Video: Nottingham in Parliament Day hopes to change the city’s fortunes
Can you hear the “giant sucking sound”?
If you live and work in Nottingham, you may have at least seen what causes it, or experienced its after-affects as your employer struggles to expand or replace lost talent.
There are even figures to prove the strange phenomenon exists.
Between 1997 and 2010, London on its own accounted for 43 per cent of all extra full-time jobs created in the UK.
Accusations that the British economy is too capital-centric have followed – along with loud protests from regional hubs such as Nottingham which have felt left behind.
Today a new campaign was launched to re-balance national culture and finance in favour of the city – with its biggest leaders promising to descend on Westminster for a one-day friendly takeover.
The idea of Nottingham in Parliament on October 25 will be to shout so loud in the corridors of power that they can’t help but hear those from the frozen north.
Picture: Prof Sir David Greenaway, front, fourth from right, spearheaded the launch
Led by the University of Nottingham but involving all of the city’s major organisations from the city council to Notts County – it will attempt to get the attention of the capital when it comes to grants, investment, artistic growth and developing UK tourism.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Greenaway, sums it up.
“There’s almost a kind of giant sucking sound of vitality and jobs in to London and the South East,” he explains.
“That makes it a bit harder for cities like Nottingham to be seen, to be heard, to tell their story. So the whole point of not sitting around and saying ‘why won’t people from Westminster come here?’ is to say ‘why don’t we just go to Westminster en-masse?'”
Although it’s not clear exactly how many of our city’s graduates end up in the capital, other figures show only around 28 per cent choose to stay here. Which means filling jobs – even if you do create them – could be a bit tricky without change.
We’ve got to instil confidence
One businessman who knows how to create top jobs is Michelin-starred Lenton chef Sat Bains.
“It’s always going to be nervy for businesses – especially with the Brexit vote,” he said.
“So what we’ve got to do is instil confidence that we’re still unified and say ‘we’re here and we want to shout about it’.
“We’re all passionate about the city – and we’ve been very lucky to attract our clientelle from overseas and from London and outside areas, so we’re trying to be massive advocates of the city and we’re very proud of it.”
Rooms, terraces and grounds around Westminster have been booked and a festival of events has been planned in October.
Picture: A flag designed for the day was raised at Nottingham Castle
There will be a breakfast roundtable to discuss Nottingham’s role in the Midlands Engine, and a ‘Great Westminster fuddle’ – a smorgasbord of Nottinghamshire delicacies featuring producers such as Castle Rock.
There will be a “home of sport” showcase, a game of University Challenge hosted by John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons.
He said: “Nottingham in Parliament day is a great idea, not only because Nottingham is such a fine city but because all parts of our country should have a stake in democratic life and public policy-making.”
