Business West, one of the UK’s largest chambers of commerce, celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. The Bristol Initiative, which sits at the heart of Business West, is a community of 160 business leaders who positively influence the way the area is shaped, managed and developed.
From 1989 Dr John Savage CBE, pictured, was chief executive of The Bristol Initiative and from 1993 chief executive of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce & Initiative, before becoming executive chairman of Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Initiative.
During this period he also held many other public roles including chair of the Learning and Skills Council and of University Hospitals Bristol, the city centre teaching hospital.
Here Dr Savage CBE who, as chair of Bristol Chamber of Commerce, sits on its board of directors, discusses the importance of business groups such as the Bristol Initiative
“The Bristol Initiative was part of a nationwide reaction to the riots happening across the country at the time. Bristol was verging on being an undeveloped place with high crime.
“Like Toxteth and Brixton, it had a marked underclass and the idea behind the Initiative was to try to help the local authorities to do something about it. There were 19 initiatives across the country at the time. They eventually disappeared, and we’re the only one that remained over time.
“I was initially contracted to work for three years, but after just a few months I had to say, look this isn’t a three-year project and it needs to be looked at over a long period of time.
“In the first 18 months Tony Shepherd, who was an active voluntary member of the Bristol Initiative’s board until 1999, and I built the initiative from 12 to 50 paying members.
“For a long time, we didn’t have offices. I was just working from my house until British Aerospace suggested I annex Bristol Chamber of Commerce, which was important but insolvent. So I took the company over and began running the Initiative projects from there.
“We had the highest homelessness problem outside of London and ranked as one of the highest places for personal crime. We did some important activity around these issues, in terms of raising awareness in local government.
“Part of our role was to get the confidence of the local authority. We supported the building of the modern reconstruction of The Matthew, a replica of the boat used by the explorer John Cabot, [pictured below], helping to revive the city centre and attract visitors.
“Then there was of course the Harbourside development. I got on well with the chief executive of the Bristol City Council Mike Robinson. At the time, four or five major landowners kept putting in planning applications for their bit and were not accepted.
“It was me that said let’s get these people together and get them to understand that if they join up, we could develop the whole area holistically. We wrote something called the Harbourside Accord, which led to fantastic regeneration.
“I think nowadays the problem of transport and accessibility is at the forefront of businesses’ minds.
“Back when the Initiative started, we were engaged in trying to say to developers “you can come to us, there is a body you can talk to other than the city council. We can be the go-between”.
“However, that doesn’t exist now as investors found their own way of doing things. So, for example, the University of Bristol and YTL in Filton didn’t need seducing and I think that was a legacy of the confidence we created in the place.
“I think the Initiative enables businesses to come together and discuss important issues, but it’s evolved and changed since the 80s, now sitting at the heart of Business West.
“I also think that businesses are good at skilling people up within the foreseeable future, for 10 years or so. I am passionate about educating our young people and I think it’s particularly important to educate them whilst they’re in public care, to be able to interface with the realities of life and with their fellows in a positive way.
“It’s soft skills that are now so important to develop. Business West is currently leading the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) in the area, working with employers and education providers to set out key changes needed to ensure post-16 education prepares young people for work, which is a crucial piece of work.
“We’re finding that there are so many kids who don’t want to leave home and go out into the world. Often young people can’t come and have a conversation and they can’t interview. That really needs addressing.”
To find out more about the history of Business West and the origins of Bristol Chamber of Commerce, click here
