Prosper Autumn, Black Country Chamber of Commerce magazine

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THIS IS THE BLACK COUNTRY: SPOTLIGHT ON TODAY’S CHALLENGES “We need to address long-term problems in the UK economy, such as low productivity, skills shortages and unequal growth across the UK” Sarah Williams (left) Continued from page 31 Do you believe that the recent support announced for businesses in terms of energy costs went far enough? S Will: I don’t think it did, no. I think it is good that Government recognised the pressures on businesses caused by the energy cost crisis, but I think more could be done to support business. JD: Short answer? No. S Wdl: No. For many sectors the shortterm solution will make it difficult to create future certainty. CW: The Government has offered a 50 per cent reduction for six months. My concern is: what happens in March? Will companies hold back now for fear of uncertainty, making short-term decisions to get through the current challenges rather than having longer-term objectives? Will they play it safe? RL: In a word, No. The promise to cap prices for the next six months is welcome but as a business, we need stability and clarity over a much longer timeframe – at least 12 months, preferably two years. What more would you like to see? S Will: I think more could be done to support SMEs and freelancers specifically. JD: Support has to be for longer than six months and we need incentives in the form of grant aid for green investment. S Wdl: We need clarity on what happens at the end of the six-month period. Longterm, businesses need to be incentivised to become energy efficient and there must be a plan for secure, clean and affordable British energy. Britain can go green, but businesses must work together. CW: Clear and concise communication about the energy plan from Government, specifically in relation to next steps and achievable timescales for businesses to react. Also, they should be discussing that longer-term view. RL: The recent announcements have given us some understanding of the landscape over the next few months but for my long-term planning, it’s not enough. The problem we all have is, if prices rise from one of my other suppliers, I can take steps to get round them: source a new supplier, or change what I buy. I can’t with energy; no matter where I go, the costs are the same. We have no control over the price. What are your priorities towards achieving net zero in your sector and what is limiting any impact? S Will: Sustainability is one of the Four Pillars which underpins all activity within the Business School. We have a sustainability policy which is managed by a working group to drive change and sustainability features highly in our curriculum. We are working on research and projects relating to waste management, recycling and the circular economy. JD: Crowe UK has committed to set near-term company-wide emission reductions in line with climate science with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We are currently identifying opportunities and implementing actions to reduce direct and indirect emissions. S Wdl: Our Green Committee lead the firm’s environmental and sustainability initiatives. As members of the Legal Sustainability Alliance, we are committed to reducing the impact of our operations and services on the environment and running as sustainably as possible. We encourage behaviours that reflect this, inside our business and with our suppliers, clients and contacts. We take an holistic approach with regards to sustainability but our priority is to look at the infrastructure of our property and the supply chains in which we operate. CW: What a company does on the environmental front is increasingly an important consideration for would-be employees. They want to know a company is doing the right thing. Pertemps has made a commitment to be net zero by 2030, and we’ve undertaken a number of initiatives to achieve this. We report performance under the Streamlined Energy & Carbon Scheme, we’ve switched more than 50 per cent of our vehicle fleet to hybrid or electric and through internal policies, we have saved three million pieces of paper which equates to saving 312 trees. Additionally, by joining the Woodland Carbon Scheme, Pertemps has supported the planting of 2,377 UK native trees which will sequester around 557 tonnes of carbon throughout their lifetime. RL: We’ve approached the Net Zero challenge from a number of directions. Our priority is to install solar panels on our head office and run on renewable energy, putting excess power back into the grid, while at the same time we’ve focused on our operations and reduced energy use where possible. All staff are now in electric vehicles, but even then we’ve asked them to cut down on road mileage and always consider whether the journeys are necessary. In addition we’ve introduced a salary sacrifice scheme for those who want to cycle to work. What other areas do you think government should be prioritising at the moment? S Will: We need to address long-term problems in the UK economy, such as low productivity, skills shortages and unequal growth across the country. Without 32 PROSPER AUTUMN 2022
significant movement in these areas, the economic outlook of the country will not improve. JD: I would like to see grant incentives for businesses investing in new and green technologies and reducing their supply chains with a reduction of their COVIDbased debt by way of set off. S Wdl: Investment in the NHS and increase spending with UK small businesses to enhance economic growth. CW: We were pleased to see the recent announcements around revising the Workforce Regulation Scheme (Visa Allocation process), childcare reform, which will be helpful to parents returning to work and allowing them to work more hours, and the Apprenticeship Levy. On this latter point, we have long called for more flexibility on its use and we await with interest the detail around this. A four-day week is an interesting proposition and we know this is being investigated. However, the Government must consult with business on this from the start and ensure that a robust impact assessment is undertaken. Can all businesses really accommodate this while striving to remain competitive and profitable? RL: I’m not a massive political animal but I know that in addition to the inflation/ energy/skills crisis we face, there is a feeling that the government is delaying balancing the books for too long. We understand the issues with Covid and paying back the debt built up by that, but now it seems like we’re kicking the energy crisis bill into the same long grass. We’re storing up trouble for the future. As a business man I know I need to balance the books; the Government isn’t looking to do that and there’s too much negativity building up around it. “Competing purely on price will likely mean a ‘race to the bottom’, especially in an environment of increasing costs and inflation...” Johnathan Dudley (right) PROSPER AUTUMN 2022 33
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Prosper Autumn, Black Country Chamber of Commerce magazine

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