The Scottish Borders has been described as one of the most exciting and positive regions in which to set up a business, according to speakers at the latest Business Leaders Dinner hosted by the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce.
The event brought together a diverse group of leaders from across the region, representing small and large businesses, local government, and economic development organisations, for an evening of high-level conversation at Bowhill House.
Among those present was Raj Singh-Dehal, Chief Corporate Officer of Center Parcs, who explained why the holiday park company chose the Borders for their next UK site and how they plan to support the region’s economy and communities.
“ So, when we were looking for a Center Parcs site, we really wanted to have a site that was accessible to the main population centres,” he explained. “In Scotland, that’s Glasgow, Edinburgh and the surrounding areas, but also with access to the north of England, so the Borders as the gateway between Scotland and England was an absolute no brainer for us.
“More broadly, the political and business environment in the Borders is absolutely welcoming; it’s positive, it’s energetic. When we arrived here, there was an openness with which Scottish Borders Council, the local politicians and other entities like SOSE and the South of Scotland Destination Alliance welcomed us. Rather than come at us with a series of problems and hurdles we would need to overcome, as we have experienced elsewhere, they asked us what they could do to make this project happen. And that made the choice to bring a Center Parcs a simple one.”
Reflecting on the evening’s discussions, he added: “We’ve all got one common purpose, in that we all want economic growth. That is what will create the societal benefit for the Borders, and you could really sense that desire for collaboration in the room.
“We all understand what the issues are but what we’ve done here is just connect those people together. So, hopefully this is just the beginning, and this conversation will carry on, because that collaboration is absolutely key to unlocking all of this.
“The Borders is a rural area where lots of young people are currently leaving for work, education and other reasons, and we talked about that a lot. I think we’ve got the perfect conditions through businesses locating themselves here, if we can get the right training and education in place, and open up the transportation and connectivity, to make this a place where young people want to stay, and be the next generation and the generation after that, that continue the regeneration of the area. So, I think the opportunities are boundless, limitless.”
The event was hosted by Benny Higgins, Executive Chairman of Buccleuch Group. A former senior banker with RBS and HBOS, he was also the founding CEO of Tesco Bank and advised the Scottish Government on the creation of the Scottish National Investment Bank. Now based in the Borders and overseeing the Duke of Buccleuch’s estate portfolio, Higgins said the region is ripe for investment.
“ I’m very proud to live in the Borders. I think the Borders has got the most beautiful countryside, with a lot of natural assets, great people and kids that grow up here deserve to have the highest ambition.
“Tonight’s been a great example of identifying what would make a big difference. Michelangelo once said the greater danger is not that we aim too high and miss it, but that we aim too low and reach it.
“You’ve got to really understand the enablers to make the most of what we’ve got in the Borders. What we heard tonight was that transport is an issue, for example. The reality is that if you don’t have the transport, then a lot of the businesses don’t get the people they need either as customers or to work for them. So, I think that that was reinforced to me tonight that transport is an issue.
“The other one we talked a lot about was how we’ve got to provide education and training. And it’s not just academic education, it’s vocational training, because we need kids that are going to be good electricians, good engineers, good plumbers and that is every bit as important as any other form of education and training.”
The importance of listening to businesses was echoed by Scottish Borders Council Leader Euan Jardine, who spoke after conversations with local firms and Colin Craig, CEO of Borders Buses, on the challenges and opportunities around rural transport.
“The benefit to me of these sort of events is hearing from different businesses across the region,” he said, “and every time I come to a Chamber event I hear from and meet businesses doing amazing things globally that I wasn’t even aware existed in the region.
“But to hear what their issues are and problems that stifle their ambition or ability to grow is really valuable. So, we heard a lot about transport issues and how some businesses are working hard to recruit locally but feel prevented from doing so because people are struggling to get to their offices or factories because of a lack of transport.
“So, how can we fix that? We are in a rural economy, we’re in a rural area, but no problem is insurmountable. I think we can work with it, but it’s working together with the businesses, service providers and public, not trying to do it in silos. I liked hearing Borders Buses explain the reality of running a rural bus service, and also invite businesses to work with them to create solutions.
“They have joined the Chamber so that they can do that more directly. And I think that’s starting to complete the unique puzzle we have in the Scottish Borders.
“We are in the heart of the UK and people have to come through us to get to England or to get to Scotland. So why can’t they stay? Why can’t they invest? Why can’t they deliver? The answer to those questions lies with the people and businesses here and the benefit of having a good Chamber of Commerce is helping them realise that they’re not alone in this ecosystem. They’re with us and they’ve got people they can speak to and work with.”
He added: “I’ve seen cards being passed around tonight and people saying they’re going to speak to each other, and that’s the really important bit. It’s not just networking, it’s after that, the collaboration, the planning and delivering.
“Trevor Jackson has done a great job [as SBCC Chair]. He’s brought people together and the Borders Chamber is doing a lot now not just for businesses, but for the growth of the region. And that’s why we, the council, are very keen to support it, to listen, to give our side of the story, but also hear other sides of the story.
“That way we can move forward more informed and able to be proactive for businesses because if business grows, the region grows.”
