If you run a business in Barnet, you should have received an invitation to North London Business Park for a Leader Listens session with Council Leader Mike Freer. It took place this morning between 7.30 am and 9.00 am. I hauled myself out of bed at 6.30 to go. Having finished working at 3am, this was a Herculean effort. Was it worth it?
Yes, actually it was. The guest speaker was Tom Nathan, general manager of Brent Cross. He put in a superb performance. I think anyone who runs a business benefits from listening to other people who are at the top of their game. Tom certainly gave me food for thought and I came away with a few notes for my own music business, which I really think will benefit the company. Toms message, simple and obvious though it should be was "listen to your customers and give them what they want".
Afterwards we had a question and answer session. This was reasonably lively. The main concern of small business in Barnet seems to be related to customer parking and the cost of it. Mike revealed that the council make a profit of about £2 million a year, which is ring fenced and ploughed back into pavement & highway improvements. I have no real criticism of that, although it is clear that the local schemes are open to improvement.
As it was a lively session, I didn't get to ask all of the questions I wanted, but I made my point about rates. Mike said he'd write to central Government about my suggestion that small startups be given a rates holiday to get going. This would boost employment and would be good for Barnet.
There has been criticism in some quarters that various councillors were not invited. Strangely enough, for this forum, I think that the Leader Listens format works. Getting a top businessman in and having the leader of the council & CEO (Nick Walkley) present means that small business people such as myself can :-
a) Learn something
b) Get our point over
For meetings with the general community, I think Mike should attend the residents forums, but discussions about business are different and the tone is different. It may surprise you to hear me praise a Mike Freer initiative, but I enjoyed the session and thought it was useful. I'm sure Mike will be pleased to know I'll most certainly be attending the next one (if I can get up).
I don't agree with Mike Freer on a whole host of issues, but it would be stupid and childish to criticise useful initiatives which benefit the people of Barnet.
5 comments:
Just one point (that I have thoroughly exhausted with the Council) is that this event is only open to some businesses in Barnet. Here are some of the many types of enterprise banned from attending:
- Any business based at home (even though the Council says it is supporting them in it's documents)
- Any business on the road eg taxi drivers, plumbers, electricians, mobile hairdressers
- Any business operating from a building where the Landlord pays the Business Rates.
- Any business not in Finchley and Golders Green (only joking!)
The only businesses allowed to go are those who pay NNDR. This is simply as the Council has their addresses. If you run a business and aren't on that mailing list you are told you are not allowed to attend.
If the Council really wanted to understand what running a business is like in Barnet you would have thought they could target their events a bit better for certain types of businesses eg Retailers, Builders, Professionals, size or turnover rather than their NNDR status and allow people not on their mailing list to attend if they wish too.
So, Rog T sells out for a stale croissant and cup of coffee!
Why was this event not broadcast live on the internet so that a wider audience could listen and participate? The technology exists to do this and is very inexpensive.
I have attended several web conferences, which saves travelling great distances, and they allow you to send messages to the speaker as he/she is speaking.
Whilst it is good for you that you have got something useful out of this, it remains a blatantly political stunt to promote Mike Freer to the exclusion of all others.
Dan,
I agree, I'd invite anyone. I got the invite at my business premises in Mill Hill. Having said that, there was a good selection of small businesses there. The rules seem a bit odd & there was room for other people.
David,
I think that it would have been a good idea to broadcast this. Mr Nathan was a great speaker and I think many people running a small business could learn something from hearing his pitch. As to promoting Mike Freer. I don't suppose he got too many extra votes as a result. He won't be getting mine, but I thought it was a good meeting. he should take away from it the fact that business doesn't like many aspects of the parking regime. If it helps a few businesses grow & employ people thats surely a good thing.
As to selling out. I doubt Mike Freer will be holding his breath. I don't actually drink coffee, I'm allergic to the stuff. Maybe I should have had a cup and claimed he was trying to poison me as I turned blue !
Rog, I would be very interested to know what Mike Freer’s views on parking are given that in his Barnet Financing Plan (aka The Barnet Bond) he proposed to impose parking charges on people going to Brent Cross.
Perhaps you can let us know what Mr Nathan had to say on the matter.
Interestingly, Mr Nathan, during his speech talked at length how Brent Cross had a massive advantage over the Harlequin Centre in Watford because it offered easy, free parking.
Mr Nathan struck me as a very bright guy. I suspect that one of the reasons he's so keen to do Leader Listens breakfasts and take Brian Coleman to lunch is so he can get through to them that ideas such as charging for parking at Brent Cross is not a very good idea.
I wish I'd remembered the proposal at the time this morning. I'm not at my best at 7.45 am.
Mike Freer didn't get an easy ride, but it was a bit more polite and restrained than the public gallery at the last cabinet meeting.
If I were you, from what I saw today, I wouldn't worry too much about the parking charges at BC aspect of "The Barnet Bond".
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