Looking for leaders

15 Jul 2010, 10:46 Add Comment

Is leadership important to a city? Apparently very much so, if recent consultations carried out by both Preston Vision and Downtown Preston in Business are anything to go by.

There were strong indications from people across the Lancashire city's community that the key to winning investment, creating opportunity and regenerating a city came from strong leadership.

Evidence in the North West would back this assumption. Liverpool enjoyed its springboard to transformation during the heady days of the Mike Storey/David Henshaw axis, when the then council leader and chief executive were getting on. The Liverpool One project was born, the European capital of culture bid successfully negotiated, and the city council suitably modernised. Unfortunately, the 'dynamic duo' fell out; and things haven't been quite the same since. New Labour leader Joe Anderson seems determined to re-introduce ambition and purpose to the city, and his appointment of a new chief executive, expected in the autumn, will be key.

Manchester, of course, can boast not only the best civic leadership in the region, but arguably the country. Consistency in personalities and policies have made Manchester the UK's second city, with strong political leadership from Sir Richard Leese supported by the impressive management and strategic skills of his chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein.

Poor old Preston, meanwhile, demonstrated once again this week the damage weak leadership can do to a city. Just as the business sector were warming to the 'new' Preston Vision and genuinely getting behind a partnership arrangement with Eliot Ward (Vision chief executive) and his team, the city council have decided to 'postpone' the appointment of a chairman to the Vision board. The Coalition government's scrapping of the North West Development Agency has been blamed for this decision, but given the small amount of cash that the city and county council's would have to find to secure the future of Vision, it is an excuse few are buying.

This shortsighted and kneejerk reaction sends exactly the wrong signal to Preston's private sector at exactly the wrong time. Leadership, indeed, is very important for a city. Preston is demonstrating very little of it at the moment.

Your Comments

0 Comments Add Comment

Close this window

Add your comment

>

Your Name

Your Comments

Enter verification code