [email protected]

BUSINESS WRITERSAlistair [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

HEAD OF IMAGESBarrie [email protected]

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COPYRIGHTLDP Business is printedmonthly and distributed withthe Liverpool Daily Post. Nopart of this publication may bereproduced without permissionof the publisher.

it extremely unlikely. As a result, theGovernment needs to invent areformed system of bankingregulation that recognises thedifference between the properoperation of free markets andunfettered greed.

It also need to get on with thingsquickly. As last week’s GDP figureshowed, Britain is close to recoveryand the nation’s bankers have begunto come out of hibernation with aview to flogging their money-spinning schemes again.

As for the rest of us, the poorthird-quarter output figure means wewill have to stay gloomy for a whileyet. I wonder if there is a patronsaint of journalists?

BILL GLEESON

INSIDE

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NEWS

Nostalgia nights partof LFC tourism driveL

IVERPOOL Football Club isattempting to attract morenon-match day visitors toAnfield. The move to boosttourist figures is part of an

overall strategy to bolster the Reds’brand at home and abroad.

The latest initiative takes the formof a series of “Nights at the Museum”which give fans a chance to meetformer players, enjoy a three-coursemeal and listen to a talk.

Tom Cassidy, LFC commercialtourism and marketing manager,explained the venture is a result of thefact that the club has investedsignificantly in recent months to boostresources in driving forward itstourism strategy for the 09/10 season.

He said: “It’s going to be a veryexciting season both on and off thefield for LFC. Our newly-expandedtourism team is already focusing muchattention on these nights that willenable fans to enjoy more uniquevisitor experiences to Anfield.

“Players and former managers arereally keen to share many of thespecial moments of their LFC careerwith the fans, and dinner in themuseum will ensure guests on thesenew nights will have a great spectacleof all round entertainment.”

The evenings take place within themuseum itself, which housesmemorabilia from triumphs over theyears.

Phil Thompson hosted the first“Night at the Museum”, with moreformer stars to follow in comingmonths.

The importance of LFC’s role intourism generally has been recognisedby the appointment of commercialdirector Ian Ayre as chairman of theLiverpool City Region Tourist Boardand a member of the main board ofThe Mersey Partnership.

THE mostenterprising,innovative andsocially responsiblecompanies inKnowsley wererewarded at theKnowsley BusinessAwards.

Held in associationwith the Mayor ofKnowsley’s Charity,the awards are in theirseventh year andrecognise and rewardthe many businessesin the borough whichhave enjoyed successand made acontribution to thelocal community.

Entrepreneur of theYear was JamesSpencer, who foundedSpencer HoldingsGroup in 1974.

Now 74, Mr Spencerstill plays an activerole in the day-to-daymanagement of theproperty company. Ithas invested morethan £13m inKnowsley over thepast five years.

Vertex Data Sciencepicked up the awardfor OutstandingContribution to theBorough of Knowsley,sponsored byKnowsley Council.The company waspraised by the judgesfor its commitment toKnowsley, includingthe creation of anextra 700 jobs in thepast 12 months,adding to the nearly1,000 people alreadyworking for it.Recruitment to thenew posts has beenvia a link-up with thecouncil’s KnowsleyWorks team.

The award for BestSmall Business wentto Euroliters, based atKnowsley IndustrialPark, a globalsuppliers ofall-purposefirelighters worldwide.

The Most InnovativeBusiness orOrganisation awardwas won by NewHorizons Global.

Top awards forKnowsley firms

James Spencer gets his award from KnowsleyCouncil chief executive Sheena Ramsey

Phil Thompson was the first host of ‘Nights at the Museum’

PEEL Holdings has wonpermission for the firstof its series ofmulti-billion poundurban developmentplans.

The company hasbeen given the councilgreen light to developits ambitious GlasgowHarbour plan, on thebanks of the Clyde,despite strongopposition from theScottish city's majorretailers.

The Harbour sitecovers 130 acres andwill include a 30-storeyoffice and housingtower, 200 bed hotel,cinema, casino,

restaurants and bars.Peel is currentlynegotiating consents forits similarly ambitioustwin proposals on eitherside of the RiverMersey, called LiverpoolWaters and WirralWaters.

The company ownsswathes of docklandsthrough its ownership ofClydeports and MerseyDocks.

In Scotland, therewere objections fromretailers who feel thatthe core should bedeveloped along thelines of Liverpool, ratherthan promoting anout-of-town site.

Peel has Glasgow consent – Wirral could be next

Peel’s urban revolution kicks off in Scotland

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Above and left: Working Lunch provides fresh, tasty, products direct to businesses

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Lunch comes direct to youExpanding companybringsdelicious foodstraight to local businesses, thanks toStepcleverSTEPCLEVER is aninitiative to generate anenterprise culture in NorthLiverpool and South Sefton,by offering free businessadvice and support, as wellas grants and otherfinancial assistance forexisting enterprises,start-up companies andindividuals. Here we look atan exciting venture which isbeing helped by Stepclever.

Working Lunch has a simpleethos – quality food and aquality service. It realisesorganisations have differentneeds when it comes toproviding lunch, and a onesize fits all service isn’tfeasible.

Working Lunch tailors its

product and service dependingon the business, and can offeranything from corporatebuffets and mobile cateringunits right though toreplenishing vendingmachines with fresh, tastyproducts.

Organisations acrossMerseyside are reaping thebenefits of the cost-effectiveservice which fits perfectlyinto their busy schedules andmeans their work force canenjoy a wide variety ofdelicious hot and cold dishesat a time that’s best for them.

Clients include LiverpoolCity Council, Peel Ports,Liverpool Vision and manyother offices across the region.

The business, based inBoundary Street, Kirkdale,was set up in 2004, and nowemploys 25 people, with ninemobile vans deliveringtop-quality food on a dailybasis throughout the region.

In November, 2008,Stepclever awarded thecompany a £20,000 Gateway to

Growth Business Expansiongrant which gave them thefunding to be able to expandinto a purpose-built unit.

Peter Duckworth,Commercial Manager forWorking Lunch, said: “Thelast year has been a difficulttime for SMEs and we wouldhave struggled to have raisedthe relevant funding to growour business without externalhelp.

“Stepclever has beeninstrumental in allowing us toprogress, and the supportwe’ve received has allowed thebusiness to go from strength tostrength.

“We’re attracting newcustomers every week who areenticed by the nutritious foodwe offer, along with theprofessional service and thefact that it’s great value formoney.”

■ FOR more informationabout Working Lunch, visitwww.workinglunchuk.comor call 08703 500450.

We can HelpStepclever offers FREE specialist advice to growingbusinesses including access to a range of financialincentives, support with developing your business idea,managed referrals to other available support, developing newproduction processes, finding suitable business premisesand a dedicated Business Development Manager to help youon a one to one basis through the whole process.

Support for Business• Want to grow your business and create new job

opportunities?• Want to know how to get FREE advice and continued

support to develop your idea?• Require financial assistance to help you achieve your

goals?

Who to contact

Stepclever has establishedoffices in the heart of thecommunities serving theareas of Anfield, Everton,Kirkdale, County in northLiverpool and Derby andLinacre insouth Sefton.

If you would like some moreinformation please contactus by either email or phone.

You can call us, free ofcharge, on 0800 030 4376Email: [email protected]

www.stepclever.co.uk

DERBYRERELINACRENANA REREL E

COUNTYO YNTYO YNTY

ANFIELDKDALEKDKKIRKKK KKKKKKKKKK

EVERTON

LIVERPOOLCITY CENTRE

BANKHALL

BOOTLE

VAUXHALL

LIVERPOOL FC

EVERTON FC

© Crown copyright.All rights reserved100018351 2008

6

NEWS

Liverpool canal link receives regeneration awardTHE team behindLiverpool’s new canallink has won theRegeneration Award atthe British ConstructionIndustry Awards (BCIA).

The £22m project, ledby British Waterwaysand delivered by Arup,Balfour Beatty and BAMNuttall, was recognisedfor the significantimpact andregeneration of derelictland in North Liverpooland creating a world-class waterfront facilityfor all to enjoy.

Opened earlier thisyear, the Pier Head

canal link re-establishedan historic connectionbetween the city’sSouth Docks and theLeeds & LiverpoolCanal.

Richard Longton,British Waterwaysproject manager, said:“The BCIA awards arethe longest standing,most rigorously judgedand highly prized in theUK constructionsector.”

He added: “It is agreat achievement towin the award and forthe project to beacknowledged.”The award-winning Pier Head link to the South Docks

Innovation adviserputs energy into action

Heptron Renewable Energies partners Joe Anderson and Gary Murphy

Tony Mercer, chief executive of Fair Talk Mobile

‘Time is right’for watch phoneA WIRRAL telecomsentrepreneuryesterday launched awristwatch phone thathe believes will be a“must-have” productthis Christmas.

Tony Mercer, of FairTalk Mobile, whichalready operates itsown pay-as-you-gointernational roamingnetwork, is targetingsales of £300,000 byChristmas from theexclusive UKdistribution rights forthe watch.

It has a colourtouch-sensitivescreen, a built-incamera and has MP3,MP4 and Bluetoothfunctionality.

Mr Mercer, chiefexecutive of Fair TalkMobile, said:“Bringing thewristwatch mobilephone to the UKmarketplace ahead ofour competitors isquite a coup, of whichwe are very proud.

“The concept hasgot a shelf-life ofthree to five years. Iam hoping to move up

to 50,000 units by theend of 2010. I think wewill do 1,500 byChristmas, thenincrease salesthrough trade showsand exhibitions earlynext year.

“I would see this asa must-have forChristmas – you arenot going to get thisanywhere else.

“The watch goeshand in hand with ourSim cards. There’s asynergy between thetwo.”

Fair Talk Mobile’snetwork targetsbusiness travellersand companies, suchas logistics firms,which have staffregularly operatingabroad.

It provides clientswith a UK-based Simcard which has a UKnumber that allowsthe user to receivefree incoming callsthroughout the worldas well, and claimsthat calls made fromabroad are 70%cheaper thanbusiness tariffs.

KNOWSLEY-BASEDtechnology firm HeptronRenewable Energies isdeveloping a new way togenerate energy and an

energy storage method.The firm, which designs and

develops environmentally friendlymethods of generating power andenergy saving systems, had come upwith two concepts – but had to putthem on the back-burner because thepartners didn’t know how to takethem to the mass market.

Earlier this year, the firm werepartnered with Business LinkNorthwest’sinnovation adviser,Richard Harrison.

He helpedHeptron to applyfor a £3,000innovation voucher,which enabled thefirm to work withtechnologydevelopmentcompany C Tech,which validated theidea.

Heptron directorGary Murphy said:“We all agreed that Heptron shouldfocus on the energy storagetechnology for the time being,instead of trying to do everything atonce. After all, there was alreadyinterest being expressed from Chinaand Saudi Arabia, plus some of themajor UK energy suppliers as well.

“Since I met Richard in February,more has happened for us than in thelast five years.

“He’s introduced us to some greatpeople and organisations, which hasled to us establishing a solid networkand project team.”■ LDP BUSINESS has joined forceswith Business Link to supportrecession-hit firms in Merseyside.

Call Business Link on 0845 0066 888or e-mail [email protected]

Firms can also find information atwww. businesslink.gov.uk/northwest

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engageyour guide to Hr & recruitmentautumn 2009

subscribe to engage magazine today!if you’re a big business or a growing sme, you won’t want to miss:

Key employment issues, news, research and opinion

best practice real-life case studies from other employers

subscribe now for a full, free autumn 2009 issue of engage.

simply email [email protected] or call 0151 802 2172

in the full, freeAutumn 2009 issue:

FoundAtionsForgrowtHHow the £1,000 recruitment subsidy helped

a.s.K. development hire skilled staff

inside

in brief

deAling witH disAgreementsacas explain how to handle discipline,grievance and dismissals at work

bAcking young britAinthe graduate talent pool teamsyoung people and employersengage

How to truly engage your staffmarriott Hotel group raises its disability awareness

LePs celebrate second year of achievements6 ways for your business to start e-learning

Plus

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Over 200 employers are supporting theGovernment’s Backing Young Britaincampaign to create employmentopportunities for young people, includinginternships for recent graduates

Findingfreshtalent

We arecommitted tohelping graduatesgain employmentor further theireducationDavid Lammy, Minister ofState for Higher Education

why an internship?

‘Internships are an excellent way forcompanies to access graduate talentand provide graduates with vital skillsand experience to support their futureemployment. Microsoft is extendingits internship programme in 2009 toengage the graduate talent that isessential for our long-term success.’Stephen UdenHead of Skills & Economic AffairsMicrosoft Ltd

‘Our internship programmes arean established and integral partof our talent pipelines atPriceWaterhouseCoopers. Typically92 per cent of our interns convert tofull-time positions. By providing realopportunities and insights into ourorganisations, students enhance boththeir employability, skills and businessawareness while delivering value.’James Chalmers,Head of Strategy and Talent,PriceWaterhouseCoopers

‘Work experience helps you developvital employability skills, whichemployers value very highly, such asbusiness awareness, teamwork andcommunications. This scheme shouldhelp graduates compete when theyreach today’s extremely tough jobsmarket. Having an internship underyour belt is a good advantage.’John Cridland,Deputy Director-General,The CBI

‘We’re offering our support to theGraduate Talent Pool and taking thelead to create a new graduateinternship programme for the UKPolice Forces. These graduates areour leaders of the future, and aninternship is an excellent opportunityfor them to see what an exciting andfulfilling career they can have in thePolice Service.’Constable Peter Neyroud,Chief Executive of the NationalPolicing Improvement Agency

2 www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

case studyfind graduate talent

The Government has launchedits Backing Young Britaincampaign to create newopportunities for young people

during the recession, and already over200 British employers have throwntheir weight behind it.

As part of the campaign, the Governmentand employers are pledging an extra 85,000opportunities for graduates and non-graduates under 25, and employers alreadycommitted to the initiative includeMorrisons, Centrica, Carillion, Royal Mail,Microsoft, Bovis Lendlease, Pfizer andPhones4U. Backing Young Britain meansthat if young people are job ready, they willbe helped into a job, with a financialincentive like the £1,000 RecruitmentSubsidy to employers who take them on. Ifthey are not, they will get the training theyneed and then be helped to find work.

matching talentThe Department for Business, Innovationand Skills’ Graduate Talent Pool,(www.bis.gov.uk/graduatetalentpool),is part of the Backing Young Britaininitiative. The Graduate Talent Pool is anonline service to help match employerslooking for interns with graduates seeking

work experience. The Graduate Talent Poolscheme aims to help graduates kick-starttheir careers by gaining skills andexperience, and it’s a great way to injectfresh talent into the workplace.

More than 700 organisations have so farregistered online, including Network Rail,the Department for Work and Pensions,Framestore and Carillion, and nearly 7,000vacancies have been advertised on theGraduate Talent Pool website since itslaunch at the end of July. The Minister ofState for Higher Education, David Lammysays: ‘A degree is one of the best pathways

engage in brief... subscribe now To your full, free issue...email [email protected] or call 0151 802 2172

9

TO PLACE A VACANCY ONLiNE VisiTwww.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/employers

Or CALL 0845 601 2001

to achieving a good job and rewardingcareer, however nobody is immune from thecurrent economic climate, which is why weare committed to providing graduates withthe support to help them gain employmentor further their education.’

fresh ideasEasy access to a diverse and dynamicworkforce means saving on futurerecruitment costs and bringing in freshtalent. In a recent survey by the Departmentfor Business, Innovation and Skills, 64 percent of businesses agreed that interns canmake a real contribution to businesses,while 70 per cent said it offered them thechance to assess the skills of potentialemployees. On the Graduate Talent Pool’swebsite, companies and organisations canpost details of the internships, andgraduates can register for a placement.

value for moneyThe Graduate Talent Pool will encourageemployers to pay a wage that reflects boththe value of the intern’s contribution and thelevel of training and support offered by theemployer, although some employers maywish to offer unpaid internships. It will befor graduates to decide whether to take upsuch offers. Graduates already receivingJobseeker’s Allowance for 6 months or morewill be able to do an internship for up to 13weeks alongside claiming an allowance andlooking for work. Where an employer has aspecific job vacancy, Work Trials for amaximum of 30 days will also be availablefor graduates unemployed for 6 months ormore and recruited through Jobcentre Plus.

Employers will need to consider whatthey need the graduate to do, because thenew recruit could become a permanentemployee in the future. It is important to beclear about the objectives of the job agraduate will be doing, whether it’s a taskrequiring specialist knowledge or a projectthat’s been delayed due to a lack ofresources, and to put them through thesame selection process as any otherprospective employee. This will ensure bothparties have a clear idea of expectationsfrom the beginning, and will help in therecruitment of the right candidate.

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engage in brief... subscribe now to your full, free issue...email [email protected] or call 0151 802 2172

104 www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

elegal eaglegrievance issues

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The problems we face at work don’tchange much from one generation tothe next. Pay, managing change, workingconditions, personality clashes and

team rivalry all remain issues. But what haschanged is the way we formally resolve problems.The employment act 2008, which came intoforce on 6 april 2009, means there is now:

• a less prescriptive approach to themechanics of how to manage discipline,grievances and dismissals

• more flexibility to resolve problems atan early stage and in a way that best suitsboth employer and employee.

The act removed the 3-step statutoryprocedures for dealing with discipline andgrievance in the workplace. These tended toformalise disputes at an early stage and turnthe parties’ minds to litigation almost from theoutset. This left little opportunity to sit downand talk through solutions. The new systemaims to encourage more direct communicationand reduce the chance of problems becomingemployment tribunal claims – saving time,money and stress.

how does iT work?The new acas code of Practice: Disciplinary andgrievance procedures, sets out these principles:

• establish the facts

• inform the employee of the problem

• hold a meeting to discuss the problem

• allow the employee to be accompanied

• decide on appropriate action

• give employees an opportunity to appeal.

employment tribunals are legally required totake the code into account for relevant cases.Tribunals can also adjust any compensatoryawards by up to 25 per cent for unreasonablefailure to comply with any provision of the code.

will i geT more help?There is more help for managers and employeesto stop workplace problems developing into

something more serious:

• The acas Helpline (08457 47 47 47)is open from 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and9am-1pm on saturdays

• a free acas early conciliation service,available through the acas Helpline, can helpresolve difficult workplace problems

• a revised acas code of Practice defines fairand reasonable behaviour when tacklingproblems at work

• a revised guide, Discipline and grievances atwork: The Acas guide, provides more information.

dealing wiTh conflicTa key point when dealing with disagreements andconflict at work is not to bury your head in the sandand hope the issue will go away – particularly inregard to grievances, but also on matters likedeteriorating performance, attendance or behaviour.it is important to address issues as early as possibleby arranging a meeting to discuss the apparent

problem, for example. invest time and moneykeeping line managers’ knowledge and peoplemanagement skills up to date. ensure they areequipped to handle difficult conversations; it willrepay you in terms of minimising employmenttribunal claims, and also in reducing employeeturnover and absence, improving performanceand increasing employee engagement.

Make sure basic documentation is in place andkept up to date. These include written statementsof terms and conditions, disciplinary and grievanceprocedures, diversity policies and procedures,company rules, and a company handbook.

if an employee is thinking of making a claimto an employment tribunal, acas’s Pre-claimconciliation (Pcc) service can help resolve theproblem before a claim is made. Pcc aims topromote a quick solution that suits the employerand employee and may help avoid a permanentbreakdown in their relationship. since launchingit in april, acas has received over 2,000 requestsfor Pcc and it has had a high success rate inresolving problems swiftly and effectively withoutthe need to go to an employment tribunal.Contact the acas Helpline on 08457 47 4747 or visit www.acas.org.uk

Dealing withwork disagreements

Revised employment laws mean the way we handle issues in the workplace can befaster and more effective. For Jane bird, Director of Operational Policy and Performance

at Acas, it heralds a new age of resolving problems in the workplace

it is important toaddress issues asearlyas possible

Jane Bird, Acas

dealing wiTh adifficulT issue

Communicate early on. It is unlikely that thesituation will go away on its own, so it’s alwaysbetter to nip things in the bud and start dealingwith the problem as soon as it starts.

Ensure managers are trained to handledifficult conversations. It’s not easy having todeal with situations that involve disagreementsand conflict, so make sure that managers andsupervisors are confident in managing people,whatever the issue may be.

Get help if needed. You may need toconsider using a third party to help resolvethe issue. Consider using a mediation stagein internal processes.

11

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Anglo-Indiantrade adviceWarrington firmcreates joint ventureWARRINGTON-BASED corporatefinanciers Dow Schofield Watts(DSW) has launched a joint venturewith an Indian firm to assistAnglo-Indian trade.

DSW has joined forces with NewDelhi-based Mauryan CapitalAdvisors, who will provideprofessionals based in India’s capitalcity.

The joint venture will initiallyhave three service offerings.

Market Entry India will help UKbusinesses establish themselves inIndia, assisting firms who want toevaluate the investmentopportunities in India.

The service will includeconducting a location analysis,identifying local partners anddistributors, and helping with therecruitment of senior managers.

India Acquirors will be focused onsourcing Indian buyers for UKbusinesses, and Invest in India willbring Indian investmentopportunities to UK corporate andprivate investors.

DSW founding partner James Dowsaid the strategic alliance furtherextends the firm’s service offering tomid-market corporates.

“We are very excited to be joiningwith Mauryan Capital Advisors inthis alliance,” he said.

“India is the fifth largest economy

in the world and although theeconomic slowdown has put thebrakes on overseas acquisitions, thedetermination for businesses to goglobal will continue.

“This alliance formalises longstanding business relationships andallows both businesses the chance toprovide a comprehensive servicedelivery for cross-border activitywith trusted partners.”

Mauryan Capital advisors is aprivate investment and advisory firmco-founded by Nitin Bhandari,formerly a managing director atNomura, and Shiv Wallia, who was amanaging director at Merrill Lynch.

The joint venture is the latestinitiative for the Daresbury firm.

In March, it launched PHD EquityPartners Fund No 1, a private equityfirm which had raised almost £5m inits initial fundraising. The fund,which will be capped at £10m, isexpected to make up to 12investments, focusing on buy-outs ofup to £10m transaction size inestablished businesses.

That followed on from the creationof a transaction services division atthe end of 2008. Three seniormanagers joined DSW fromPricewaterhouseCoopers inManchester.

The division focuses on areas suchas preparing companies for sale.

James Dow, founding partner of Dow Schofield Watts, is excited about the alliance with an Indian partner

Infrastructure tenderingBUSINESS opportunities forMerseyside firms to wincontracts in environmental,construction and infrastructuresectors in Spain, France andGermany are being discussedat a free seminar in Liverpool.

Speakers will include thecommercial officers from UKembassies in Spain, Germanyand France, as well as expertsfrom the UKTI.

The seminar will take placein Liverpool on Thursday,November 5, at the Royal LiverBuilding Conference Centre,above. It also takes place atLancashire Cricket Club,Manchester, on November 3,and Blackburn RoversEnterprise Centre onNovember 4, featuringone-to-one sessions with tradeadvisors.

12

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Vietnam courts region’s firmsDeputyPrimeMinister visitsNorthWest topromote investment opportunities in theAsian countryVIETNAM’S Deputy Prime Ministerhas told North West businesses thatthe country has opportunities forinvestment.

Hoang Trung Hai led a delegationof Vietnam’s political and businessleaders on a fact-finding mission andlast week addressed the region’sfirms on the potential of the Asiancountry.

Vietnam is forecast to achievegrowth of 5-5.5% this year, and 6%next year.

Its growth accelerated in the thirdquarter of 2009, buoyed by domestic

demand and government stimulusspending that has revived banklending.

Mr Hai told the region’s businessleaders there were new investmentopportunities in Vietnam and thecountry was moving into an upturn.

He said: “We, too, faced a financialcrisis in 2008-09. We hit the bottom inthe first quarter of this year, butfrom the second quarter to thepresent we have been graduallymoving away from the crisis.”

He sought to reassure delegatesthat it was tackling corruption and

administrative reform. “The capitalrequirements needed to develop ourinfrastructure are huge, so we wantto create an environment that will befavourable to investment andbusiness,” he said.

Mr Hai outlined the opportunitiesthat exist in the energy sector asdemand for power grows in Vietnam,and announced plans to develop thenation’s infrastructure throughpublic private partnerships based onthe UK model.

“We aim also to improve thetransparency of the banking system

because this is important forattracting investment into Vietnam,”he added.

Philomena Chen, head ofAsia-Pacific development at UKTINorth West, believes North Westfirms can benefit from looking at theopportunities in Vietnam.

She said: “Mr Hai’s enthusiasm forforeign investment in Vietnam, andin particular for UK companies totake a lead, was clear from hispresentation.

“This is an excellent opportunitywhich companies here in the North

West should seriously consider. TheNorth West leads the field in many ofthe sectors which the Vietnameseeconomy is now demanding –pharmaceuticals, infrastructuremanagement, food production andenergy. Now is an excellent time tolook to Vietnam for exportopportunities.”

The Vietnam delegation includedrepresentatives of the Vietnam Oiland Gas Group, Electricity ofVietnam, Vietnam ShipbuildingIndustry Corporation, VietnamNational Shipping Lines.

Exporters looking forward to 2010MANUFACTURERS areoptimistic about theirexport prospects in 2010,despite continuing toreport lower exports.

The Confederation ofBritish Industry’sindustrial trends surveyshowed a 46% balance offirms reported lowerexport orders, the samelevel as a month earlier.

But the study showed

the first improvement inbusiness sentiment sinceApril, 2007, with exportersparticularly positive.

Confidence over exportprospects for the yearahead amongmanufacturers is at itshighest level since June,1995.

However, the CBIwarned that the recoveryfrom the downturn will be

“protracted and weak”despite the optimistic signsand some support forexports from a weakerpound.

Sterling fell steadilyagainst the euro in the twomonths since peaking at1.187 euros in August. Itwas down more than 9% innine weeks, and was morethan 17% down from a yearearlier.

Exportershave beenable tobenefit fromthe fallingvalue ofsterlingagainst theeurorecently

Hoang Trung Hai, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, centre, with the British Ambassador in Vietnam, Mark Kent, and NWDA chairman Robert Hough

13

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Inventor’s frustrationsBomb-proofboxcouldhelp landmineclearanceprogrammesA LIVERPOOL inventor hasexpressed his frustration at thedifficulties encountered in selling hisbomb-proof container to Britain’sMinistry of Defence.

Inventor John McKenzie says oneof the biggest dangers facing troopsin hot-spots like Afghanistan andIraq are deadly roadside bombs.

Everyone is aware of the death tollcaused by improvised explosivedevices (IEDs), yet bomb disposalmethods seem rooted in a long-goneera – like when General Kitchenerwas on the recruiting posters. The

modus operandi on mine clearance isto send in the first fellow and, if hehas no luck, then send in the second.

Innovative Liverpool companyAirolusion has created a device thatcan robotically pick up, contain anddetonate explosives in a safe andcontrolled manner. Anything thatposes a threat is placed inside theVorsphere, a patented device made ofsteel and composite materials, andthen detonated without threat to lifeor limb. The company says there arenumerous applications – making safesuspect mail, for instance.

Managing director Mr McKenziehas won orders around the globe, butsays the big catch – the UK Ministryof Defence – is proving a tough nut tocrack.

From his base in Old Hall Street,Liverpool, he said: "I've spoken tomany experts in the field and it’s beentested under controlledcircumstances, but the bureaucracy ofgetting through official channels inincredibly frustrating. This is actuallysomething that can save lives. For asmall company to the get the ear ofthe right people is incredibly difficult.

"Our units are differentiated bytheir robust functionality andflexibility. They can be easilydeployed, assembled and operated.Their secure containment capabilityensures that all explosive waste andfragmentation is contained, makingcertain there is no threat tooperational personnel."

According to Mr McKenzie, theVorsphere could equally be used incities in the form of bomb-proof litterbins. He has also been named inCourvoisier's 2009 Future 500 buddingentrepreneurs.

The product has also been reviewedin Defence Community magazinewhich stated: "It's a fact that someexplosive devices detonate via sensorsor booby-traps, but there are millionsthat do not.”

War veteran backs callfor anti-landmine deviceFALKLANDS War victimSimon Weston isbacking the Vorsphere.

The founder of theWeston Spirit Trust says2.5m landmines a yearare planted, causinguntold damage.

He says anything thatcan minimise the scaleof damage can only be agood thing:

“The Vorsphere rangeis cost-effective andrequires minimal operat-ional skill and can beused in conjunction withextended manipulatorsand ROVs (RoboticallyOperated Vehicles)ensuring it is risk free.

“The Vorsphere is alsoideal for the securityservices in the civilianenvironment to depositand contain terroristIED’s and suspiciouspackages and letters.

“It is perfect as a blast-proof litterbin to provideprotection for the publicin the high street, openair events, exhibitionsand sporting events likethe Olympics.

“We should all pressour politicians to

provide equipment suchas the Vorsphere toensure the protection ofour troops, those suffer-ing in landmine-infectedareas and the public ingeneral. Our safety mustcome first.”

Mr Weston believesthat too many peoplehave been hurtunnecessarily becausefinance was not availableand priorities layelsewhere.

“We should haveVorspheres available forour troops in action,accessible to thosethreatened by landminesand placed strategicallythroughout our cities andparks and on hand toprotect us at music andsporting events.

“We shouldn’t have towait to be protected andwe shouldn’t be able findout that some newtechnologies are notbeing implemented.

“Unfortunately, I havefirst-hand experience ofwhat explosions and firecan do aboard the troopship Sir Galahad, when itwas hit by a bomb.”

Simon Weston, who campaigns to make the world a safer place, says he backs the bomb disposal device

Danger: a traditional bomb disposal expert

14

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: SOFTWARE CITY

OVER recent weeks andmonths, two softwaregiants, Microsoft andGoogle, have been rockedby outages of their onlineservices demonstratingthat, despite itsadvantages, cloudcomputing presents realrisks for users.

For example, T-Mobilerecently suspended salesof Microsoft’s newSidekick mobile phone inthe US, followingnumerous instances ofusers losing data.Microsoft claim to have

recovered the data on thisoccasion but, due to theterms of the end-userlicence agreements, hadMicrosoft been unable torecover it, users wouldhave had no legalrecourse for their loss.

This highlights the needfor anyone currently usingor intending to use anycloud-based services tothoroughly review theterms of their useragreements to establishwhat, if any, recourse theymay have against theirproviders in the event the

service is unavailable orany data is lost. Users,especially businesses,should also take practicalsteps to ensure thatongoing local back-upsystems are put in placeto minimise any potentiallosses of critical data andany resulting liability. Dataprotection issues mustalso be consideredcarefully by businessusers, especially wheredetails of their customersor personnel records willbe stored in the cloud. Itis the entity which

collects and organisessuch data that isresponsible for ensuring ithas taken the necessarysteps to protect it, not thecompany providing thecloud-based service.Finally, if it is not alreadyincluded in existinginsurance, additionalcover to protect againstdata loss should also beconsidered.■ MATT BROWN is anAssociate with Software Citysponsor Brabners ChaffeStreet. He is a member of thefirm’s intellectual property team.

VIEWPOINT: CLOUD COMPUTING PRESENTS REAL RISKS FOR USERS

Matt Brown

RISING stars in the region’stechnology sector will bepitching their business toa panel of millionaireinvestors at this year’s

Liverpool Software CityInternational.

The Daily Post is the officialmedia partner at the event, takingplace on November 5, at theLiverpool Arena and ConventionCentre. It will feature RichardFarleigh, of Dragons’ Den fame, andJulie Meyer, the founder of FirstTuesday and CEO of AriadneCapital.

Richard Farleigh is returning toSoftware City for the second time. Hesaid: “I was really impressed withLiverpool and the quality of itstechnology sector last year, and amdelighted to be coming back forSoftware City this year.”

Now in its third year, SoftwareCity attracts a global audience oftechnology businesses and investorsand is designed to showcase thetalent and opportunity in theregion’s technology sector andprovide businesses with local,national and internationalnetworking opportunities and tradelinks. This year, delegates arecoming to Liverpool from SiliconValley, Finland, Sweden and Asia.

Selected businesses will be able topresent their business proposition tothe panel before taking questions.The audience will then vote for thewinning business, who will then bepresented with two tickets to attendthe World Expo, in Shanghai, nextyear.

Software City is the brainchild ofSteve Smith, the industry directorfor ICT, based at Liverpool Vision.

He said: “The event is an excitingplatform giving businesses access toreal investment opportunities andpowerful contacts.

“Despite the economic climate, thesector is thriving, and we are seeingmore and more technologybusinesses relocating to the regionas the strength of its supportinfrastructure is increasinglyrecognised globally.

“The businesses presenting are amixture of start-ups and thoserequiring development capital totake them to the next stage. Lastyear, we had a very strong andvibrant selection of candidates andthis year is no different. We haveseen an increase in the number oftechnology businesses expressing aninterest in relocating to the regionand are delighted to have had at leastfive applications from the USA.”

Software City International issponsored by AFM, Brabners ChaffeStreet, Business Link NW, EnterpriseVentures, UKTI, O2, IBM, North WestVision and Media, The MerseyPartnership Liverpool Chamber ofCommerce and Industry andLiverpool Vision.

Over 200 delegates are expected toattend the daytime event, which isrunning alongside one of the UK’spremier gaming conferences,Develop in Liverpool, which iscoming to the city for the first time.

The post-event networking party

will take place in the Albert Dock’sPanAm bar, where delegates will beable to make new contacts and shareideas.

The event is primarily aimed attechnology businesses or those thathave an interest in the sector.

Liverpool's creative and digitalindustry is a prosperous, vibrant andconfident sector full of creativepeople, businesses and ideas.

The North-West, particularlyLiverpool, has played a major role inthe development of the UK gamesindustry, a role reflected by the depth

of interactive software talent acrossthe region.

As the sector continues to expand,Liverpool is in a prime position tooffer the perfect UK base forinvestors in the sector.

According to The MerseyPartnership, games development in

Pitching for business: last year’s Software City digital event

Conferencewillshowcase talentinMerseyside’sIT community

Hi-tech firms face the dragons

15

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: SOFTWARE CITY

PITCHING entrepreneurs will bequestioned by a panel of experts whowill provide advice and guidance . . .■ RICHARD FARLEIGH

Richard Farleigh, below, is bestknown as one of the dragons in theBBC’s hit show,Dragons’ Den.Former hedgefund managerFarleigh semi--retired in themid-1990s andhas since operat-ed as a “businessangel” backingearly-stagecompanies,mostly in the UK. Many of the morethan 50 un-quoted companies havesuccessfully floated on the market orhave been acquired. He was ranked876th on the Sunday Times Rich List,with an estimated net worth of £66m.■ JULIE MEYER

Julie Meyer, below, is the founderand CEO of Ariadne Capital, andEntrepreneur Country, a dedicatedcommunity for leading and emergingentrepreneurs, investors, the media

and corporatepartners whoservice thestart-up industryacross the UKand Europe. Sheco-founded FirstTuesday whichbegan as anetworking eventto bring togetherdot.comentrepreneurs

and venture capitalists and was laterincorporated into a business and soldfor £33m. She also appears as adragon on the BBC’s Online Dragons’Den.■ TAKING their places alongsideRichard and Julie on the panel will beNik White, partner at legal firmBrabners Chaffe Street; Mark Fuller,managing director of AFM; PeterWatson, chief executive of BusinessLink North West; David Bundred,board member, Liverpool Vision;Jonathan Diggines, chief executive ofEnterprise Ventures; Steve PurdhamCEO and founder of We7; and CliveDrinkwater, regional director at UKTrade and Investment.

MEET THE PANEL

the region generates £300m annually,provides more than 1,600 direct jobsand has a supply chain that brings inanother 3,000 .

The Digital and Creative sector inthe region employs over 28,000 peoplein more than 4,500 enterprises,encompassing 13 sub-sectors.

Business interested in pitching theirbusiness or attending Software Cityshould register atwww.softwarecityltd.com

■ MORE information can be foundby calling Clarity Creation on 0151293 0505.

at Software City

AND A BIG HAND, PLEASE, FOR THE SOFTWARE CITY SPONSORS

16

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17

THE BIG INTERVIEW

BY ALISTAIR HOUGHTON

▲ ▲

Liverpool can count on him

He may run an accounting giant whosetentacles stretch from New York to New

Zealand, but David McDonnell has neverleft Liverpool behind.

18

THE BIG INTERVIEW DAVID MCDONNELL

IT’S HARD to imagine a moreiconic home for the HighSheriff of Merseyside than theRoyal Liver Building.

David McDonnell becamemanaging partner of Grant ThorntonUK in 1989, but insisted on retainingan office in Liverpool.

In 2001, he became chief executiveof Grant Thornton International, theaccountancy firm’s internationalnetwork, leading more than 30,000people in more than 100 countries,but still makes sure he worksregularly from Grant Thornton’sLiver Building office between histrips around the globe.

McDonnell is retiring from GrantThornton at the end of December,after an eight-year term that hasseen the accountancy professionhave to cope with the fall-out fromEnron and other accountancyscandals, as well as the impact ofglobal recession.

As well as leading GrantThornton, McDonnell is a leadinglight on Merseyside as its currentHigh Sheriff, President of theCouncil of the University ofLiverpool and former chairman ofNational Museums Liverpool (NML).

That same commitment toLiverpool has seen him keep a basein the city for 20 years, since he firstbegan leading Grant Thornton’s UKoperation.

“I couldn’t avoid the job beingLondon-based,” he said, “but I wasdetermined that I would not movemyself and my family fromLiverpool. I wanted to retain myroots here.

“I needed to spend a lot of time inLondon, but I did keep an office herethroughout and have done right up tothe present day. And, of course, itbecame easier with technology astime went by. It wasn’t so easy in1989.

“When I became global CEO, Idecided to do the same thing.”

McDonnell went to Quarry BankHigh School for Boys before trainingas an accountant in Liverpool andeventually becoming partner at thefirm’s city centre office. The firmwas then known as Thornton Baker.

In 1989, he was appointed GrantThornton’s UK managing partnerand took the international role in2001.

Grant Thornton International isan umbrella organisation that unitesthe company’s businesses around theworld. Each country’s GrantThornton business is an independentbusiness locked in to the widerGrant Thornton empire, operatingunder the laws of its host countrybut following Grant Thornton’sglobal strategy.

McDonnell, who is married withthree grown-up daughters and livesin Aigburth, leads the global strategythat determines how those firms goto market from Liverpool to the USand the Pacific island of Guam.

“Increasingly, the organisationfunctions as one but isn’t,” he said.

“We’re in over 100 countries, sowe’re constantly working tomaintain that network of firms todevelop them to make sure they’reexecuting the global strategy. Theyhave significant obligations that theyhave to develop the way they wantthem, whether they’re in the UK, theUS or Luxembourg.”

The excitement of a globetrottingjob is, however, balanced by theamount of travelling that goes withit. McDonnell travels abroad at leastonce a fortnight, and admits it can bevery hard work.

“The job involves a huge amountof international travel which in my

case is compounded by travelling toLondon and back,” he said. “Right upto the last minute at the end ofDecember, I will be doing someheavy-duty travelling. I’ve got a lot ofAir Miles.

“It does take it out of you. Anyonewho says it doesn’t is wrong.

“I’m lucky – I do travel well andI’m pretty high energy – but I’m sureit’s taken it out of me.

“If you were not somebody whocould travel well and function whentravelling – if you needed a couple ofdays to get over every journey – youcouldn’t do the job.”

Looking back on his 20 years at the

top of Grant Thornton, McDonnellsays he has seen the globalaccountancy world becomeever-more dominated by a smallnumber of companies.

The Big Four firms – formerlyEight, then Five – are much largerthan any other global accountancynetworks, but, under McDonnell’sleadership, Grant Thornton hascemented its position in the secondtier.

The sedate world of accountancywas shaken to its foundations in theearly 2000s when financial scandalsat Worldcom, Tyco and Enron – inthe latter case followed by the

collapse of Big Five firm ArthurAndersen – saw governmentsdemand much stricter regulation offinancial services.

That triggered what McDonnellcalled “the biggest single change inthe competitive marketplace that wehave seen for many years”.Andersen’s demise left a gap in themarket and gave Grant Thornton thechance to expand its internationaloperations.

“Before that collapse, it wasn’tworth competing for the very biggestcompany work and we had a strategythat focused us elsewhere,” he said.“But what happened then was first of

all the five reduced to four, whichwas seen as unacceptable.

“Secondly, the regulators placedsignificant constraints on whatservices auditors could provide totheir audit clients.

“Thirdly, the Big Four firmsbecame discredited as part of thatprocess, and then there was asignificant call for much more choicewithin the audit market and thespecialist services market.

“What that did was open up a hugemarket opportunity for anyorganisation that had a globalcapability that wasn’t part of the BigFour – and we were the obvious one

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

Grant Thornton International’s chief executive, David McDonnell, inside the group’s newly-expanded Royal Liver Building office

19


because we were the next biggest andthe one with the most globalcapability.

“It’s changed the strategy of ourfirm. So we are now providingservices to much higher up themarket than we were ten years ago.”

In 2005, McDonnell introducedGrant Thornton International’sAnnual Review, which he said was asign of the company’s “commitmentto help restore confidence in theaccounting profession throughtransparent reporting of itsactivities.”

The greater focus on corporateaccountability post-Enron has also

seen auditing grow in importance. Itmay not offer the margins orcomparative glamour of consultancywork, but is a vital tool in ensuringcorporate accountability and agrowth area for firms such as GrantThornton.

“We were definitely in a period inthe late 80s and into the 90s,” saidMcDonnell, “when auditing wastaken for granted, was sold atrelatively very low prices and wasused by firms in the profession as aloss-leader mixed in with a wholehost of other services.

“The big firms were developing inways where they were more

consulting operations than anythingelse. What has happened, and it hasbeen caused by a number of scandalsincluding notably Enron, is thatauditing has now been recognised forwhat it is – as an extremelyimportant service not to a client butto the public.

“What has been recognised is thatthe biggest accounting firms areactually carrying out a verysignificant public interest activity –they are the main mechanism forgiving confidence to the capitalmarkets about organisations.

“Today, auditing is much morerecognised as a highly important

public interest activity that shouldn’tnecessarily be subject to the samecommercial pressures as otherthings. In fact, there’s a debate to behad on whether it should be done inthe private sector at all.”

McDonnell has also had first-handexperience of how the globalrecession has affected differentcountries – and different GrantThornton companies – in differentways.

Accountancy firms are notimmune from the effects of therecession. Volumes of insolvencywork may increase, but that iscounterbalanced by the loss of other

corporate work as businesses stopexpanding and making acquisitions.

McDonnell says Grant Thornton’sUK arm had a “significantcontraction” as a result of both therecession and the group’s mergerwith RSM Robson Rhodes.

McDonnell agrees with manyeconomic commentators that theUK’s economic position should get“less worse” next year. But, while theUK may soon come out of recession,according to official figures, theeffects of the downturn on theeconomy will be felt for many moremonths.

“What people should never losesight of, however, is that whetheryou’re technically going intorecession or out of recession theeffect on business and particularlyon private individuals lags. Going in,they don’t feel it immediately – andcoming out they do not feel thebenefits for a significant while.

“There will be a further prolongedperiod of increasing unemploymentas a product of businessescontracting or going out ofbusiness.”

The company’s US arm hasperformed well despite the slumpthere, while its businesses in LatinAmerica and parts of Asia have beenlargely untouched.

Overall, he remains cautiouslyconfident about the group’sprospects.

“Around the world, I would hopethat our global organisation will stayamong the best performers,” he said.

“We’ve been among the fastest-growing organisations for the lastfive years globally. This year, thoughwe haven’t got the numbers yet, Iwould hope we will be there orthereabouts, but it won’t be fancygrowth – it will be absence ofcontraction.”

McDonnell’s time at the helm ofGrant Thornton has seen China andIndia rise to take their place amongthe world’s economic giants. Thebusiness has adapted accordingly.

“Lots of people have been pouringmoney into China to developresources and we’re no different,” hesaid.

“Chinese businesses areacquisitive and aggressive and it willonly be a matter of time before theChinese economy and the Chinesemember firm of our organisation isthe biggest in the world. It won’t bein the next five years, but it willcome. Our Indian firm has hadmassive growth, too.

“The balance of power, reflectingwhat’s happening with a G20 insteadof a G7, is shifting rapidly.”

In the year to September 20, 2008,Grant Thornton International’smember firms generated combinedrevenues of over £2.4bn, up 14% on2008.

McDonnell, who was awarded aCBE in 2005, says the investmentsGrant Thornton has made to copewith the changing world ofaccountancy means it will bewell-placed for growth under hissuccessor, Edward Nusbaum, thehead of the firm’s US practice.

He said: “Outside the big fourfirms, there’s no other globalorganisation that’s even close interms of the investment it’s madeand the degree of cohesion andsophistication.

“We’ve got the strategy in place,we’ve got the momentum, we’ve got avery strong brand, so I do believe thebest is in the future.”

After taking on the London role,and committing himself to spendinglong periods out of Liverpool,McDonnell moved to build on hisother links with city community and

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

David McDonnell, right, with Dame Lorna Muirhead, LordLieutenant of Merseyside, on his appointment as High Sheriff

The scene on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange after theWorldcom scandal erupted in 2002. Worldcom and otherhigh-profile scandals transformed the world of accountancy

20


cultural organisations. He served aschairman of Merseyside Society forDeaf People, an organisation withwhich he became involved after hisyoungest daughter was bornprofoundly deaf.

McDonnell had to give up hiswork as a justice of the peace, whichhe had done for 12 years, but waskeen to find other roles.

“One of the reasons we took thedecision to stay in Liverpool is that Ilike Liverpool,” he said. “Evenbefore the renaissance really gotgoing, I believed it was a good placeto live and I believed it was anexciting and interesting city that Iwanted to remain linked to.

“Then, secondly, I did believe itwas a city that needed a fair bit ofhelp because its reputation in thecity – in the UK, not abroad – wasalways, I thought, unfair.”

In 1995, he became chairman ofNational Museums and Galleries onMerseyside, now NML.

He said: “I thought it would be aninteresting thing to do, firstlybecause it would link me intoLiverpool very much, which it did.Secondly, I thought the culturalheritage of the city was a veryimportant thing to be promoted andprotected. Thirdly, I thought it’s sodifferent from anything else I’ddone, particularly as a ‘boringaccountant’.”

One of the legacies of McDonnell’stime at the helm is visible from hisRoyal Liver Building office window.

The new Museum of Liverpool isnow taking shape at Liverpool’s PierHead.

National Museums Liverpoolchose to build the venue on the siteafter plans to build the Cloud,architect Will Alsop’s proposed“Fourth Grace”, were abandoned.

The new sloping-roofed buildinghas not proved universally popular,with critics saying it spoils the viewof the Three Graces.

But McDonnell says he is pleasedwith the building and lookingforward to seeing its contents whenit opens next year.

“I did believe that a building therewas the right thing to do,” he said.“You’ll never get universal approvalof a modern building alongsidethese more classically-designedbuildings

“I am pleased to see it nearingcompletion. I’m pleased that it gotdone, because there’s always achance that these things don’t getdone, they become pipe dreams.”

McDonnell left NML after tenyears, having already joined thegoverning Council of the Universityof Liverpool. He became thecouncil’s treasurer before becomingits president in 2007.

Earlier this year, McDonnell wasnamed High Sheriff of Merseyside –though he had, according to customin the Duchy of Lancaster, been toldtwo years earlier but had to keep theappointment secret.

Today the office of High Sheriff isa largely ceremonial one, withduties including attendance at Royalvisits and providing hospitality tojudges.

The Queen appoints a new HighSheriff from a list of eligiblecandidates by, according to the PrivyCouncil website, “literally prickinga hole through his or her name onthe List with a bodkin.”

McDonnell laughed: “Do you

know the first question everyoneasks a High Sheriff ? ‘What do HighSheriffs do?’

“It’s a great honour. It’s aceremonial role by and large.

“The reality is you’re simplytreated as one of the leadingdignitaries in the county and getinvited to everything to eat anddrink and all the rest of it.

“I just regard it as a great honour,and something that’s enjoyable. Youget to meet a lot of people, you getthe opportunity to speak out onbehalf of the city and the county ofMerseyside and to supportorganisations that you think areimportant.”

As a global ambassador for

Liverpool, McDonnell says the cityhas a great reputation around theworld from people who care aboutits history, its music or its football.

The city’s reputation in the UK isless good, but McDonnell says it willimprove.

“People still remember it as thegreat port of the Empire and that’stremendously important,” he said.“There are huge links betweenLiverpool and major cities like NewYork and Shanghai.

“But also what people recogniseabroad is that so often people havecome through Liverpool. If you go toAmerica, so many of the families ofthe people there came through theport of Liverpool.

“Almost everywhere you go in theworld, people recognise the city andsee it in a positive light. They do notrecognise the now-dated view of thecity as a place where you lose yourhubcaps and all this nonsense.

“The city’s not perfect, and it’s gottoo much unemployment, and it’sgot a drugs problem, but the fact isit’s better than most.”

The city’s recent physicaltransformation and successfulCapital of Culture will, saysMcDonnell, improve the city’s image– but reputational change does notcome overnight.

“It’s a bit like the recession in thatthere’s a long delay before thefeelgood factor arrives afterwards,”

he said. “Perception lags reality,both when the city’s going down andwhen it’s coming up.”

After a long career inaccountancy, McDonnell plans toplay an even greater role in the localcommunity. He has no intention ofputting his feet up just yet – andinsists he will have no regrets aboutleaving Grant Thornton behind.

“It’s time to go,” he said. “I don’tlike hanging around. When you’vefinished with something, you shouldsay that’s it, goodbye.

“I would probably say, even if Ihadn’t reached retirement age, itwould be time to change anywaybecause the travelling and the job isa pretty gruelling thing.”


David McDonnelloutside the RoyalLiver Building.Grant Thorntonrecently moved tonew offices threefloors above its oldhome in the iconicbuilding


22

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS? IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Stagecoach riding the green energy bandwagonMERSEYSIDE'S othermajor bus operator,Stagecoach, is notstanding still either when itcomes to accelerating thegreen agenda.

The company this yearintroduced 46 new vehiclesto its local fleet, all of themmeeting the toughest Euroemission targets. Allvehicles run on Ultra LowSulphur Diesel (ULSD) with5% bio content. In addition,they use a hi-tech fuel

additive – Envirox – tofurther reduce fuelconsumption andemissions.

Communicationsmanager Lindsay Reid said:“In addition to improvingthe carbon footprint of ourvehicles, we have investedin hi-tech equipment tomanage energy use in ourGilmoss depot.

“We also purchase mostof our electricity fromrenewable sources, and we

recycle over 80% of ourwaste.

“As a group, earlier thisyear, Stagecoach held itsfirst ever company-wideGreen Week to highlightthe environmental benefitsof using public transportand to show staff andpassengers how thecompany is reducing itsown carbon footprint.

“Stagecoach has alsolaunched a three-yearCarbon Management

Programme (CMP), inpartnership with energymanagement consultancyInenco, to further improveour environmentalperformance.”

The company's strategyto tackle climate changeand make its businessmore sustainable includesinvestment, training,conserving energy,recycling waste anddeveloping green travelplans.

Merseytravel driving green agendaTransport authority takes lead in encouraging eco-friendly initiativesTRANSPORT authority Merseytravelis tackling environmental issues ontwo fronts.

The first is encouraging traveloperators to embrace greentechnologies and the second isensuring its own house is in order.

It has already gained accreditationto the national Carbon TrustStandard for reducing the carbonfootprint of the organisation by 7%in just two years.

In that short time, the MerseyTunnels reduced their electricity useby 4.4% at the Kingsway Tunnel and3.6% at the Queensway Tunnel, andgas use across all sites dropped bymore than 5.5%.

And within the next two years theorganisation is relocating fromHatton Garden to Mann Island on the

waterfront, which will be the mostenvironmentally advanced buildingin the city.

The authority says the progressmade underlines chief executive NeilScales’s commitment to suchimportant issues. He said: “Our aimis to provide a single integratedtransport network accessible toeveryone.

“One of our core beliefs is theprovision of sustainable transport.That way, we can encourageregeneration, improve air qualityand promote good health andaccessibility across Merseyside andthe city region.

“We have driven the nationalpassenger transport agenda on theenvironment since we became thefirst PTE in the country to produce

an Environmental Strategy in 1996.Some of the actions already taken atthe Mersey Tunnels includeintroducing solar powered roadsigns, providing energy savingmeasures from the giant ventilationfans and fitting solar panels to hotwater systems.

“Furthermore, we are currentlyresearching LED lighting to helpreduce energy for lighting as well ascontinuing with reductions fromventilation fans.”

In terms of new or potential lowcarbon developments with buscompanies current objectives includeintroducing 100% sustainable biofuelservices.

Another idea is hybrid vehicleswhich are being encouraged via the

Low Carbon Emission Bus Fund,

which could reduce vehicles’ CO² by30%

There are also fuel additive trialsto potentially reduce emissions bybetween 5-15%

Mr Scales added: “The five-yearEnvironmental Strategy taps into allthe social, technological,environmental, economic andpolitical drivers for change – withinthe sustainability context andincludes consumption andproduction and influencing climatechange and energy use.

“We want to lead by example; tobroaden our impact by influencingthe performance of our partnerssuch as transport operators andcontractors.

“In June, 2003, we became the firstPTA in the country to gain

accreditation to a recognisedstandard ISO14001 for ourEnvironmental ManagementSystem”.

The business is also preparing tomove to the green new headquartersat Mann Island.

Buildings will contain apartments,shops, restaurants and a series ofsheltered waterside public spaces.

In other ways, the company is alsoencouragingenvironmentally-friendly initiatives.

The Merseyside TravelWisecampaign continues to provide helpand advice to businesses,organisations and schools andworkplaces to produce Travel Plans.

Merseytravel also has the largestcycle training programme of any cityin the UK.

How Mann Island will look when the massive project is finished

Accelerating green agenda: a new energy-savingStagecoach bus travelling on a Merseyside route

23

HOW GREEN IS YOUR BUSINESS?IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Vehicle economy measures could save firms cashMERSEYSIDE businessesthat run heavy goodsvehicles, vans or car fleetscould be saving hundredsof pounds in fuel pervehicle by adoptingintelligent technology andchanging driving habits,according to fleet softwarespecialist Lysanda.

The company has justroad-tested its Eco-Logsystem in the Miles Per

Gallon (MPG) marathon, theannual event that champ-ions the UK’s most fuel-efficient vehicles, and con-firmed significant savingson published economyfigures.

Eco-Log Metro comprisesa simple display installed inthe vehicle, which isplugged into the car orvan’s diagnostic system viathe vehicle’s own on-board

diagnostic port. Inform-ation from the vehicle’spowertrain is used toderive the vehicle’s fuel useand carbon emissions. Thisclever technology providesthe driver with real-timefeedback to improve theefficiency of their drivingand reduce wasted fuel.

Based on the resultsgained at the 2009 MPGMarathon, Lysanda

calculates that a fleetof 200 vans, doing20,000 miles per year,could save over £195kper year by adoptingthe new technologyand altering theirdriving habits.

Fleet managerscan monitor econ-omy remotely andsuggest changes todriving patterns.

Bus drivers to step off the gasNew traffic light system inbuscabswillmonitor fuel efficiency levelsARRIVA bus drivers are beingencouraged to step off the gas to helpsave the environment.

The company is in the middle of aprogramme of introducing almost200 new vehicles to Merseysideequipped with a new EcoManagersystem, at a cost of £28m. But theequipment is not designed toimprove engine performance in atechnological way – it's all aboutenhancing driver techniques.

The EcoManager is a dashboard-mounted LED display which flashesthrough red, green and amberdepending on the level of fuelconsumption being expended. Withimproved awareness, drivers canmaximise the amount of time theirbuses run while showing green.

Trials began at the Runcorn depotinitially in 2007 and over the studyperiod showed a 10% enhancement offuel efficiency.

Training begins with a videopresentation and a coaching sessionto familiarise drivers with thesystem. Drivers get a monthlyprint-out showing their performancecompared to both the depot averageand the best performing driver.Individual follow-up training isavailable to support those who needit.

During 2008, the trial in north-west England was widened to 500buses, and results indicated anoverall fuel saving of up to 12%.Based on this experience, thecompany has decided to roll-out thesystem more widely across its UKregional bus operations. It hopes toachieve fuel savings of 5% to 10%.

For fleet management, thesystem’s “black box” producesdetailed reports enablingcomparison between differentvehicles on the same route, differentdriving styles in the same vehicleand a particular vehicle type’sperformance on different routes.Passenger research also points toimproved customer satisfaction as aresult of smoother acceleration andbraking.

Arriva UK Bus managing directorMike Cooper said: “It’s vitallyimportant to conserve fuel as muchas possible so we can delivervalue-for-money local services andfor the environmental benefits itbrings.

“The key to the success of thisprogramme is our people taking on anew way of thinking and driving.The technology alone can’t make thedifference, it’s the people, so it’s

great to see our drivers have taken tothe challenge and are easing off thegas.

“Giving the green light to theEcoManager roll-out should see thesystem installed in more than 40% ofour regional fleet by the end of theyear – with each of those busesreducing its emissions by up to10%.”

Peter Ward, chairman of TG21, thecompany which developed thetechnology, said: "We are extremely

proud of what has been achievedwith the EcoManager product to date,and are looking forward to buildingon this successful partnershipthrough a wider roll-out."

In 2008, Arriva set itself thechallenge of reducing its greenhousegas emissions footprint by 15% by2012.

Arriva North West was thetest-bed for the development of theEcoManager system with initialtrials starting at the Runcorn depot

in 2007. During 2008, the trial waswidened to 500 buses and in recentmonths the roll-out has includedLiverpool’s Green Lane depot andthose at Bootle, St Helens andBirkenhead.

New buses being launched atBootle, Runcorn, Green Lane,Birkenhead, Skelmersdale,Manchester and St Helens will all befitted with the system.

The idea is that drivers retain adegree of responsibility in trying to

conserve fuel, rather than simplyrelying on new technologies.

And knowing that performance isbeing monitored is a way of ensuringthat members of staff remain on theball.

Clearly, bus companies alsounderstand that becoming moreefficient can also help improve thebottom line of the business, too. Thesystem will eventually be rolled outto cover all vehicles in the company’sfleet.

GREEN JOURNEYS

BRITAIN’S biggest bus and coachoperators have warned theGovernment that it risks missingkey carbon reduction targetsunless it maximises the potential ofbuses and coaches to help tackleclimate change.

The UK’s major public transportgroups joined forces to unveil ablueprint to meet the challenge ofclimate change. It aims to take onebillion car journeys off thecountry’s roads.

A new YouGov poll published tocoincide with the launch of theGreener Journeys campaign foundthat using public transport moreoften is seen by consumers assecond only to recycling as themost realistic measure to help theenvironment.

The Greener Journeys campaignlaunched a manifestorecommending a raft of policyinitiatives to encourage a shift thatwould deliver 50% more savings intransport CO² emissions thancurrently planned under existinggovernment policies.

In an unprecedented joint call foraction, bus and coach operatorsstress that technological advancesalone are not enough to achievethe carbon reductions required totackle climate change.

The manifesto, The One BillionChallenge, was launched by seniortransport figures, including Sir MoirLockhead, of First Group, BrianSouter, of Stagecoach, andProfessor David Begg, economicacademic at Imperial College.

It demonstrates that, if peopleswitch from car to bus or coach forjust one journey in 25, it wouldmean one billion fewer carjourneys on UK roads over the nextthree years.Buses are becoming more fuel-efficient as companies like Arriva attempt to tackle climate issues

Firms withvehicle fleets canmake use of newtechnology

25

▲

BY BEN SCHOFIELD

THE BIG FEATURE▲

Law in disorder

Judges at Liverpool’s Queen Elizabeth II law courts taking part in the annual proclamation ceremony, amid difficult times for the legal profession

The legal sector has been hit hard by the recession.Firms have had to cut back and one of Merseyside’s

oldest practices – Lees Lloyd Whitley – collapsed withdebts of £3m. LDP Business charts its downfall.

26

THE BIG FEATURE

Wirral International Business Park was home to the offices of collapsed law firm Lees Lloyd Whitley

IT IS April, 2009, and dozens ofMerseyside’s corporate andpolitical glitterati are gatheringat Lees Lloyd Whitley’sRiverside Park Headquarters.

An invitation for canapés,Champagne and a presentation aboutPeel Holdings’ £1bn Wirral Watersproperty development has broughtout the crowds of the great and thegood.

It is the latest event hosted by LeesLloyd Whitley (LLW) for the WirralBusiness Forum and the WirralInternational Business Park forum.

Some delegates smile briefly at thevideo cameras brought in to capturethe event, before settling down forthe presentation.

The 6ft 8in Frank Rogers,chairman of the business forum,stands in front of an LLW hoardingbearing the slogan “Business Law –Business Class” and introducesLindsey Ashworth, Peel’sdevelopment director.

With views over the Mersey,plasma screen televisions and alicensed bar, LLW’s third-floorlounge offers the perfect setting tohear about Peel’s plans to transformthe Mersey basin.

Fast forward just five months toSeptember 4, 2009, and the lounge isplaying host to another seminaloccasion, again hosted by FrankRogers.

This time though, the LLWbusiness development manager hasgathered the 90 or so staff to tellthem the firm is going bust and casefiles are being shipped out.

September 18, they are later told,will be their last day of work forLLW. They will also be paid less thana full month’s pay – though staffshould carry on working right up tothe 18th to ensure an “orderlytransition”.

After all, 56-year-old Mr Rogerstells them, many will have theopportunity to follow partners tonew firms who have agreed to takeon clients and case files.

More than a month on and somestaff claim Mr Rogers’s words ringhollow, as just an estimated one infive employees have found new posts.

Neither do things look too good forMr Rogers. Known as one of theNorth West's leading lawyers, he isnow the subject of a bankruptcypetition. Riverside Park, owner of the26,000 sq ft office, filed the petitionafter a £53,000 rent bill went unpaid.

But what went wrong at one ofMerseyside's oldest and mostprestigious law firms?

When it crashed intoadministration, press agents put outa statement on behalf of the partnerssuggesting its demise was due to thefall in the property market.

A LDP Business investigation cannow reveal the stricken firm'scollapse was much more complexthan that.

It has found LLW's £3m ofcreditors include the taxman and astring of current and formerlandlords.

Senior staff at the defunct firmhave also confirmed in its dying daysthey were asked to lubricate thefirm’s finances from their ownpocket. Salaried partners and othersenior staff – who did not share anequity stake in LLW – also bailed outthe firm a year ago with personalloans believed to total £400,000.

According to a source close to thefirm, had LLW and Mr Rogers beenable to hold on to its lucrative PrisonOfficers’ Association contract, the190-year-old firm may have survived.

The source said: “That was asignificant part of our turnover

that’s been lost there.“So it would have given us more

options to look at, rather than theoption that the partners did godown.”

It remains unclear why the POAchose to dump LLW. The union hassince signed a deal with ThompsonsSolicitors to provide legal servicesfor their members until May, 2010.

Mr Rogers had worked with thePOA for decades and is noted asbeing their top solicitor in the Legal500, one of the profession’s topdirectories.

The firm also lost a contract withHer Majesty’s Revenue and Customs(HMRC) for debt recovery.

Now disgruntled former LLWemployees have broken their silencefor the first time to reveal the story

behind how the firm became one ofMerseyside's highest-profilerecession victims.

But what is clear is how much thePOA contract was worth to LLW. Aninternal email shown to LDPBusiness indicates the two law firmswere in dispute over how muchThompsons should pay LLW for theexisting case files being transferredout of the Wirral firm.

The POA was the secondhigh-volume client to depart fromthe firm in recent years. It is ironicthat LLW used to do debt recoverywork for Her Majesty's Revenue andCustoms. The same LLW source hasconfirmed that one of theoutstanding debts administratorsParkin S Booth are dealing with is tothe taxman for unpaid PAYE and

National Insurance.It is thought that, although

deductions were being made fromemployees’ pay, at least some of thatmoney had not made it to theRevenue.

The source added: “There wouldbe a number of things that remainedunpaid because of the situation wehad reached.

“We were in discussions with theRevenue to sort that out.

“Arrangements to pay over aperiod of time had been in place.”

HMRC has made an application tothe administrators to recoup some ofthe unpaid tax.

But salaried partners appear tohave been stung and could be askedto fork out for the PAYE themselves –effectively paying the tax twice.

The seven or so salaried partners –who, sources say, were kept in thedark over the firm’s bottom line – arealso thought to be joining the queueof creditors. They were asked by thefive equity partners – Mr Rogers,Anthony Marriott, Graham Smith,Martin Walker and Timothy Polding,who also chaired the board – if theywould loan money to the firm backin October, 2008. The personal loanswould be repayable and would notmean they owned a slice of thebusiness.

Another source close to the groupsaid they agreed to the request in thehope of safeguarding jobs.

This second source said: “Theycame to them last year and said thefirm will close unless you put moneyin.


IN ASSOCIATION WITHIN ASSOCIATION WITH

27

THE BIG FEATURE

Peel director Lindsey Ashworth, second left, is welcomed to the Wirral Business Park Forum by deputy leader of WirralCouncil, Cllr Simon Holbrook, far left, and senior personnel from Lees Lloyd Whitley – managing partner, Graham Smith, farright, business development partner, Frank Rogers, rear centre, and head of the commercial department, Tim Polding

Frank Rogers – bankruptcy petition

“They were told it would besufficient to get the firm through thenext 18 months.”

Salaried partners are also said tohave been shocked at the number ofloans that had been taken out by thefirm over the years.

The source added: “It’s transpiredthat there were a number of loanstaken out without any knowledge ofthe salaried partners. As a group,they didn’t know they existed.

“It’s just devastated them.”The value of these extra loans is in

the region of £2m.LDP Business also understands

creditors have started houndingsalaried partners – as well as equitypartners – to repay debts.

It is thought this group of salariedpartners will rebuff demands for

cash, saying they were never fullpartners as defined in thePartnership Act.

Finance chiefs at theBromborough-based firm were alsosaid to be in “regular” phone contactwith the firm’s bank, Allied IrishBank (AIB).

Asked if it was AIB who finallypulled the plug, one source, whoasked not to be named for fear ofjeopardising job opportunities, said:“They had overdraft facilities thatthey wanted us to stick to”.

But, below the higher echelons ofthe firm, how much was knownabout the debt-ridden balance sheet,angry creditors and issues with thetaxman?

Junior staff knew things were bad,though perhaps they presumed it

was no worse than at other firms.Redundancies and vacancies being

left unfilled were routine at LLW.While the firm was not unique inthat respect, the frequency andvolume of the redundancies were.

Staff recall “four or five” rounds ofjob losses since the move toRiverside Park in December, 2007.The first came just a month after themove. Each time another round ofjob losses was announced, staff hadto reapply for their positions.

It is thought the total headcount atthe firm dropped from 150 to 90between the end of 2007 and theadministrators going in.

As one insider told LDP Business:“They never had the number ofemployees to fill Riverside Park. Thebuilding was half empty.

“They more or less had to shoutacross the room to each other. It wasridiculous.”

But more serious events were alsowitnessed by the staff as LLWrocketed towards its September 18demise.

Its dire finances became the talk ofthe office when, at the verybeginning of September, three burlybuilders announced themselves atreception and demanded payment forwork carried out in June.

Staff contacted by LDP Businessrecalled angry scenes and mentionsof an unpaid £20,000 invoice. Thoseon the upper floors were told not toventure down to reception untilthings had quietened down.

But the builders were eventuallylet into the building for a face-to-facemeeting with some of the partners.

The finance source said the billwas for “dilapidation work” on oneof the firm’s other properties.

While LLW’s Riverside Parklandlords appear to have been thefirst to petition an equity partner forbankruptcy, the firm’s otherlandlords have also confirmed theyare considering similar action.

The firm moved wholesale into theBromborough offices almost twoyears ago, but it maintained

properties on Woodchurch Road,Prenton, and on Castle Street, inLiverpool.

Around half the 1,700 sq ft of thePrenton floor space was sub-let to theHalifax bank. The rest was unusedand still had more than three yearsto run on the lease.

The Merseyside Estates, thefreehold owner, is now consultinglawyers with a view to becomingcreditors for unpaid rent.

It is a similar story at the oldoffices on the sixth floor of CastleChambers, at 43 Castle Street,Liverpool.

The building is owned byMerseyside Pension Fund who,according to land agents CB RichardEllis, are also in the process of “legalaction”.

At the time of going to press,neither The Merseyside Estates norMerseyside Pension Fund hadapplied to Parkin S Booth to beofficial creditors. It is thought bothcould pursue the partners directlythrough litigation and future rentcould form part of those claims.

Parkin S Booth say they are stillcollating a definitive list of creditorsand are hoping to hold the creditors’meeting in the first two weeks ofNovember.

But legal watchers in the cityreturn to one unanswered questionover and again: why was LLW still atraditional partnership, rather thana “safer” limited liabilitypartnership (LLP)?

Few people inside the firm havebeen able to shed light on the issue.

But one of LDP Business’s sourcesmooted this decision was more to dowith regulations than choice.

The source said: “It’s fair to saythat there’s certain conditions thatyou have to have in place to becomean LLP. At that stage, we hadn’treached that point.”

While LLW are the most highprofile firm in the region to go bust,it is not the only one that facesdiffcult times. Law firms of all sizesface huge uncertainties in therecession.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

28

THE BIG FEATURE

Howwas your recession?Merseyside’s leading lawyers tell LDPBusiness how they haveweathered thedownturn

PHILIP ROONEY, LIVERPOOL OFFICE

HEAD, DLA PIPER

PARTNER at DLA, PhilipRooney, admits it hasbeen a tough year thathas seen job losses atthe law firm’s Liverpooloffice. But, he insists,there are signs ofsomething green on thehorizon.

He said: “I don’t knowhow bad things are inother firms. It hasdefinitely been a toughyear. But one of thethings with having abroad-based practice isyou can smooth that.”

Rooney can still reeloff evidence of fee-earning assignments,such as the acquisitionof Crown Paints, the£80m Liverpool FC shirtsponsorship deal, £100mtransaction for theUniversitiesSuperannuation Fundand ongoing work withthe Mersey Gateway.

DLA also featured inthe top tier of 11disciplines in the recentlypublished Legal 500. The

next highest tally for aLiverpool firm was HillDickinson, which was inthe top tier in sevenareas.

But, of 140 jobs lost atDLA’s nationwidenetwork of offices, 13went in Liverpool earlythis year. Rooney added:“We’ve got a couple ofcorporate instructionswhich hopefully will turninto deals.”

SUE RUSSELL, LIVERPOOL OFFICE

HEAD, HALLIWELLS

ASK A Merseysidecorporate lawyer howtheir recession has beenand many will say “it’sbeen harsh, but I hearHalliwells are faringworse”.

Put this to Sue Russell,who is approaching theend of her first month ashead of Halliwells’Liverpool office, and shewill shrug it off as“schadenfreude”.

But the firm, whichrelies on corporate workfor 24% of its businessand real estate for 21%,has certainly been hit.

Russell said the writingwas on the wall towardsthe end of 2008 when itwas clear “issues” wouldstart to emerge. Onepartner was maderedundant in Liverpooland another five peopletook voluntaryredundancy.

Most people in the firmare also now working afour-day week or havetaken a pay cut of

around 10%. Russell isdetermined thesemeasures will end byApril 30. But she added:“It depends on what’sgoing on outside. I thinkit’s good to have a pointin time to aim for.

“It’s still very hard outthere, but we’rereasonably wellpositioned to takeadvantage of the upturnwhen it comes.”

PHIL REES-ROBERTS, MANAGING

DIRECTOR, REES-ROBERTS

NICHE – or “boutique” –commercial practiceRees-Roberts saw itsturnover from corporatework drop by half overthe last year.

But founder and MDPhil Rees-Roberts saystotal turnover hasremained buoyant afterhe took on anotherpartner to take onlitigation work.

“I used to out-sourceit, and some of it I stilldo,” Rees-Roberts said.“I’ve got no intention ofproviding a full legalservice. But it was toobig an area to let go.

“I’ve just halved myrisk. The baby’s got newshoes and we will carryon growing like that. I’mdoing my best to protectmy flock.”

The firm employs foursolicitors and aparalegal.

Rees-Roberts sayscontentious litigationwork on, for example,compulsory purchase

orders, has dovetailedwell with the firm’stransactional deals.

But he insists he willremain niche: “Peoplewant more contact timewith the professionaldoing the work,” headded. “Clients don’twant to pay for a partnerand get a more juniormember of the team. Itcomes into sharperfocus in a recession.”

MARK BRANDWOOD, MANAGING

PARTNER, BRABNERS CHAFFE STREET

BRABNERS ChaffeStreet was among thefirst corporate firmslocally to reduce itsheadcount.

In autumn, 2008, whencredit crunch turned intorecession, it reduced a10-strong plot salesteam by two thirds.

Managing partnerMark Brandwood – whotook over from MichaelBrabner in April – saidthat was largely inresponse to the marketfor city centreapartments “falling off acliff”.

A further 15 positions –split nine in Liverpooland six in Manchester –were lost in the spring.

But the firm alsomerged with Bremners,which specialised inhousing association andsocial landlord work.

Brandwood said: “Thatwas about the right thingto do.

“That’s been a verysolid work area that's

thriving since they joinedus.

“I don’t think there’sany doubt that it's stillchallenging, but I think inthis market you have gotto see where theopportunities are.”

Brandwood added inproperty and corporate itis still “difficult times”but said sport, charityand private client arefaring better.

PETER JACKSON, MANAGING

PARTNER, HILL DICKINSON

HILL Dickinson ishoping to turn over£90m this year.

Over the summer, itposted profits per equitypartner of £294,000,down from £311,000 theprevious year.

But when LDPBusiness spoke to thefirm’s senior partnerPeter Jackson, he wasmore concerned with thefirm’s property portfolio.The Manchester officewas due to move fromFountain Street, but nowlooks set to stay. And themerger withLondon-based MiddletonPotts has resulted in asurplus of space.

Jackson saw the lossof 10 people in an initialround of redundancies.Another five, includingone partner, are depart-ing in a second round.Speaking generally, hesaid: “I don’t think thestorm is going to be overand if it does stop rainingever, then there’s another

one coming next yearwith the Legal ServicesAct. If this was a storm,then that has the makingof a hurricane.”

Finally, with hindsight,should he have forkedout to sponsor Capital ofCulture? “We would haveliked to have got itcheaper,” he admits, butadds it helped HillDickinson “punch itsweight”.

DAVE BUSHELL, PARTNER,BROWN TURNER ROSS

THE recession is onlyone of the ingredients tobefall High Street firmsin what Dave Bushelldescribes as a “perfectstorm”.

The new October 1insurance renewaldeadline played into thehands of insurers whoramped up premiumsand refused to give out aquote until the lastminute.

Bushell also saidalthough crime workpeaks in a recession, thepolice are not chargingsuspects as rapidly asthey used to, choosinginstead to bail themwhile the CrownProsecution Servicedecides whether to presscharges.

“It slows the wholesystem down,” he said,adding that theproliferation of fixedpenalty fines andcautions was also hittingcrime income.

Aside from the

financial squeeze thisputs firms under, Bushellalso argued it is“dumbing down theseriousness of thesystem”. Legal aid ratesare also being hackedback by the Government.

The collapse in thehousing market is alsohitting cash flowbecause marital assetscannot be dissolved asreadily.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

29

THE BIG FEATURE

LEGALLYSPEAKING

with Andrew Craggs,partner in healthat Hill Dickinson

Construction firm corruption challenged by SFOTHE Serious FraudOffice could targetconstruction firmsfollowing the firstsuccessful prosecutionof a company for briberyand corruption.

Last month, the SFOfined 103 companies atotal of £129.5m forrigging bids on projectsacross England,including school andhospital projects.

Now Sarah Cleary, apartner in DLA Piper's

litigation and regulatoryteam in Liverpool, isexpecting more actionfrom SFO directorRichard Alderman.

Ms Cleary said: "Ihave it on very goodauthority that the SFOhas singled out theconstruction industryand is casting its net farand wide."

Construction firmscould receive a letterfrom Mr Alderman'soffice outlining how the

new Bribery Bill willsubstantially increasepenalties for offendersand broaden the scopeof crimes. It hopes thiswill spur managingdirectors to own up tocorruption.

Among the 103 comp-anies fined in Septemberwas Reading-basedMabey and Johnson. Itwas left with paymentsand fines of nearly £7mfor offences committedabroad.

Ms Cleary added: "TheSFO is feelingparticularly bombastic inthe wake of the Mabeyand Johnson case.

"It made UK legalhistory in a number ofareas, and in his publiccomments afterwardsRichard Alderman urgedcompanies who might,as he put it, 'see someparallels' to come for-ward and talk to the SFOto have the matter dealtwith 'quickly and fairly'."

MoreMersey firms facesignificant financial woesAndnationally asmany as2,000practices coulddisappearMORE than a dozen legal firms inMerseyside faced "significant"financial problems in the third quarterof the year, new figures reveal.

They experienced either court actionor filed "average, poor or very poor"accounts, experts told LDP Business.

The figures were collated by rescue,recovery and restructuring specialistsat Begbies Traynor.

Begbies say no Merseyside legalfirms – which include solicitors,barristers' chambers and bailiffs,among others – suffered "criticalproblems", though their figures werereleased in the aftermath ofWirral-based Lees Lloyd Whitley goinginto administration.

Critical problems, which are worsethan significant ones, are said to bewhen a firm has County Courtjudgments totalling more than £5,000,or are the subject of a winding-uppetition.

Begbies assesses the legal landscapeusing factual and legal data showinghow firms older than one year areperforming.

It counted 15 firms sufferingsignificant problems in Merseyside.There were 68 across the North-West.

Three firms in the region hadcritical problems.

Joanne Wright, a partner at Begbies,expects 2,000 of the 10,000 firmsnationwide to be wiped out by thecurrent recession.

Ms Wright told LDP Business:"That's a hell of a lot of firms."

She added many of those will besmall firms of four partners or fewer,who make up around 80% of themarket. Ms Wright said lawyers neededto boost their business acumen tosurvive.

She added: "Quite often, what I'vefound is either the partners personallyor the practice has taken on loans tocarry them through the quiet timesand now trying to pay and service thedebts is a massive problem and theycan't get the funding that was oncereadily available.

"Lawyers, accountants, architectswere all considered to be not an issue –you got your money back no problem.But banks now want to understandwhat happens to their money.”

Begbies partner JoanneWright, above, predictsa grim outlook for lawfirms, with 2,000 out of10,000 firms nationwideto be wiped out by therecession

QI HAVE read innewspapers about“recessiondepression”, and Ialso regularly see

employees winning largecompensation awards fromtheir former employersarising out of stress at work,which was not adequatelymanaged. What do I need to doto avoid these claims beingmade against me, as my staffare already working longhours and we cannot afford totake on extra staff at thistime?

AIn our experience,large compensationawards for these typesof claims are rare andoften arise where an

employer has ignored veryobvious symptoms. Stress atwork is inevitable and, to acertain degree, can be helpful.Being stressed at work willnot in itself lead to anemployer being foundnegligent. The courts do notrecognise that any oneoccupation can beintrinsically stressful.

The key to thisissue is to ensureyou have a co-ordinated approachto managingemployees by linemanagers. Thisinvolves appropriateinput from humanresources andoccupational health.

All managersmust be aware of thesigns of a stress-related illness and,most importantly,must respond fullyand quickly tocomplaints made by staff or tochanges in their behaviour. Inthis economic climate, it islikely there will be morestress-related illness claims.

To succeed in a claim,employees must prove it wasforeseeable to the employerthat they would develop apsychiatric illness. It isimportant to note that anemployee must have arecognised psychiatric illnessin order to successfully makea claim – mere distress andanxiety is not enough.

There may be obviousphysical signs, which show anemployee’s health is sufferingbecause of stress. An employeewho is aware that he/she is illmay also tell their employer oftheir work-related psychiatricillness by communicating thisor by the provision of a sicknote. Any of these eventsshould trigger alarm bells thataction needs to be takenimmediately by reducing thepressure upon the employee,or at least monitoring them.

What is reasonable willdepend upon the circum-stances. A swift referral tooccupational health needs totake place to determine thecause of the illness (is it dueto work or other unrelatedreasons, such as financial ordomestic issues?) and whatmeasures can be taken toalleviate the pressure. Whatdoes your Stress ManagementPolicy say and have yousought the input from an HRspecialist? You must ensurethat employees are aware ofwhat support mechanisms areavailable, including aconfidential counsellingservice.

This fits in with yourobligations under theDisability Discrimination Act(many employees in suchcircumstances will fall underthe definition, which includesmental impairments) to makereasonable adjustments toaccommodate the effect ofdisability. You may eventuallymake a decision to dismiss anemployee if he cannot performhis job. You would not be

criticised fordoing so if otheralternatives todismissal havereasonably beendiscounted (withHR advice).

If an employeeis ready to comeback to workafter a period ofabsence due tostress, then areturn-to-workinterview shouldbe conducted toconfirm whatsupport will be

put into place. These meetingsshould continue for areasonable period of time,together with ongoingoccupational health support.You will need to ensure thatthe promises of support youmake are kept and are notempty gestures.

While there is no legalobligation to ask employeessearching questions abouttheir health to avoid asubsequent claim, you musttake action if any issues areraised as these claims couldbe costly, both in terms of acivil claim and in theEmployment Tribunal. Theseissues might be raised whilemaking a cup of tea or duringa formal appraisal.

If you ask an employee howthey are getting on and theresponse is “I am fine”, thenyou are entitled to take theemployee at his word. It isonly if no action is taken thatthe likelihood of a potentiallyexpensive claim being broughtgreatly increases.

‘Managersmust beawareofstress-relatedillness’

For thelatestfrom thelegalsector

LDPLegal

www.ldplegal.co.uk

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

30

THE BIG FEATURE

Liverpool firm launches a one-stop shopCanter Levin andBerg aims to competewith newplayers coming into themarketONE of Merseyside's oldest lawfirms is hoping a newweb-based legal service willrevolutionise the way clientsseek advice and interact withlawyers.

Temple Square-based CanterLevin and Berg (CLB) launchedLawOptions.co.uk earlier thismonth.

It is a one-stop-shop for ahost of consumer legal productsand offers clients guaranteedfixed prices.

Clients will be able to accessthe site night or day to tracktheir case and can call a hotlinefor support and advice.

The firm launched the site inanticipation of the massderegulation coming into thelegal sector with the LegalServices Act.

It hopes to be able to competewith big brands like Tesco, TheAA and the Co-op who maychoose to enter the legal arena.

LawOptions offers all areasof consumer law includingfamily, employment, roadaccidents, conveyancing,probate and personal injury.

It aims to be as user-friendlyand secure as online bankingand travel bookings.

While other firms andgroups have put some servicesonline and will interact withclients using the web, CLB sayLawOptions is the first serviceto be comprehensivelyweb-based.

CLB will carry on practisingas normal, with the websiterunning alongside to bring innew clients from across the UK.

Finance Director LouiseBurns-Lunt told LDP Business:"LawOptions.co.uk has beencreated in response to changingconsumer demands for greaterflexibility in accessing expertlegal advice and a desire toprocess cases online.” Louise Burns-Lunt – LawOptions.co.uk has been created in response to changing consumer demands

Many innocent people could go to prison, warns leading crime lawyer

Jim Murray

A MERSEYSIDE crimelawyer is warning"thousands" of innocentpeople could be jailed orlanded with criminalrecords when newgovernment rules onlawyers’ fees areintroduced.

Jim Murray, ofBootle-based JamesMurray Solicitors, said the

regulations will force manydefendants to plead guiltyinstead of fighting theircase through the courts forfear of being landed withhuge legal bills.

The Government wantsto cap lawyers’ fees forprivately-fundeddefendants at around £55per hour, in line with legalaid costs.

At present, non-legal aiddefendants who win theircases can apply to theCentral Fund to reclaim"reasonable costs" andtheir expenses from thestate.

But Mr Murray claims itis "virtually impossible" tohire a good solicitor forless than £190 per hour,meaning many people will

be able to claw back just afraction of their legal costs,even if they are foundinnocent by magistrates.

Mr Murray said: "This isnot justice.

“When these new feeregulations come into forcemany defendants, evenwhen they are foundinnocent by the courts, willbe left with legal bills of

thousands, of pounds thatthey can't afford.

“Many innocent peoplewill plead guilty, rather thanfight to avoid the financialrisk.

"Others will representthemselves and end upbeing found guilty whenthey come up against aprofessional prosecutinglawyer.”

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PROFESSIONAL SECTORS

Helping young people learn work skills

Brian Clark

Accountancy firm plansto expand its city base

THE senior partner of accountancyfirm Deloitte in Liverpool says heexpects the firm’s city office todouble in size within three years.

Sean Beech says the firm hasalready won a number of newcontracts and is now readyingitself for growth as the UKeconomy prepares to pull out ofrecession.

Deloitte’s Exchange Flags officecurrently employs 70 people, butMr Beech says he soon expects thatfigure to rise well above 100.

He said: “We want to try todouble the size of the office overthe next two to three years.

“It’s ambitious, but the firm hasalways set ambitious targets.”

“We’ve taken on eight graduatesin the course of the last three orfour weeks.

“We’ve had some really goodclient wins over the course of thelast couple of years.

“We’re also seeing more activityin the public sector. Even thougheveryone is expecting the publicsector will have to spend less overthe course of the next few years,they will be looking to optimisesavings, and we think that willmean more opportunities for us.

“In the private sector, we areexpecting and hoping that thingswill pick up next year.

“We are seeing some early signsthat some businesses are gettingback to normal, so therefore wewould expect there to be aresumption of transactionalactivity next year.”

Mr Beech says many of Deloitte’sManchester partners frequentlyspend time working in Liverpool asthe firm picks up more Merseysidebusiness.

“There’s been a bit of a trendgoing back a few years for firmswith Liverpool operations toretrench to Manchester,” he said.

“We are now seeing more peoplefrom Manchester spending moretime in Liverpool, across servicesfrom indirect taxation to forensiccorporate finance. We can thenbuild teams around them.”

We’ve had some really good client wins over the past couple of years –Sean Beech, Deloitte’s senior partner in Liverpool

BUSINESSMATTERS

with Steve Sankson,of The Royal Bank ofScotland and NatWestin Merseyside

EARLIER this month, over 150business owners andprofessionals from acrossMerseyside attended aneconomic seminar organisedby RBS at Liverpool’s Tategallery. At this annual event,Julien Seetheramdoo, one ofthe RBS Group’s leadingeconomists, presented histhoughts on the current stateof the UK economy and gavean insight into what mayhappen in the forthcoming 12months.

Julien highlighted anumber of positive indicatorswhich suggest the UK shouldemerge from recession by theend of this year, and this islikely to be followed by aperiod of modest growth. Thelast few months have seen adegree of stabilisation in theUK’s asset markets and anincrease in commodityprocess such as crude oil.Indicators suggest businessand consumer confidence isbeginning to consolidate,particularly with regard tothe housing market in boththe UK and US.

This news willundoubtedly bewelcomed bybusinesses acrossMerseyside andthe rest of thecountry. However,we would urge anote of caution.

When therecovery happens,growth will beslower than inprevious years andbusinesses willstill have keychallenges toaddress. By addressing theseissues now and taking thetime to plan ahead, a businesswill be in a better position totake advantage of any upturnin the economy.

Our Merseyside-basedNatWest and RBS teams areworking closely with businesscustomers to help ensure theyare in a position to takeadvantage of any opport-unities that come their way.This involves evaluating anumber of key business areas,some of which are detailedbelow:

Sales – There is no questionabout it, this is a tough timeto be selling to businesscustomers. Discretionaryspending has been cut due tothe budget for this year beingallocated to existingcommitments. To keep salesmoving in the right direction,you need to do a few things.Firstly, assess your saleschannels to determine notonly the most successful routeto market but also thosechannels which are notworking. Secondly, consider

other channels, particularlythe internet. It has developedinto a powerful mechanismfor small and medium-sizedbusinesses and it costsrelatively little to establish anonline presence.

Margins – Margins arecritical and should be closelymonitored. Sometimesmargins can be ignored whenturnover is being chased. Ifyou have reduced yourmargin, do you know how thishas impacted uponperformance? The more abusiness cuts price, the moreit has to sell to maintain anacceptable level ofcontribution. Before alteringits margin, a business shouldexplore several other options.For example, can younegotiate down suppliers’costs or secure any discountsfrom them which can then bepassed on to the customer? Ifyou do have to cut margins, itmakes commercial sense tooffer a reduction on thesecond or third purchase andnot the first one.

Finally, arethere any addit-ional extras thatyou can chargefor if you have tolower the unitcosts? Chargesfor delivery,packaging, credit,etc, can all be fact-ored in to ensurethe businessreturns asufficient margin.

Costs –Conduct a line-by-line analysis ofall your costs and

challenge each member ofstaff to make costs savings. Inparticular, analyse eachproduct cost and evaluate is itworth carrying on with a loss-making product? Don’t beafraid to renegotiate oneverything and be prepared togo elsewhere if your suppliersrefuse to meet you half way.

Supply ChainManagement – Be ruthlesswith your supply chain anddebtor management toimprove the liquidity in yourbusiness. The longer you holdon to stock the more it coststhe business. If yourtraditional sales channels areproving ineffective, considerusing other avenues such asonline auction sites to disposeof your older stock. Withregard to debtors, look torenegotiate your credit termswhere possible and don’t offercredit as a matter of course.

Consider Invoice Finance asa way of releasing cash onyour debtor book. It providesyou with a percentage of aninvoice’s value as soon as theinvoice is raised.

‘In therecovery . . .businesseswill havechallengestoaddress’

The latestfrom thelegal sector

LDPLegal

www.ldplegal.

co.uk

THE Liverpool office ofaccountancy firmPricewaterhouseCoopers(PWC) has joined withLiverpool Compact for asecond year to help teenagersget ready for the world ofwork.

Last year, more than 100PwC staff, from students tothe senior partner, donatedabout 120 days and visited 28secondary schools to helpstudents develop theirinterview skills.

Liverpool Compact workswith most schools inLiverpool and more than 3,500local businesses.

Brian Clark, senior partnerat PWC in Liverpool, said:

“We have a policy to helpprevent social exclusion ofyoung people, throughcreative activity and activepartnerships which focus oneducation and employability.

“This initiative will helpprovide school children withthe opportunity to accessemployability skills that theycan go on to apply in later life.

“The skills they are taughtwill help to put them in amuch better position whenlooking for employment, notonly offering a vitalunderstanding of theinterview process, but alsogiving them the confidence togo out and pursueemployment opportunities.”

32

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

Science park’s ambitious planDaresbury attracting international interest for 20-year longdevelopment project

SIX developers have been shortlistedto spearhead an ambitious 20-yearplan to create 1m sq ft of new spaceat Daresbury Science Park andInnovation Centre.

International law firm Evershedsand property experts King Sturgewere appointed to search for anexperienced private sector partner tojoin the Science and TechnologyFacilities Council (STFC), NorthwestRegional Development Agency(NWDA) and Halton BoroughCouncil to extend science and

innovation facilities, buildings andinfrastructure.

The 20-year joint venture, whichwill create a 50:50 partnershipbetween the public and privatesectors, will bring more than 10,000jobs to the area during its lifetime,see the site develop 1m sq ft andattract domestic and internationalinvestment in scientific research andinnovation.

Project manager Graham Haywoodsaid: "When we began this processback in March, I think some people

may have been surprised at such anambitious venture, given the currentmarket conditions. However, thequality of developers with a trackrecord in science park developmentshas indicated that there is a greatappetite for exploiting further thepotential of Daresbury.

"We have between 50 and 60 acresof land to develop with the objectiveof building on our core of scienceand research.

“ The intention is to attract arange of businesses from start-ups to

blue-chip companies, and alsoprovide facilities to enable us tocompete for major governmentcontracts."

This development will not onlystrengthen the science base at thecampus, but improve the economicimpact of public and privateinvestment in science by increasingcollaborative work between campustenants, enabling access to scienceand technology capability andexpertise, promoting open innovat-ion and supporting the creation and

growth of new businesses. AndrewLudiman, head of consultancy atagents King Sturge, added: “We areenormously excited to be helping torealise the vision for the future ofthe Daresbury Science & InnovationCampus.

“Our role at King Sturge andEversheds is to pull together thestrategy of what the joint venturewill look like and then support andbring together the public and privatesector partners to set up a successfuljoint venture.”

Next phase due to start in JanuaryWORK will start inJanuary on the next phaseof development at thecampus.

Vanguard House willprovide 35,000 sq. ft. ofoffice and laboratory spacein units of between 1,000 sqft and 7,700 sq ft. It willcomplement the successfulDaresbury InnovationCentre and provide a homefor companies already on

the Campus to grow into,as well as attractingestablished scientific andhi-tech companies fromacross the country.

The agreement to buildVanguard House wasannounced at thebeginning of April by theMinister for Science &Innovation, Ian Pearson, aspart of a £25m dealbetween The Northwest

Regional DevelopmentAgency, Daresbury Science& Innovation Campus andSt Modwen, although thelatter have since pulledout.

The new developmentadjoins the existingDaresbury InnovationCentre and the CockcroftInstitute (the NationalCentre for AcceleratorScience).

Exciting times ahead for Daresbury campus

An artist’simpressionof VanguardHouse

33

ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT

Building a bridge to the futureDeveloping the infrastructure – andalso the skills – is key toHalton’s future ambitions

SURPRISINGLY, it was 45minutes into a conversationwith Halton BoroughCouncil’s Dick Tregea,whose environment

department encompassesregeneration and enterprise, beforethe Mersey Gateway was firstmentioned.

Plans for the £431m project havebeen under discussion for years andare now on the cusp of movingforward, with the results of a publicinquiry expected early next year.

The council, which has led theproject, has consistently said itbelieves a second bridge across theRiver Mersey is critical to thesub-region’s regeneration and all ofthe local authorities will benefit. Theregional economic strategy describesthe project as “transformational”.

Mr Tregea said: “The MerseyGateway public inquiry completed inJuly and we expect the inspector’sreport by the end of the year, whichthen goes to central Government.

“We are expecting a decision fromthe Government early in the NewYear.

“We are continuing to work on theproject and looking at theprocurement issues at present. Thatwill be a very complex process thatwe have to go through if we are tomeet our timetable of constructionbeginning in 2011 and we are still ontarget to achieve that, withcompletion expected in 2014 or early2015.

“It’s not just the physical elementof the bridge. It’s the opportunities itprovides us with to deal withextremely contaminated land, the

regeneration opportunities it willprovide when it is completed, andthe way it fits in with a sustainabletransport programme.”

If built, it would overhaul the roadnetwork, as more than 80,000vehicles use the existing SilverJubilee Bridge every weekday – tentimes the number it was originallydesigned for.

“We have always come back to theconclusion that we have to haveanother bridge as the existing bridgeisn’t fit for purpose in the 21stcentury,” Mr Tregea said.

“We can’t meet demand to crossthe river. We see the bridge as anabsolutely essential component ofaccess, not just into Halton but intothe Merseyside sub-region. It’s agenuine regeneration project withbenefits right across the region.

“We are not looking at a Plan B – ithas to happen.”

While that project has grabbed theheadlines, two other sites in Haltonhave also been proving themselves tobe very important to the borough.

“A lot of effort over the last coupleof years has gone into the tworegional strategic sites at Daresburyand 3MG, and I think that work isnow bearing fruit,” said Mr Tregea.

“The 3MG isn’t just about gettingbuildings up on site, it’s also aboutdealing with the very contaminatedpiece of land and we have hadtremendous help from theEnvironment Agency.

“We have seen its distributionfacility completed. It’s the first majordevelopment on the furtherdevelopment of 3MG and we havebeen working with Stobart Group in

trying to make sure that physicaldevelopment helps job creation forlocal people.”

Andrew Tinkler, chief executive ofStobart Group, said: “The new528,000 sq ft chilled distributionfacility has been delivered at Widneswith completion achieved on timeand in budget, in July, 2009.

“Preparation of the remainingdevelopment land around the Widnessite has continued, with all surplusbuildings now demolished.”

The facility is already fully let to anumber of different customers andwill employ 1,000 staff when it isoperational next July.

Mr Tinkler said: “Our inland portnear Widnes currently handlesaround 100,000 shipping containers a

The Silver Jubilee Bridge was opened in 1961, but chronic congestion has been the driver of the Mersey Gateway project


34

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HALTON

year. A trial daily rail servicebetween Tilbury, in east London, andWidnes has been successfullyoperated over four months and thiscould be extended to a complete trainduring the coming months.

“This limited trial in isolation hasso far removed over 30,000 kilometresof UK road transport.

“The business has continued todrive efficiency into the inlandterminal in Widnes, which currentlymanages nearly 1,000 vehiclemovements every day with a dwelltime of only 12 minutes per vehicle.

“The nearby Port of Weston hasexcellent potential for developmentas our waterway port with close

road, rail and waterway links.”Daresbury Science and InnovationCampus (SIC) – one of only twonational campuses of its type – isalso continuing to develop, with theNorthwest Development Agency(NWDA) confirming further fundingfor the site earlier this month toallow building to begin on the nextphase.

The new building, VanguardHouse, will provide about 36,000 sq ftof office, workshop and laboratoryspace. It is designed to attract hi-techbusinesses from across and outsideof the North-West, as well asproviding space for companies in theInnovation Centre to expand into.

Colin Whitehouse, the deputychief executive of the Science and

Technology Facilities Council(STFC) and a director of DaresburySIC, said: “Vanguard House willprovide a further major magnet forhi-tech businesses looking to drawon the unique combination of thescientific and business expertise atDaresbury SIC, supported by itsextensive national and internationalnetwork.

“It is a major step forward in thewider development of the campusand supports its position to be aninternationally-recognisedcommunity of scientific, innovationand entrepreneurial excellence”.

The development, which will benext to the existing DaresburyInnovation Centre, the CockcroftInstitute and the STFC Daresbury

Laboratory, will start in January andbe ready for its first tenants in early2011.

The campus is the newly-crowned“Outstanding Science Park 2009”,awarded by the United KingdomScience Park Association.

This summer, the partners on theCampus also announced that thefuture for Daresbury SIC will be as apublic-private commercial jointventure.

The public sector stakeholders ofthe campus – the NWDA, STFC andHalton Borough Council – areidentifying a private sector partnerto develop up to 1m sq ft of space forbusiness, research and innovation.

The joint venture will providefacilities management and other

services to the campus and realisecommercial services and investmentopportunities with the campuscompanies.

“Daresbury is a pre-eminentinternational research centre,”added Mr Tregea.

“We recognised the need to workmore closely with the private sectorand to work on a joint venture for theDaresbury campus. We are goingthrough the process of securing apreferred partner. There’s beensuperb co-operation between STFC,the NWDA and Halton BoroughCouncil.

“All that development is takingplace in the context of a widerscience and innovation campusboard, which also includes the

Halton sits on either side of the River Mersey, with Widnes to the north and Runcorn to the south of the river – it has a population of about 120,000 people


35

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HALTON

vice-chancellors of the Universitiesof Lancaster, Liverpool andManchester.”

Daresbury is not ploughing a lonefurrow for science and innovation inHalton. The 60-acre Heath Businessand Technical Park – once theheadquarters of ICI – is also aprospering centre for science andtechnology.

It has more than 180 companiesacross its 84,000 sq ft of purpose-built, serviced laboratory space and200,000 sq ft of serviced office space.

The Heath’s managing director, DrPeter Cook, believes the site is ablueprint for the rest of the UK.

“The future of the Britisheconomy depends on science andinnovation,” he said. “It’s

intellectual knowledge, innovation,the clever stuff in technology.

“We’ve moved on frommanufacturing and industry to ahuge explosion in internettechnology, with all this variety ofsoftware systems to help businessrun more effectively.

“The Heath is a perfect example ofthis – we have retained ICI’scorporate facilities and skills andrefocused them on to new businesses.

“We’ve done all this without apenny of public money. It has comefrom purely standard finance – weborrowed the money from a bankand are now paying it back.

“The benefit of this is that it hasmade us very business-oriented andfocused. We have had to make hard

decisions about the way we operatein the real business economy as wedidn’t have a source of governmentmoney propping us up.”

On the other side of the RiverMersey, Widnes Waterfront is amulti-million pound regenerationprogramme that is transformingmore than 200 acres of formerindustrial land designed to house2,700 jobs.

Halton Council leader Cllr TonyMcDermott said: “Often, with a huge,long-term regeneration project likeWidnes Waterfront, it is all too easyto forget where we started from andwhat has been achieved.

“The Widnes Waterfrontprogramme was a mammothundertaking with ambitious

objectives, specifically thetransformation of low quality, formerindustrial land into a newdevelopment site of regionalsignificance.

“Over the last six years, hugestrides have been made towards therealisation of that objective.”

Turnstone Business Park,Forward Point and Heron BusinessPark have been completed, withtake-up of commercial premisescontinuing despite the economicclimate.

Mr McDermott added: “While thecurrent recession has obviouslyimpacted upon the take-up of newcommercial space, not only at theWaterfront but across the UK, it isreassuring that, even during these

trying economic times, a steadystream of new businesses have madethe Waterfront their home.

“As the programme continues, thearea’s attractiveness as a businesslocation can only improve, attractingfurther new investment and jobs.”

The ambition for the public sectoris to make sure that people who livein Halton can take advantage of theopportunities being created.

“We are one of the most deprivedauthorities in the country,” said MrTregea.

“There’s a purpose behind all thiswork and that’s to improve thequality of life and to provideemployment opportunities.


36

“As an example, at the 3MGdevelopment we are talking aboutemployment opportunities of 5,000jobs-plus being created. We are workingextremely closely with Stobart to ensurethose opportunities come to localpeople.

“At Daresbury, as part of the work onestablishing the joint venture, we areexpecting partners to see how they willengage with the local community andfactor in that jobs are available for localpeople.

“We have a major initiative workingwith the Learning and Skills Counciland the local colleges to improve theskills of the local population – and that’sgoing well at present.”

The up-skilling has taken on greaterurgency as Halton was the first localauthority in the Liverpool city region tosee unemployment rise sharply as theeffects of the downturn began to be felt.

In the third quarter of 2008,unemployment in the boroughincreased by 10% – the increase was40% steeper than the city region as awhole.

Mr Tregea said: “It has been adifficult period. We have a lot of basicindustry here and so, as people have feltthe pinch, orders have gone down andinventories have been reduced.

“We have had detailed discussionswith a lot of the businesses that have

been affected, and we have seen annumber of redundancies over the lastseveral months.

“The nature of our businesses meanwe feel the recession sooner than most,then perhaps we will begin to recoverfirst.”

It may turn out that we are at thatturning point now. Halton has seenunemployment fall for the last twomonths, down 1.6% compared with acity region drop of 0.5%.

Mr Tregea said: “The focus oneconomic development has been in twoparts – physical development and thesofter, social side of making jobs thatare created available for local people interms of both up-skilling residents andassisting people into work.”

Creating that bridge between jobopportunities and the workforce mayprove to be as important to Halton asthe planned second bridge across theRiver Mersey.

Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus has received £67m investment from the NWDA

The Turnstone Business Park, at Widnes Waterfront

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT


REGIONALOUTLOOK

with StevenBroomhead,chief executiveof the NWDA

STEVEN BROOMHEAD, chiefexecutive of the NorthwestRegional DevelopmentAgency (NWDA), gives anoverview of the prioritiesand changing role of ourregional developmentagency, and highlightssome key regionalstatistics.

■ SINCE the Agency’sestablishment in 1999, theregional economy hasundergone a period ofcontinuous change.

After a number of years ofgrowth, the North West hasbuilt a strong foundation foreconomic recovery.

This has been as a result ofthe region agreeing anddelivering key priorities and astrong sense of commonpurpose to make big thingshappen.

Providing this leadership toturn priorities into real actionon the ground has been thesingle most important rolethat the Agency has playedover the last 10 years.

Without this, alarge number ofprojects acrossthe North-Westsimply would nothave happened.

This rangesfrom developingkey employmentsites, such as3MG, in Widnes,and driving thegrowth of theknowledgeeconomy throughdevelopmentssuch as LiverpoolScience Park.

The NWDA, working withour partners, has helped todevelop the stunning face ofLiverpool through a numberof key investments in flagshipprojects, including the Arenaand Convention Centre, thecruise liner facility, theLiverpool canal link andsupporting infrastructureimprovements at the PierHead and, of course, in thedevelopment of the amazingnew Museum of Liverpool.

The Agency is also proud ofits investment and supportingrole in delivering the culturalprogramme for Capital ofCulture, which helped tocreate a year that the people ofLiverpool and the North-Westcan all be proud of for years tocome, and the legacy will getstronger.

Just some of the keyregional statistics that havealso had an impact onMerseyside over the past 10years, include:

222,000 jobs created orsafeguarded since 1999

NWDA projects and

programmes have made asignificant impact on theregional economy, creating orsafeguarding 222,000 jobs andcreating 23,000 newbusinesses.

£5.20 economic returnAn independent assessment

(by PricewaterhouseCoopers)of Agency performancebetween 2002-03 showed thatevery £1 invested in theregional economy averaged areturn of £5.20 in economicimpact.

£150m generated frommajor events

The regional Major EventsStrategy has generated £150mfor the regional economysince 2004.

£75m cost savings fornorth-west manufacturers

Over 3,600 north-westbusinesses have been assistedin improving theirenvironmental performancethrough the ENWORKSprogramme.

To date, for every £1 theAgency has invested inENWORKS, £13 of cost savings

have beenidentified.

£740m costsavings formanufacturers

The Agency-fundedManufacturingAdvisory ServiceNorth West hascreated orsafeguarded over8,500 jobs,provided trainingto almost 6,500adults, andachieved costsavings of £740m.

900 inward investmentprojects

Since 1999, the North-Westhas secured over 900 inwardinvestment projects, creatingor safeguarding over 85,000jobs.

However, as the economyhas evolved, so has the role ofthe Agency.

Our expertise has enabledus to react swiftly to eventsfrom the Foot and Mouthoutbreak in 2002 to thecurrent economic downturn,which is perhaps our biggestchallenge to date.

Our knowledge on whatworks and where investmentcan have the biggest impactwill make our role even moresignificant. The past 10 yearshave been both rewarding andchallenging for the north-westeconomy.

We’ve had major successes,but there is still much to do ifwe are to emerge from thedownturn stronger andcontinue to make big thingshappen here in Merseysideand the North-West.

‘TheNorthWest hasbuilt strongfoundationsfor therecovery’


37

ADVERTISING FEATURE

With a range of brand new high specification office, hybrid and light industrialunits available for sale or lease from 100ft2 to14,000ft2 and an unrivalledlocation at the heart of the Northwest communication network WidnesWaterfront is the right location for your business.

Sited on the Mersey Estuary,a location of outstanding naturalbeauty, within a landscapedbusiness park of the highestenvironmental standards WidnesWaterfront is minutes from theM62 and M56 and within easyreach of Manchester Internationaland Liverpool John Lennon Airports.

For further informationabout commercial propertyat Widnes Waterfrontplease call Steve Clarkon 01928 516124 or [email protected]

DESIRABLEDEVELOPMENTSSTUNNINGRIVERSIDESETTING

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● Communicating every week to over 1500 local businesses with information and news.

● 1stuesday - The fastest growing business network in the Halton area.

● Helping small businesses grow with low cost start up business premises.

● International Documentation Services to over 35 countries worldwide.

● Engaging with public organisations to increase success in Contract Procurement.

● Enabling Women in Business to succeed through sharing business practice ideas.

● ‘Business Buddy’ Metoring Programme building confidence and growth for small businesses.

● Wide ranging business advice through experienced staff.

HALTON WOMEN IN BUSINESSHalton Chamber of Commerce

Halton Chamber OfCommerce & Enterprise

SUPPORTING HALTONBUSINESS: HALTON PEOPLE!

telephone 01928 516142 email [email protected] web www.haltonchamber.com

39

TRANSPORT in association with

NEILSCALES

THROUGHOUT the historyof rail, Merseyside hassignalled the way ahead.

The Rainhill Trials, held inMerseyside, in October,1829, and won by thefamous Stephenson’sRocket, proved to be theforerunner for thedevelopment of railservices all over the world.

My chairman, Cllr MarkDowd, celebrated this factby recently donating a printof the Trials in 1829 to thenew Virgin Passengerlounge in Lime StreetStation.

However, this emergenceas a rail powerhousecontinues to this day, andMerseyside’s strategic railnetwork continues to bevital to the city region’sfuture success.

TheMerseyside railmap is acomplex one;incorporating arange of trainoperatingcompanies andfranchisesincludingMerseyrailElectrics,Northern Rail,Arriva TrainsWales, FirstTransPennine,LondonMidland, EastMidlands Trainsand theInterCity WestCoast.

To continue toensure the bestdeal forMerseyside – that is a fullyaccessible, secure,sustainable and cost-effective rail network – weneed to build on ourcollective strengths andmaximise the opportunitiesavailable to us.

Our award-winning25-year MerseyrailElectrics concession is agreat example of how truepartnership can reap hugedividends. We have workedwith the team at SercoNedRail to transform itfrom “Miseryrail” intoconsistently one of the bestperforming networks in theUK.

This has been achievedthrough investment, hardwork, trust and a range ofsupporting partners.

But, despite Merseyrailrecently hitting its bestever performance targets,we know we can do more.

We continue to press forfull local decision-making,where we takeresponsibility for the rail

infrastructure maintenancefrom Network Rail.Currently, there is nonational benchmark forNetwork Rail’sperformance.

Meanwhile, we arelooking to expand thecapabilities of our regionthrough a multi-millioninvestment in LiverpoolCentral Station.

Ministers have seenfirst-hand the problems weare experiencing now –these will be exacerbatedby ever-increasingpassenger numbers wayabove UK averages.

We are looking to expandour network to open upstrategic connectivity andaccess on the network,including the Borderlandsproject, Halton Curve,

Headbolt Lane,the BootleBranch Lineand theBurscoughCurve.

Olive MountChord, whichopened earlierthis year, hasopened upfreight accessto Liverpool’sdock system.

In just a fewyears, journeytimes betweenLiverpool andManchesterwill be slashedfrom 54 to 30minutes whenthe rail linebetween thecities is

electrified.Meanwhile, we are

looking to upgrade andimprove rolling stock – thedemand for services in thisregion is driving the needfor bigger, better and morefrequent trains.

And our investmentprogramme continues. Wehave spent £2.5mupgrading Lime StreetStation, £1.7m on JamesStreet Station, and morethan £16m on new stationsat Sandhills, Bootle OrielRoad and St HelensCentral. Our multiaward-winning LiverpoolSouth Parkway transporthub now boasts a new, fullyaccessible travel centre,comfortable passengerlounge and smart-cardenabled ticket gates, inaddition to a dedicatedairport shuttle link, and 70new car parking spaces.

If we want world-classservices, we need tocontinue to match this withworld-class ambitions.

Budget is now bestGrowth in low-cost business travel is opportunity for JLATHE recession may be helpingLiverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA)to win more business passengers.

Since the downturn began lastyear, budget airlines like Easyjet andRyanair have see their market shareof business passengers increase ascompanies look to cut costs.

Traditionally, business flyerswould be prepared to pay higherfares to full-service carriers. But therecession has meant the goodtimes are over for many.

A recent survey by Barclaycardrevealed that Ryanair and Easyjet,who between them operate morethan 40 routes out of JLA, haveincreased their market share ofbusiness traffic.

It showed that, in 2006/07, BritishAirways won 48% of the business

market, a long way ahead ofsecond-placed Virgin on 8%.Easyjet came in third on 7%, whileIrish carrier Ryanair tied with BMIon 3%.

However, in 2007/08, Easyjet andRyanair both leapfrogged Virgin toclaim 15% and 8% of the marketrespectively.

British Airways remained themarket leader but saw its shareplummet to 28%.

Robin Tudor, head of PR for PeelAirports, owner of JLA, said: “If youlook at the number of destinationsflown by Easyjet and Ryanair fromJLA, then you will see how muchpotential there is for us to grow ourbusiness traffic.

“This week, Ryanair is about tostart flying to Bratislava in Slovakia

and the Slovakian ambassadorrecently said it would offer a greatopportunity for business linksbetween there and Merseyside.”

Mr Tudor said JLA had recentlyincreased the size of its businesslounge after Dutch carrier KLMstarted offering flights toAmsterdam’s Schipol Airport. Hesaid the airport’s passengers fastlane had also proved popular withbusiness people.

This allows passengers toconnect on to destinations acrossthe world.

“While a service to Heathrowwould still be on our wish-list, theflights to Amsterdam do givebusiness travellers connectivity tothe rest of the world fromLiverpool.”

Leading economist calls for airport tram linkONE OF Merseyside’sleading economic expertsis repeating his call for adirect tram or rail link intoLiverpool John LennonAirport (JLA).

Peter Stoney is anhonorary fellow at theUniversity of Liverpool

and a key figure in theLiverpool Research Groupin Macroeconomics.

He told LDP Businessthat Manchester Airportgets huge benefit fromhaving its own railwaystation. Passengers goingto and from JLA using

public transport have toget a bus from the citycentre, or from LiverpoolSouth Parkway station.

Last week, theproposed MerseytramLine One route to Kirkbywas dealt a blow when itwas revealed a letter from

the Government said afunding window had beenmissed.

But Mr Stoney insistsLine One should havebeen to the airport allalong: “I don’t know whythat option wasn’tpushed,” he said.

A Ryanair plane lands at JLA – the airline has become more popular with business travellers

‘Our railnetworkis vital tothe cityregion’sfuturesuccess’

40

EDUCATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Embedding enterprise seen asNeil Hodgson reports ona£2.5m three-year drive to instil entrepreneurial skills in youngandold

AMAJOR £2.5m initiative

aims to nurture theregion’s next generationof fledglingentrepreneurs.

Regeneration body the NorthwestDevelopment Agency is funding theestablishment of Enterprise Hubs in13 Further Education Colleges,including five around Merseysideand Cheshire.

The three-year programmeproposes to introduce young peopleto the concept of enterprise inschools that will offer an“entrepreneurial route” that can befollowed through to university.

Colleges also propose to widentheir remit and involve localcommunities to encourage anenterprise ethic and also enable theunemployed to improve their ownskills to obtain work.

The hubs will work with primaryand secondary schools to help embedenterprise within the curriculum,and beyond into local communities.

Not only will the initiative aim toinstil enterprise in pupils and adults,but it also hopes to improve theenterprise skills of teachers andtutors to facilitate pupils’ journeyson the enterprise highway.

Initial targets include plans toencourage almost 500 adults toundertake work-based training and15,000 pupils aged under 16 todevelop enterprise skills beyondstatutory education.

The five regional FE collegesparticipating in the programme areLiverpool Community College,Southport College, WarringtonCollegiate, West Cheshire Collegeand Wirral Metropolitan College.

Each will appoint an enterprisehub co-ordinator who will formulatetheir own programme to involvepupils, the community andbusinesses in the drive to encouragean entrepreneurial mindset in thenext generation of potential businessleaders and creators.

Sue Greenhalgh, Liverpool

Community College assistantprincipal curriculum, who isoverseeing their programme,admitted: “We are very excited aboutthis because we do a lot ofpartnership work with schools,mostly secondary schools.

“We are excited by the idea ofcontributing to the community, andenterprise starting at primary schoolfor a seamless journey througheducation to employment.

“The idea now is to pull this outmore strategically for the city.”

She explained: “We have threeschools we work with already: NewHeys, Archbishop Blanch andChildwall Sports College.

“We will work with their feederprimary schools and hopefully theirparents and communities in tryingto get them more skills to get workand get them to think about businessstart-ups. I think it is going to bevery exciting – it’s showing joined-upthinking.”

Muffins will form the basis of

instilling enterprise withinyoungsters at Southport College.

Co-ordinator Rosalind Millingtonexplained: “We are looking at amuffin day where people will begiven a brief in the morning tosource ingredients for a muffin,make the muffin, make a box anddecorate it and put the muffin in it.

“Then they will present in theform of a Dragons’ Den arrangementand explain how they put everythingtogether, how much it cost and whowas the team leader.”

The proposal is to give youngstersan insight into the building blocks ofbusiness and what is involved inbringing a product to market.

Mrs Millington said: “I am aimingto establish better links withsecondary schools, but also to workwith children from the age of five inthe primary schools.

“We want to instil a culture oflifelong learning and culture changeideas about enterprising individualsand the concept of becoming

enterprising individuals.” Inaddition to the muffin day proposal,Mrs Millington said: “With oursocial enterprise head on, we want todo some work with fair tradeproducts, looking at the benefits tothe people who grow theingredients.”

Alongside these initiatives, MrsMillington plans to involve collegestaff in the process: “I am looking atcontinual professional developmentfor staff in the college so they areaware of how to integrate enterpriseinto their subject areas.”

But Mrs Millington is realisticabout what can and cannot beachieved during the three-yearprogramme: “Some of these peoplewill go on to run their own businessand we are happy to help iron outsome of the risks or make them moreaware of the risks. We don’t want tomake them all into buddingentrepreneurs, but we want to equippeople who will go into business.”

At West Cheshire College, Ruth

Liverpool Community College – aims to work with feeder primary schools to create an enterprising culture for youngsters which they can build on through to university

41

EDUCATIONIN ASSOCIATION WITH

answer to boost NW economyJones is planning a two-fold strategy.First, she said, it is vital to embedenterprise in what the college does:“We work with a lot of employersand help people with redundancyprogrammes. Most of our studentshave visits to businesses and we havea very extensive work experienceprogramme to give skills for workplacement.”

The college is working closelywith Chester Chamber of Commerce.

Mrs Jones said the second remitwas more outward facing: “Wealready work in some of the moredeprived areas, particularly primaryschools. We work with parents,looking at literacy and numeracy,and we want to make our activitiesmore enterprise focused to takeskills into the wider community.”

Links with partner secondaryschools are seen as essential toencouraging an enterprising ethosand the college is consideringinter-school competitions.

Mrs Jones said: “We are trying to

reach the wider community. We havea lot to achieve in three years. Someof it is there, but we are looking atwhere we are and where we canmake an impact quickly.

“We want to make this sustainableand change people’s way of thinkingso that when the project finisheseverything is so embedded andingrained that it carries on.

“We have 20,000 learners and only2,500 are 16-19-year-olds. We mustmake sure we reach everybody, notjust a narrow target area, includingemployers, unemployed, Neets (Notin Employment, Education orTraining), adult returners, everyonewe work with. Not just students up to19-years-old.”

Sue Higginson, at WirralMetropolitan College, sees theproject as an essential tool in helpingyoung people embrace the notion ofentrepreneurship.

“The aim is to raise aspirations ofyoung people and help them developentrepreneurial skills. We can help

them discover the journey ofentrepreneurship and businesses. Itwill give youngsters the opportunityto think about themselves as anentrepreneur, as well.”

No-one was available for commentfrom Warrington Collegiate.

Jane Worthington is the NWDAproject sponsor for Enterprise Hubs,and will liaise between all 13 NorthWest colleges and the agency.

She explained that it involvesimmense work in co-ordinating theefforts of each college to try anddeliver an enterprising cultureamong them and their partners.

Mrs Worthington said: “We will beworking with a mixture of schools onthe issue of being able to take risksand manage risks where appropriate,and embedding that into lessons andbehaviours in people.

“There will be expectationsaround what colleges do, but it isvery much about developingbehaviours and culture.”

Mrs Worthington added: “All the

hub co-ordinators have already metto discuss the way forward.”

She said they are “a really goodbunch” but added she expects greatthings from Merseyside.

“Merseyside has always beenenterprising. Manchester is quiteenterprising as well, but there is araw culture and really creativepeople on Merseyside.

“The region is not onlyenterprising, but it has a creativitywith it. Merseyside has a colour anda personality and the hubs will buildon that.”

She said: “We hope when itfinishes, the enterprise culturecontinues. And the hope is that thiswill spill over into other colleges.”

NWDA chief executive StevenBroomhead explained the widerimplications for Enterprise Hubs:“An effective labour market is anessential ingredient of a healthyeconomy.

“The NWDA works closely withregional partners to develop the

educational infrastructure whichwill inspire and develop the skills ofthe region’s future workforce froman early age.

“The Hubs project will ensureenterprise is seen as an excitingcareer option, to raise aspirations ofchildren, young people and adults,helping to develop a ‘can do’culture.”

Mr Broomhead added: “Theagency has a strong commitment topromoting enterprise across theregion, boosting business start-upsand regional productivity.

“This will ensure there issufficient supply of labour with theright skills, attitudes and ambition,to meet the demand for employers,grow key sectors, increaseinnovation and drive up enterprise.

“A well-trained, educated andskilled workforce also means bothreduced unemployment andincreased pay, which improves thequality of life of those living in theNorth West.”

Northwest Development Agency chief executive Steven Broomhead – agency has astrong commitment to promoting enterprise

42

THE NETWORKER

THEBUSINESSLISTTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5/ ICAEW FINANCE CONFERENCE

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Friday, October 30Learn how to get the most out ofFacebook in the latest of the 60really useful minutes seminars. PhilBlything, director of Glow NewMedia, will talk about how to usethe social networking website togrow your contacts and publiciseyour business. The free event isfrom 9am-10am, at LiverpoolChamber of Commerce. To book,call 0151 227 1234.

Friday, October 30St Helens Chamber is holding awebinar and will be discussing hottopics such as the benefits of socialnetworking, winning new businessand reducing energy consumptionand bills. The event is for two hoursfrom 10am. Visitsthelenschamber.com/live

Tuesday, November 3The latest 1stuesday breakfastevent is at 7.45am, at FoodiniRestaurant, The Heath Businessand Technical Park, Runcorn. It isfree to Halton Chamber membersand £10 for non-members. To book,contact Nicola Holland on 01928516142 or e-mail [email protected].

Tuesday, November 3ICAEW is holding a presentation onHM Revenue & Customs’ newpenalty regime. The new rules applyto all return periods commencingon or after April 1, 2008, and put inplace one consistent system ofpenalties covering all taxes. Thespeakers will be Dave Jennings andLiz Coleman, of Grant Thornton.The event costs £20 and will beheld at Liverpool Chamber ofCommerce. To book, call AlexPilkington on 01942 497015 ore-mail [email protected]

Wednesday, November 4Topical landlord and tenant issueswill be in the spotlight when lawfirm Mace & Jones hosts abreakfast seminar. It is at HolidayInn, in Liverpool city centre, from 8.30am-10am and breakfast will be

served from 8am, and costs£30+VAT. To book, contactRebecca Brown on 0161 214 0500or e-mail [email protected]

Thursday, November 12Knowsley Women In Business isholding an event, PersonalPresentation – How to MaximiseYour Potential. It is at the Earl ofDerby Stand, at AintreeRacecourse, from 11.30am-2pm. Itcosts £17.25 for members and£23.00 for non-members. To book,visit www.knowsleychamber.org/events.php

Thursday, November 12A free workshop encouragingpeople to start a business in StHelens is being held by St HelensChamber. Specialist advisers will be

there to talk through the issues thatcould be holding you back. It is onfrom 6pm-8.30pm. For moreinformation, contact Rachel Leighon 01744 742035.

Tuesday, November 17Halton Women in Business will bemeeting from 12pm-2pm at TheHeath Restaurant, in Runcorn. Thenetworking events are for womenentrepreneurs or femalerepresentatives in a company.Events are free to Halton Chambermembers, £10 for non-members. Tobook, call Nicola Holland on 01928516142.

Tuesday, November 24A workshop on banking and financewith Royal Bank of Scotland isbeing held at Liverpool Chamber ofCommerce. Members of Liverpooland Knowsley Chambers can takepart in the Business Growth Club,which is free and takes place from8.30am-11am. For details, call 0151227 1234.The Earl of Derby Stand

St Helens Chamber is hosting aworkshop for would-beentrepreneurs on November 12

EVERTON FC chiefexecutive Robert Elstoneis the keynote speaker atan ICAEW financeconference.

The Liverpool Societyof CharteredAccountants are holdingthe conference atFormby Hall Golf Resort

& Spa. The event aims toprovide technicalinformation and skillsthat are needed to keepup to date in thechanging economiclandscape.

Speakers include theBank of England’s NeilAshbridge, who will talk

on today’s economiclandscape, and MattDunham, of GrantThornton, will provide aninsight about corporaterecovery.

Alex Marsden, of theNorth West Fraud Forum,will discuss the latestfraud issues and Sue

Russell, of Halliwells, isto provide her view onsome of the issuessurrounding corporatetransactions.

Helen France, of theLearning and SkillsCouncil, will address theconference on theimportance of training

and the funding that isavailable locally. It costs£50+VAT for the firstdelegate, then additionaldelegates are £25+VAT.

To book, call AlexPilkington on 01942497015 or [email protected]

Everton chief executive, and former director of Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, Robert Elstone, will address the conference in Formby

43

CAROLYNHUGHES

SOCIAL DIARY THE NETWORKERIN ASSOCIATION WITH

ROX Canvas held a launchparty at 107 Dining Room,in Heswall, last week tocelebrate the completion oftheir new collection of be-spoke canvas art. Over 120guests were wowed withthe creative pieces, whileenjoying drinks and can-apés.

As well as showcasingthe stunning pieces of art,the artists also managed toraise £200 for Claire HouseChildren’s Hospice with araffle.■ The Prince’s Trust’sNorth West LeadershipGroup held a lunch withLloyd Dorfman, founderand chairman of TravelexGroup. The event tookplace at Deutsche Bank

Private WealthManagement, Royal LiverBuilding, Pier Head,Liverpool. Lloyd Dorfman,who took the TravelexGroup from a single shopto a £1bn global empire,spoke to 60 members ofthe NW businesscommunity about theimportance of the Trust.■ The festive season cameearly this week as TheBlackhouse Grill, inChester, held an eveningfor clients last week topromote their ChristmasParty Booker offer,encouraging people to takeadvantage of the £60 mealfor two offer if you bookyour event before the endof October.

Karen Bryan and Jayne Dixon at the Rox Canvas launch party Diane Flett, Fiona Currie, Sarah Kimpton, Joanne Plattand Sue Jones, at the Rox Canvas event in Heswall

Lesley Beattie, of Fraser Wealth Management, and TraceyMiller, of Tracey Miller Family Law, at the Prince’s Trust lunch

Julia Worthington, Prince’s Trust; John Norbury,Deutsche Bank; and Sue Russell, of Halliwell’s at thePrince’s Trust lunch

Barry Owen, of Mason Owen, and Jim Spencer, ofSpencer Holdings, at the Prince’s Trust Lloyd Dorfmanlunch

Alex Jarrett (GM), Tom Ashbrook (musician), andRebecca Findlay, at the Blackhouse Grill

Rebecca Findlay, of the Blackhouse Grill, with GemmaWilliams, and Debbie Woolnough (Mankind), at theChristmas offer launch

Gemma Williams, with Debbie Woolnough (Mankind),Chris Turner (Reiss), and Emma Swinnerton (The VintageShop), at the Blackhouse Grill’s Christmas Partypromotion evening, in Chester

44

Italian Club Fish128, Bold Street,Liverpool L1 4JATel:0151 707 2110www.theitalianclubliverpool.co.uk

THE NETWORKER

BUSINESSLUNCH

DETAILS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Thank fish it’s Friday.Barry Turnbull andNeil Normansample a taste of the seaat ItalianClubFish, onBoldStreet

IMAGINE the windwhipping-in offfoam-flecked waves and saltsea spray mingling withthe glorious aroma of fishand chips. Crispy batteredcod and chunky bronzecoloured chips innewspaper wrapping and

vicious gusts off the North Seastinging the eyes.

That’s certainly a big memory ofchildhood for me, hailing, as I do,from the North East seaboard andsomething I look forward to enjoyingwhen I return there. There doesn’tseem to be such a tradition on thisside of the country and even thequality of the fare from “the chippy’‘seems inferior.

I guess the fact that there are nomore fishing fleets on the coast heremay have something to do with it.

Liverpool is a city with a grandmaritime tradition, but it is notexactly renowned for its piscinecuisine.

Yet we are told the much-improvedMersey is a tumult of frenzied fishactivity. Cod, eels, rays, even sharkshave been hooked recently.

A big improvement on recentdecades when the only things youwere likely to catch were the oddwelly or a case of the runs.

In the past, there was theillustrious seafood restaurantJenny’s, boarded up for many yearsnow, while Mister M’s at Albert Dockflourished for a while.

But now there’s a new squid on theblock in Liverpool, in the shape ofItalian Club Fish, close to its mamathe Italian Club, in Bold Street.

It doesn’t advertise locally caughtproduce, but at least it’s a step in theright direction, as my guest oneFriday lunchtime, Neil Norman,acknowledged.

The chief executive of HumanRecognition said he was delighted todiscover a fish specialist in the city.

Neil was fresh from winning theInstitute of Directors’ young directorof the year award. Neil's companyspecialises in iris identityrecognition – systems that are likelyto become more and more commonin places like airports.

Frustratingly for him, many of hisjobs are involved with governmentcontracts and have strict gaggingorders, even though he would like toshout from the rooftops.

However, he was delighted lastweek when the Government issued apress release about securityarrangements for the Olympics andgave his company a name-check.

HRS is providing recognitionsystems at many checkpoints aroundthe Olympic park construction siteas a way of combating any possibleterrorism threat.

Neil explained: “It is frustrating

when you are involved with the mosthigh-profile project in Europe butaren’t allowed to talk about it.

“This happened to have slippedout via a press release from thegovernment side, so I’m not toodisappointed about that.

“Naturally, it’s great to beassociated with such a big projectlike this, but they are very cageyabout marketing and the brand.

"For a small company like ours, itis very difficult to get on thegovernment approved list fortendering, so we have to partner oneof the big technology companies.

“The government favours thesesort of operations because their wayof doing business is basically a boxticking affair and if they are dealingwith a big company they can getsome comeback if it all goes wrong.“However, it's bad news for thetaxpayer as the big boys bang onhuge margins that someone has topay for."

Neil said he was pleasantlysurprised to be introduced to theItalian Club Fish, which hitherto hewas unaware of. For starters, weboth chose scallops. Two fleshy andgenerous molluscs topped withbreadcrumbs and parmesan (£5)danced a pleasing jig on the palate,and were perfectly matched by acitric Pinot Grigio.

Despite Neil’s reservations abouthow big business still calls the shots,he remains passionate about thepotential of using biometrics aswidespread fraud across societyremains an enormous problem. Imentioned to him that my wife, whois African, had to jump throughenormous hoops to get a visa andwas then subject to three criminalrecords checks on three different jobapplications.

Neil said: "That is a perfectillustration of what’s wrong with thesituation. There isn’t a co-ordinatedapproach. Look, you have threeagencies, namely theForeign andCommonwealth Office,the Border Agency andthe Home Office, butthey all do their ownthing often with not alot of co-operation.

“The National Identityscheme gets a very badpress, but, in fact, it is theone way of getting allthese bodiesspeaking from thesame sheet.

“The solutionis that all theseagencies canaccess thesameinformationand share itwhere

necessary. The problem is theGovernment seems unable to get themessage across of how effective itwill be and instead bats off criticismabout personal liberty.

“To my mind, the individualshould have access to his or herinformation on the database. The bigproblem is that technology is out-stripping policy, so the business caseis being pushed in various directionsby the agencies.

“What makes no sense to me isthat the big companies involved areFrench and American, which means

tax and profits will be going out ofthe country."

He feels that foolproofidentification systems are the wayforward in many areas including

local government and the NHS, aswell as border points.

After digestingthis, the maincourses arrived.

Neil tucked intoa whale sizedhaddock withchunky chips,mushy peas andtartare sauce

(£9.95). Meanwhile, I tackled batteredcalamari and king prawns with chipsand sauteed spinach. (£9.95). Asucculent combination. We both gavethem the thumbs up.

My companion continued to warmto his theme. He said: "I told thegovernment’s biometrics committeethat we couldn’t get a look-in as faras tendering for jobs. Their responsewas to ask me to get in touch withmy MP, which happens to be LouiseEllman. She put me in touch with therelevant person at the NorthwestDevelopment Agency and that'swhere it stopped. Never heard backfrom them.

“It's all very frustrating."Human Recognition Systems is

based in Wavertree Technology Park,part of Liverpool Innovation Park. Anew highway running through theinnovation site, from Edge Lane toWavertree, was recently opened withthe potential of further developingthe site, but Neil is unimpressed.

"I don't think the opening of a roadis much to shout about, I think wehave more important matters toaddress.

“They talk about creating a clusterand a knowledge quarter, but what isthe objective? In a football match yougo out to win, but in this case what isa successful result?”

“Worryingly, they don’t engagewith the businesses enough. I don’tget invited to debates or discussions,it is all led by public sector agencies.Maybe I’m seen as something of amaverick but I’d much rather be partof the solution rather than theproblem."

Maybe the relevant people shouldsit up and take notice. Neil was ajet-setting corporate man withAmerica's Accenture group beforedeciding to plunge into businesshimself. He set up in a unit in Kirkbyand got cracking with his irisidentification system, which is nowlooking to take off in a big way.

There might have been no gusts ofwind to send my chip paper all overthe place, but this meal was deliciousand was eaten with relish.

A new squid on the block . . . Italian Club Fish, in Bold Street, Liverpool

NeilNorman

45

City RendezvousRomantically known as the Chung-Ku,situated in Liverpool’s breath taking spot.It’s iconic and timeless architecturaldesign with panoramic windows,host a dramatic sea view.A dining experienceto be enjoyed & relished

Weddings, Parties, Hen and Stag nightscatered for, and as a unique experiencewe offer a free dancing lesson with aprofessional instructor to help preparefor the big day, and have some fun whilstrelaxing.

With 360 seats, City Rendezvous is ideal for private, corporate functionsand conferences. Treat your friends and business associatesto over 30 dim sum’s with it’s stand alone department and ourtraditional Chinese banquet.

Integrity Integrity Location Location

Restaurant

Columbus Quay, Riverside Drive, L3 4DB

t: 0151 726 8191 or 07504 858213 www.chung-ku.com

If we’re honest about it, ones spending should always be rational,recession or no resession. But of course in harsh economic times todayit becomes all the more vital that we get the best value and satisfaction for monies spent.Here at Rendezvous, we have grown up with you the loyal and supportive patrons, some richer

some less rich, none the less we love and cherish you always. We have often tried and will continueto put interesting ideas to life and life to all people in the city of Liverpool.We are not only concerned about the amount of money spent but rather the quality of

package benifits we wish to return, integrity, location and charisma is our DNA.Christmas menu is now available for viewing, don’t miss a trick

Business lunch menu available at very competitive rates.

Romantic eveningsFamily & friends diningCorporate businessFunctions & ConferencesWeddings & PartiesHen & Stag nights

private parking for 120 cars for diners

46

BARRYTURNBULL

THE NETWORKER IN ASSOCIATION WITH

. . . Bubbly flows at the races and leads tosome Runyonesque encounters, while apolitician’s top tip falls on deaf ears

MOST peopleenjoy a dayat theraces. Ifyou arebeingcorporatelyentertainedand the sun

is shining, so much the better.You can also have some interesting

experiences. I’ve met a diverse rangeof people from footballer managersand pop stars to Hooray Henrys andunderworld enforcers. I think the bestexperience I had was being the guestof a well-known gaming companywho were hosting their own book andany lost stake was handed back to theowner with the message: “Go on,have another go” – you literallycouldn't lose. Not strictly sure aboutthe legalities of that, but no-one wascomplaining.

Recently, Chester Racecourse heldits final race meeting of the summerand staged an end-of-season medialunch, which, of course, I was

delighted to attend. It was a balmySeptember afternoon and traincarriages from Liverpool werepacked with Champagne Charliesand flashes of bare flesh includingladies, using the racing vernacular,who may have been carrying a tadtoo much weight. Still, everyone wasout to enjoy themselves.

The course itself, bathed insunshine, was a picture of autumnaltranquillity with manicured lawns,Champagne bars and a quiet hum ofappreciation, rather than the moreraucous party atmosphere of a bigday at Aintree.

In our VIP box, various TV, radioand media types quaffed bubbly on abalcony with splendid views of theRoodee. I think the first race was justafter 2pm and lunch was supposed tobe served at 12.45pm. But, while theale flowed as fast as a race to thewinning line, it appeared the foodwas bringing up the rear. So muchso, that, as the first race got underway, guests were still bolting theirmeals. It transpired that caterers,

Heathcotes Outside, were preparingtheir final raceday supper at Chesteras the course is taking the contractin-house next year.

Let's hope there are no further“timing issues” as celebrity chefMichel Roux jnr is wont to say onTV’s Masterchef.

After backing a couple of duds, myguest and I took a stroll around thegrounds and parade ring where acivilised crowd was enjoying thespectacle. My friend, who likes tothink of himself as a Cheshirecountry gent, bumped into a formerleading politician in the New Labourexperiment who didn't look gloomyat all – free lobster and Taittingeralways helps to ease the pain, Iguess. My friend, a Conservative,began some joshing about expensesand the like, and said somethingalong the lines of “make hay whilethe sun shines, matey”. Thepolitician grimaced, but saidLabour's track record would prevailat the election.

“What?” exclaimed my companion,“You mean Gordon Brown's raid onpensions, selling our gold reservesoff for a song and using evidencegained from the torture of Britishcitizens via our American cousins?That track record?” The MP shifteduncomfortably, and then replied:“Look, I've got a tip for you.” But,instead of spouting somemanufactured political polemic, heactually mentioned the name of ahorse in the last race. I looked at thecard, didn’t fancy his advice andspied a much more appropriate nagcalled Thorny Mandate. It trailed inlast. Meanwhile, our tipster whoopedit up with another success. Ah well,you win some . . .

BUT, as short story writerDamon Runyon once said:“Always try to rub upagainst money, for if yourub up against money long

enough, some of it may rub off onyou”.

I wasn’t invited to Aintree thisyear, but I was in a tavern on theSaturday evening where my otherhalf was celebrating a £1 each waywin on Grand National victor MonMome, which netted a handy £125.

There were a number of revellerswho appeared to have wonconsiderably more cash and werethrowing it around like confetti.This naturally attracted a lot ofattention, particularly among theyoung ladies. In one hilariousscene, some stunning filliesliterally muscled aside a coupleof wives and girlfriends to makefriends with the high-rollers. It

soon descended into a maelstromof clattering high heels, screechingvoices and expletives ripping the air.Who’d have money, eh?The sport of kings can be quite a spectacle – on and off the course

47

Access Downtown’sLittle Black Book

Downtown Liverpool in Business

Join The Business CluB wiTh ATTITUDE!

0151 227 1633 www.DownTownLIvErpooL.com

48

Taking yourbusiness toAnotherPlace

Invest Sefton recently conducted research toassess the needs of 800 local SMEs. The team hasnow joined forces with a number of key partneragencies to provide new and establishedbusinesses with the highest quality support andadvice designed to give them the best chance ofsurvival and success in a tough economic climate.

Sefton is increasingly recognised as a premierNorth West business location. Whether you arethinking of starting a business, building yourbusiness or looking to relocate, the infrastructureand support is here to take you to another,better place.

Visit www.businessplussefton.com and see whatwe can do for you.

investseftonDEVELOPING OPPORTUNITY DELIVERING SUCCESS

www.businessplussefton.com

ldp business magazine, november 2009

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