Business

Businesses are being told Reading’s bid for city status could bring big benefits
advertisement

‘Being a city brings great deal of good’

By Paul Robins
February 17, 2010

Businesses are being told Reading’s bid for city status could bring big benefits.

The council leader of Newport, Wales, which was made a city in 2002, said “a great deal of good” had come from the move.

Cllr Matthew Evans said it had made Newport more attractive as a place to hold major events and do business, as well as bringing funding for regeneration projects to improve infrastructure.

Industry experts here also insist a successful bid would raise Reading’s profile, bring new jobs and encourage inward investment, as well as a welcome feel-good factor.

But some smaller traders still say operating in the ‘city of Reading’ would bring no practical benefits and fear the campaign could cost a small fortune.

Last month the council announced plans to battle it out for city status during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year in 2012, alongside Milton Keynes, Medway and Croydon.

Reading has already made two unsuccessful bids, most recently in 2002 when it lost out to Preston for the England accolade.

Paul Britton, inward investment manager at Thames Valley Economic Partnership (TVEP), said city status is “long overdue”.

“TVEP has long thought of Reading as a city – with a fine university, a buoyant business community and strong social networks,” he said.

“It’s the hub of one of the biggest clusters of hi-tech businesses in Europe, and has a proud history. In attracting inward investment to the Thames Valley, it will be increasingly important in a competitive environment to have a city at the centre of the region.

“We strongly support the bid.”

Reading’s Business Improvement District (BID) manager Guy Douglas is also in favour.

“I understand the concerns from the smaller business sector, but having the accolade of city status will bring tangible benefits,” he said.

“It will enable our local authority to do things at a higher level, such as the allocation of funding for services from central Government, which develop into local spend.

“Cities tend to be more visible which is good for the hospitality sector. And if you’re if sitting in a boardroom, contemplating where your European HQ should be, being a city will help Reading compete overseas.

“There will be a slow burn impact which will trickle down to small business. And it’s not going to cost you anything.”

Nicky Goringe Larkin, who chairs Reading Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said she believed city status would make no difference to small traders.

“We are delighted with the success of Reading, however, our members are concerned with the expense and amount of focus required to turn Reading in to a city whilst the economy is still in recovery,” she said.

“We already have a fantastic record of attracting blue-chip companies such as Microsoft which benefit the local economy, and don’t believe the city status would give local businesses any immediate financial benefit.”

Steve Fawke, boss of Broad Street Mall, said there were mixed views on city status.

“I think being a city would raise the profile of Reading but in reality it won’t do anything for retailers,” he said.

“My customers live locally so it won’t make any difference to trading. But I accept on a wider level it could help the town.”

Reading’s Labour and Tory councillors have voiced their support, with council leader Jo Lovelock reporting an “enthusiastic response” from local businesses.

But the Lib Dems have raised concerns about how it would benefit local people.

A City Status Board is to be formed to co-ordinate the bid, with members from the public, business, Reading Post, community and the voluntary sector.

probins@reading-epost.co.uk

| Submit Comments | View Comments (25)

« Previous Story | Next Story »

Most recent user comments 15 of 25

1 | 2 | Next Page Show 15 | 25 | 50 per page

Sorry james have been on the inside of some of these bids and yes the council does foot a large part of the bill.Most are however a means to get money into town but usally land up costing far more than they get back and very often do not achieve what they set out to do.

bahumbug, Reading
19/02/2010 at 20:22

Council officials will spend time drawing up the bid, but as in previous bids by Reading the business community will sponser this. This is a fact. The information is out there, through council information and other local media.

James London Irish Eastie Beastie, Whitley
19/02/2010 at 18:18

WOULD SOMEBODY GIVE ME A DEFINATION OF A CHAV without being too rude and derogatory to the human race please.

bahumbug, Reading
19/02/2010 at 15:52

James london don't know where you got your info from but the council taxpayers will be paying for this bid. As the council has to pay for the consultants and the planning of the meetings involved the refreshments ect: not cheap.SO NO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY DON'T FOOT THE BILL.

bahumbug, Reading
19/02/2010 at 15:43

Dealing with the ills of Reading is something of a conundrum "Improving" is a subjective term.

Traffic flow north to south was speeded up by the IDR, but I doubt that those who still live in Katesgrove would consider that living next to an urban motorway is much of an improvement.

Caversham heights is jammed up with traffic every morning, queueing all the way to the Bridge. A third crossing outside of the urban area would sort this at a stroke. Try selling that idea to the residents of South Oxfordshire.

Yes, we have chavs in our town centre, yes we have empty shops. So does everywhere else. No, we don't have an opera house. That decision is an impresario's, and is beyond the control of the local authority. Heritage and culture is very important, but preserving old stuff has to also have a practical function. Many of those who campaigned to have the council refurbish the King's meadow pool would have been the first to complain when the cost of such a refurbishment, and the ongiong costs had filtered through into their council tax bill.

ray northstander
19/02/2010 at 14:04

Ray and James – if the point of being a city would be that it shows civic pride amongst the local populace, surely this is not a city. The attitude is not the main problem – the cause of it (the town itself) is. Most of the people who draw positive attention to Reading do not seem to live in the town itself – which is why they see benefits and want to pay in to support the campaign, whilst those who live in the town just want the focus to be on current improvements outside of the business parks surrounding it.

I have only lived here a decade (not a yocal – someone who thinks the place probably had more reason to be proud of it in the past), so the reinvention I have witnessed remains almost entirely limited to The Oracle. Maybe that is why I don’t see a bigger picture that suggests Reading warrants city status. It isn’t an outstanding shopping destination. It’s quite handy for locals and a better option than what is on offer in Slough. Whoopee. If lack of choice in the area makes it commercially successful, it will take one new commercial development nearby to hit Reading hard financially – something which the local business rates encourage rather than deter. Change is happening very, very slowly here – but so much has often been to the detriment of what visitors like and think makes/made Reading different from other towns, that I think it wise to debate changes that may have a negative impact.

London Irish – neither London nor very Irish, play in Reading but based in Sunbury, and local tenants whilst options which may better suit them are considered in advance. Not a good illustration of what makes Reading important, although a positive draw to the town until the mid 2020s, I agree.

Boasting that the railway network makes Reading a decent place to swap trains at or to get out of for a day really isn’t very helpful either.

Something tangible will get support behind attempts to become a city. At the moment, no-one is providing these, and the people on forums such as this are not being taken seriously when they point to problems with the area. I would rather live in a town that accepts the current status and works to improve itself than a city with little left behind it and numerous obvious failings. And many of those leading the effort to become a city are those responsible for its failings as a town, and need to drop the ego trip and instead build slowly and with a vision for the future.

Anyway - the photo of Reading from above has changed from the old, familar shot of the IDR and station car park, so that's something.

Nowtas, Reading West
19/02/2010 at 13:04

This bid, though supported by the council is not costing us the concil taxpayer anything. The money for this is coming from the business community.

James London Irish Eastie Beastie, Whitley
19/02/2010 at 11:25

Look bottom line If Reading is as vibrant and attractive to big corperate business as you say and that Reading is a premier shopping centre (note you qoute 2007 figures)then it will still attract it no matter what.Reading dont need to be a city to grow its just a ego trip for some.Who said that because people are stating facts about the towns shortfalls that they are against progress?.What everyone except ray n and london I is saying.That money needs to be spent on putting things that are radicaly wrong with the town first.Wasting money paid by the rate payers of the town on a city status bid is not the prudent way forward.Ray you see people moaning about the town is negative and backward looking.If this was true ask this question would anyone who didn't care about the town really go to all the bother of being so forth comming in their opinions.A so called negative feed back is as good as a positive feed back because it is a responce.I'm Reading born and bred my family tree in Reading go back to the 1700s I'm proud of the town.But I'M NOT BLINKERED TO WHATS WRONG WITH IT.Neither am I opposed to developement which is properly planned and will benifit everyone.But city status no its not going to acheive anything.A fancy name ,title don't make a town or city. Its the residants those who care enough to voice their opinion and stay in the town to work and live.

bahumbug, Reading
18/02/2010 at 23:29

I just want to know actual Tangible figures. I am not against Reading being a City if it actually benefits the area but I am not seeing any factual evidence to back this up. If it does bring in loads of cash and businesses and gives ME (i.e. the people) some benefit then I'm well up for it. If not then no thanks. If that makes me childish then poo to you.

Lardy Da
18/02/2010 at 14:33

Just another excuse for council junkets.

Nimrod Maximus
18/02/2010 at 14:29

I'm not sure the comment about European HQ's being attracted to cities holds true... I've worked in 2 European HQs, one in Wokingham, one in Bracknell. Neither of these are cities.

I also went for an interview at one in Staines... again, not a city.

Add on top of that the fact that there are many other companies with headquarters in Bracknell and Wokingham, still not cities...

CMA
18/02/2010 at 13:46

There are empty shops all over the country. Reading is not markedly different to anywhere else.

The Oracle was the 16th best performing retail centre in England in 2007. Not my opinion, but a statistical fact. Source: Experian. A poll by Verdict placed Reading shopping centre as high as 10th in the country. Maybe the researchers and those asked elsewhere in the country were all wearing rose tinted specs !

The road network leaves a lot to be desired, but this is a product of Reading being an old place, built before the invention of the car. The other factor, of course, is the pyralysis caused by political dogma, NIMBYISM, and an almost Luddite resistance to change as described by my Rugby supporting friend.

Seems to me that if the town wants to grow up, then maybe the people living here need to do the same.

ray northstander
18/02/2010 at 13:39

The people of this town make me mad. (Ray Northstander excepted) Why? They have no vision, the leaders from all sectors in this town are forever attracting attention, always thinking ahead to how big it can be, but the Reading "FOLK", yes folk as in yocals, think it's not good, our heritage is too important, we want to be in the past. Well I don't!

We had plans for a gateway development on the Hewlett Packard site. These have been scaled back, due to local reasons. Station Hill, one of the biggest things in years, attracts negativity. Plans are back on the scene to bridge Kennet Mouth, no this isn't a good idea either. Someone comes up with alternatives to plans we don't think will work, they get turned upon as well. The only thing stopping this town becoming the great, is the many dissenters.

I always hear outsiders, sayingn how good the Oracle. Basingstoke, yes it's easy to get to, it is no where as good to the Oracle. The Eden Cente in High Wycombe, I have been there twice and still don't like it, you freeze in the winter. Southampton is not that great. There are the outlet villages in Swindon, Bicester and Portsmouth that are fine, for better shopping than Reading, you have to go to London, Birmingham or Bristol, no surprise, considering they are hugwe cities.

Reading attracted London Irish in the sporting field. I have been watching them since year one at the Madjeski, they have grown from crowds of no more than a 1000, to attendances of 10,000+ most games. One game had to be moved to Twickenham, because of the Reading/Burnley FA CUp. We had over 33,000, Reading FC had 17,000. A lot of peole like myself from Reading have become London Irish fans. A lot come from places like Swindon, they take the train and spend money in Reading. As for home grown sport, Reaing FC, the fans are like the tide of the sea, there if Reading is good, not if bad. Reading Town FC announced ambitious plans to be the second biggest club in Berkshire, 45 people turn up, a very noble vision, one which I as a London Irish fan no works, as London Irish had a similar vision, this was to be one of the biggest clubs in European Rugby, so we have slipped up slightly but I am sure it will continue. I have also started going to Reading Town FC games, I urge other peole to go to, its only £6.

Reading University is trying to build it's science park in Shinfield, on it's own land, this hitting massive oppostion, this is crazy. Reading is a world class university, up in the top couple hundred out the thousands in the world. Reading University is going to be the future leader in cybernetics, it is now, science parks have special tax xtatus, this science park will attract the start ups enterprises in this field, these start ups will become massive. The Oxford dictionary explanation of CYBERNETICS is this. The science of communications and automatic controls systems in both machines and living things. This field will be bigger than the IT industry. Cybernetics will work it's way into every industry that there is. Some examples, cars that drive you, not you drive them, artificial limbs that are equally as capable as the limb it is replacing. Robot builders on the construction of tower blocks of the future, automated warehouses, and this town will be at the heart of it.

City Status is right for the town the region, and it's future. The people of reading don't have to get behind though, and we will get outside talent, instead of home grown talent taking the away the future wealth of the town.

James London Irish Eastie Beastie, Whitley
18/02/2010 at 12:36

City or not, Reading will still be full of chavs and pikeys. I went into the town centre yesterday for the first time in ages and couldn't believe the amount of dodgy chavs hanging about. It's not a nice place to be and I think the council should focus their attention on cleaning up the town centre before wasting time and money on something frivolous like city-status.

Derek47
18/02/2010 at 11:51

Ray northstander just showes how out of touch with Reading you are.Take a good look around Reading without rose coloured glasses.There are so many vacant shops and offices in Reading they are fast over taking those that are occupied.As for Reading being the top premier shopping centre that might have been true a good few years ago but the Orical has been taken over as being the premier centre years ago.It is allready getting out dated being classed as no better than basingstoke centre for shopping.Reading was not a sleepy hollow of a place just known for its brewery at one time it was also the south's biggest industrial area.Then it was the capital of silicon valley.So over the years Reading has grown no desputing that, but it has also not kept up with the other towns.The roads have not kept up with the grouth for a start.Reading is not full of cultural centres little or none exist past amature theatre groups and one gallery which is on the brink of closing through lack of funds.If as you say Reading is vibrant then it will attract business anyway without city status.City status is for places that would other wise struggle to be remember with a few exceptions of coarse most have got good historical value too. Reading has got rid of most of its historical background thanks to not having a proper development plan.So no I'm not knocking Reading just stateing it needs a lot done to it and wasting valuable money on a hopless campain for city status to please some peoples egos is not best use of it.