Some of the biggest names in business had their say on what they want from politicians – and gave their views on Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.
They were taking part in a roundtable discussion with former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street at an event organised by Downtown in Business and Prosper UK, held in association with BusinessCloud.
The discussion was subject to Chatham House rules, so Chris Maguire caught up with some of the attendees after the event.
Stability
Ruth Percival is the founder of fast-growing environmental consultancy Contollo Group and said politicians need to provide the stability that would enable businesses to plan for the long term.
Contollo, which has just taken nearly 10,000 sq ft of office space in Manchester’s XYZ Building, was founded in 2024 and has grown to £37m turnover and 230 staff on the back of five acquisitions.
Ruth Percival said politicians need to provide the stability that would enable businesses to plan for the long-term
Percival said: “I would like stability in the tax regime. Things like equalising capital gains tax and income tax, we had all this drama two years ago and I don’t really want to have it again.
“The principle of paying more (tax) is not an anathema for me. I dislike the yo-yoing around because in business you need to plan for the long-term and changes of policy are destabilising and undermines your business model.
“We want business and industry thinking much more long-term. I want a tax policy around long-term incentive to grow businesses in the UK.”
On a Burnham prime ministership, Percival said: “We do need some radical change. I live and work around Manchester so I love the idea of the North being given more prominence.”
Be honest
Hayley Roberts founded specialist IT cybersecurity distributor Distology in 2015, growing turnover to £80m, with more than 50 staff and three offices in Stockport, the Netherlands and Germany.
She said: “I just want (the) truth from our politicians. We need some action but have the politicians got the autonomy they need?
“You run a business because you’re passionate about running a business. The government has got to start encouraging small, fast-growing businesses to thrive and back people’s hard work at the beginning. It’s the hardest bit.”
Roberts said this of Burnham: “I’ve met Andy Burnham several times and I like him. He has an abundance of charisma but is he able to do what he wants to do?
“If you can’t action what you’re saying he’s going to lose his credibility dead fast.”
Politicians need to care
Niall Ratcliffe is the co-founder of the UK’s No. 1 LinkedIn agency, noticed, based in Manchester.
He said: “More than anything I want politicians to care about businesses. As a young entrepreneur, over the last five years, it feels like no-one cares about what we’re doing from a business perspective.
“A really simple issue from us right now is that from a talent perspective. It’s become less enticing than ever to hire young people and staff and I feel like that is something which is not being addressed.
“We’re the perfect company to bring on young staff in Manchester and we’re not doing a good job of it and we’re not being supported for that either. It’s also becoming more expensive. The UK market is becoming less competitive from a talent perspective.”
Ratcliffe said he was excited by the idea of Burnham at 10 Downing Street.
“It’s exciting and inspiring for me as a young lad in the north of England who is running a business to go down there and it feels like he’s going to make an impact,” he said.
Political structure is key
Fergal O’Connor is the CEO and founder of Buy Media, an AI-powered advertising platform.
He said: “One of the reasons why we moved a subsidiary of the business from Ireland to Manchester rather than London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or any other region was because of the political structure that is here in Manchester.
“You could see that Andy Burnham had really got into a system here where the government was devolved so when he said he wanted to invest in AI and technology you knew that was going to happen because he had the power to do it.
“If Andy Burnham can replicate the success he’s had in Greater Manchester with the infrastructure, with the transport, with the growth of the region across the UK it will be fantastic for the UK as whole.”
Don’t ignore the voice of business
Jonathan Fitchew founded Apprentify after leaving his previous business, Pareto Law, following the death of his co-founder, Andy Sawer. Apprentify has grown to £25m turnover and employs 250 staff.
He said: “As a business owner you want your politicians to be more interested in business. It seems to me that politics concentrates rightly on the people in society who have the most need.
“They think that they can raise money and spend money to solve problems. You need people with skills to solve problems. You can’t just throw money at everything.
“There’s this kind of narrative in the UK which is so different to what can be felt in the States. If we are to rely on the entrepreneurs to contribute from their success to the treasury, then we need the people allocating the money to have the expertise to allocate funds effectively.
“There needs to be more business expertise in government.”
Taxed for employing people
Jack Mellor is the CEO of screening provider Personnel Checks, which has a turnover of £7m.
He said: “I have 35 people in my business who I employ and that is the biggest source of emotional concern, worry, stress and I just want to feel there’s good recognition from giving these people employment.
“In recent times it’s felt like I’m just been taxed for doing that and wanting to bring people in and use these people as the fuel for growth.
“In recent times it’s just felt trying to grow your organisation with people has felt extremely restrictive and it’s really scary to be honest.
Leaders Lunch: (l-r) Martin Liptrot, Andy Street and Chris Maguire
“It’s costing us more. We’ve had to dig into our pockets to deal with national insurance and with the Employment Rights Bill coming it’s increasing the burden on us to get every single component of that absolutely right in a shorter period of time with no form of safety net whatsoever.”
He said he wanted to expand his business into Manchester and welcomed Burnham’s idea to spread power beyond London.
He explained: “I’m a Northern lad. I built my business in Blackburn and I’m looking to put some business blocks here in Manchester as well and I think to have more visibility of the decision-makers spread across the country is only a good thing so I like the sound of it.”