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PR no.: PS2060701.1
published: 01/07/2006
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Barry Hibbert attends the launch of the City Fringe Partnership Sector Investment Plant.
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BARRY HIBBERT INVITED TO SPEAK AT THE CITY FRINGE PARTNERSHIP
In July 2006, the City Fringe Partnership, a local and regional government-funded organisation, announced the launch of its Sector Investment Plan (SIP) for the printing and publishing sector. The SIP is a £2 million programme of business support and workforce training designed to enhance the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of the sector in the areas to the north and east of the City ‘Square Mile’, where printing and publishing provide 35,000 jobs, representing 27% of London’s total employment in these industries.
Polestar Chief Executive Barry Hibbert was invited to the launch to give his views in a speech to the other guests.
"Firstly I would like to thank Philip Cave and Hilary Potter for inviting me to speak at this exciting and innovative launch. I have been thinking about what is taking place here, and we have some interesting dynamics that cover hot political topics, such as capitalism on the one hand in the City of London, to the issue of fringe disadvantaged communities on the other. What strikes me is that this project is a really practical way of demonstrating how these two economic social structures can pull together to improve the lives of everyone in both communities – powerful stuff!
"But how does it work in reality? What is it that City Fringe Partnership is going to deliver – after all, it is going to be using public money, and we should all question and be sensitive about how our taxes are utilised.
"If history is anything to go by, we are off to a good start. The Corporation of London and the printing industry are far older than parliament and many other institutions that dictate our lives today. It sort of conjures up a picture of a couple of traditionalists coming together for a chat over a cup of tea; but of course we all know that these two industries are far from that.
"The City of London needs no description for being a world leader in financial services – which is the envy of the world. But the UK print industry, driven by innovative publishers and products is also a world leader. Many of the financial printed products that are generated from the City of London as well as publishing ideas and newspaper products are invented here and taken to the world stage.
"What’s invented in the UK today is spread around the world tomorrow. So, despite our age, the City of London and the printing industry are very much ‘here and now’ industries.
"It is only in recent times that the printing industry has been able to persuade central government and regional bodies to support us with hard cash. Vision in Print, a project launched by the British Printing Industries Federation and the DTI, has proven that when public money is channelled through industry specialists to develop and improve their companies, it can be a fantastic success.
"So, back to the socio economics in the City of London and the fringes. It’s important for both communities that the City of London continues to prosper and provide employment for as wide an area as possible. It is important for the City that the fringe communities continue to grow and develop so that the skills and employment needs, as well as supply of product and services, can be met for generations to come.
"Our world is changing dramatically; the need for fast turn around instantaneous services and products is growing at such a pace it’s difficult for anyone to keep up. When financial deals are done, and information needs to be circulated, hours can make the difference between a successful process and one that goes wrong.
"More and more, the City needs services on their doorstep, but those services need to be improved and developed to meet the demands of this ever changing financial industry.
"Many of these companies are SME’s without the resources to develop their skills and market their services effectively to multi nationals. I am sure if you talk to any buyer in this area and ask them the question “Would you like to buy these services within your community, with suppliers close by, and help to develop the fringes around the City of London”, it would be pretty hard for anyone to say “no”.
"More often than not it is about the quality of those services and the skills and knowledge that are available locally. This is where the City Fringe Partnership has a fantastic opportunity.
"The project has clearly identified a need that the City has, and that the printing companies in the fringe areas need developing. However, when public money is utilised for projects, we all know only too well how this can be frittered away and end up in front of a parliamentary review as to why the money has been wasted.
"We want to get together in three years time, and be able to say ‘this has been a success’! Leadership and commitment will be the key quality for this to be happen. This is where the choice of personnel will come in to ensure the money is well spent.
"Philip Cave is well known to the industry and I have worked with him on the BPIF board. I am pleased to endorse him as the right man for this role. He is tenacious, detailed and a determined individual. Once he grabs hold of something he doesn’t let it go. So I believe that our public and private funds and the project are in very safe hands.
"There is a great opportunity here to develop the skills of the printing industry, improve employment and services to the City and really demonstrate how a project of this nature can be successful. But it will require buyers in the City to recognise their social and environmental responsibilities and print company managers to identify what skill sets they need and what improvements are required to ensure buyers increase their reliance on the fringe communities.
"The Vision in Print partnership with the printing industry has been a great success and continues to be, and I’m sure that with the City Fringe’s initiative we can look back in years to come and demonstrate how the Sector Investment Plan has delivered its promises.
"I wish everyone involved every success for this exciting project."
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