Being an MP can be a bit of a thankless job – actually, worse than thankless given the abuse they get on social media. And they’re underpaid compared to what their peers earn in the private sector; or even the public sector: 667 people at local authorities across Britain earn more than the Prime Minister.
So whether or not you agree with any MP's particular vision, a major reason many are in the job is to try to make the country – or at least their constituency – a better place. (Like all of us, no doubt prestige and power also play a role).
As part of their public service, most MPs spend a lot of time engaging with organisations like ours. We’re just one of many think tanks, but an email to the office of an MP almost always leads to a meeting or event – the latter sometimes during unsociable hours. There is nothing in their contract that says they have to do this, and they could quite easily slip below the radar and just decline invitations.
This public service is reflected in a new format for engaging with MPs that we’re trialling – convening entrepreneurs and experts to discuss with MPs how to support their entrepreneurial ambitions in their constituencies. We do this already on a national level, but haven’t done this on a local level. Until now.
The idea came from a chat with Robin Millar, Conservative MP for Aberconwy. The main urban centre in his constituency is Llandudno, and on Wednesday we’re having a virtual roundtable discussion on how to promote entrepreneurship in both this seaside town and the wider region.
No doubt some of the discussion will be focused on it being a North Wales coastal resort, but there are also general lessons that can be applied from other places on how to create an environment that nurtures growth, fosters ambition, and attracts new industries and businesses.
Robin is particularly keen to have entrepreneurs from across the country around the virtual table. Local councillors will also be on the call, so your ideas could feed into local policies like how the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund is spent.
So even if you don’t have any ties to Llandudno, or even Wales, this is a chance for your own bit of public service, to help spread prosperity throughout the UK. And, like all our events, it will also be a chance to meet others with a similar ethos. Just drop me an email if you want to join.
Street Supply
Britain suffers from a shortage of buildings where people want to live and work. As our Senior Researcher Aria Babu writes, fixing this needs to be a top priority for the Government.
While the growing discontent understandably focuses on housing and the fact that people can’t afford to buy or rent a home where they want, the impact on businesses and the economy is neglected. Compare this to the debate in and around Silicon Valley, where the impact of high housing costs on startups has been a hot-button issue for a while.
Some of this is understandable. We know that agglomeration effects result in more innovation when people and businesses are able to cluster, but we don’t really consider the marginal person that isn’t able to move to an entrepreneurial hub, or the marginal business that isn’t created. It’s a mistake to ignore what is not seen, but it’s the way of the world.
But I can’t fathom how the obvious impacts of this dearth of buildings on businesses is underreported. As Aria writes: “We have some of the highest office rents. In fact, the most expensive office in the world is in London, charging £277.50 per sq ft. The shortage of office space costs businesses an extra £32 per sqm. For a firm of 200 office workers, this would cost them an extra £48,000 per year.”
Building more isn’t easy because people understandably don’t want more buildings where they live. Aria raises the policy of Street Votes, which might be added to the Planning Bill, and allows streets to control their own development. She also raises the prospect of a votes-based system beyond housing, making it easier to turn shops into offices, homes into labs, and cafes into co-working spaces, where there is local demand.
This is a policy area that we’ll continue to investigate. Please get in touch with Aria if you want to get involved in supporting our efforts on this.