Midland SMEs have been urged to get more involved in the region’s Local Enterprise Partnerships if they want to shape local and national government policy.
The call came Stewart Towe, group managing director of Smethwick based Hadley Industries, who said by engaging with LEPs in the region SMEs could help create policies that benefitted them.
Mr Towe was addressing the Odgers Interim Annual West Midlands SME Dinner - West Midlands: A powerhouse for advanced engineering - which took place at The Hippodrome in Birmingham.
He told guests LEPs offered a unique opportunity for businesses to have an input into policy that will help shape the corporate agenda for years to come and said the onus was on business leaders to take the lead and share their views to ensure the Midlands’ long term success.
Mr Towe also highlighted six main areas of business where local organisations can have the biggest influence - education & skills, planning & land use, transport & infrastructure, business support, business finance and international trade.
He said: “We all know the market is tough for many sectors and organisations; from SMEs to large multi nationals like us. However, at the same time, never have local and national government been more open to the ideas of - and input from - the wider business community.
“I firmly believe that now is the time for companies to become engaged with LEPs and actually have their say in how they want policy and legislation to evolve.
“There’s no point sitting in an office or factory commenting on the obstacles and challenges that we all face if you don’t proactively share your views.
“LEPs offer a unique opportunity to do just that and I firmly believe the most focussed, forward thinking and successful businesses will be the ones who speak out and engage.”
Established in 1964, Hadley Industries is a privately owned multi-million pound company that employs around 450 people. It is the largest British owned producer of cold rolled sections and allied products and operates in the United Kingdom, Dubai, Germany and Thailand,
The company supplies many types of industries including automotive, construction and aerospace.
The Odgers Interim event was co-hosted by international accountancy and professional services firm Mazars.
Sarah Longbottom, head of Odgers Interim SME (West Midlands), said; “The Hadley Group is one of the West Midlands’ biggest manufacturing success stories, so having Stewart as our key note speaker was fantastic.
“His practical insight into how LEPs work and why SMEs should get involved in them was invaluable. We could see the audience were incredibly inspired by his words as they realised both the influence and impact they themselves could have in shaping their own futures.”
