Geoffrey Settle Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 I'm sure I heard this statement on the radio this week when a reporter was in a Town Centre somewhere? If you spend £10 locally it's worth £50 to the local economy. Is it a bit like buying British - BUT instead Buy Warrington. I imagine that it does have some logic behind it - the more we spend in our Town the more is likely to circulate and be spent locally - I used to teach this in one of my Young Enterprise classes in Primary Schools. So if the youngsters are getting the message to spend locally why aren't we. I've just heard that someone is off to the Trafford Centre to buy a 'Food Mixer' - can't we buy one in Warrington? - if not why not - one reason is going they might be going there for a 'day out'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 This is why we should ban the payment of all benefits to people who are resident overseas - or to people resident in the UK who send the money overseas to families (which may, or may not, even exist!) back home. As far as shopping locally goes, the only benefit to the local economy is in supporting retail jobs locally. The UK jobs in warehousing, distribution, administration and (possibly) manufacturing are exactly the same whether an item is bought in Warrington or Wakefield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Spent some cash in the "local" Chemist shop the other day - wonder how much of it went towards the wages of the new Polish shop assistant?! btw they save their English Pounds in Polish Banks (much higher interest rates)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Wasn’t there some talk at one time about having a local currency, sort of the “Warrington Pound” or did I dream this? I think the idea worked something along the lines that you exchange normal bank notes for special ones where an image of Steven Broomhead replaces that of the Queen. The council sets up an agreement with local banks or set up it’s own special bureau-de-change units where people can exchange their cash for the local currency. The rate is favourable where £100 buys you £110 in local notes but these are only valid in the Warrington area. Local businesses agree to accept the local currency and then continue trading as normal. Anyone using the local currency is effectively receiving a 10% discount and this makes shopping in Warrington more attractive and may encourage people from out of town to shop here. The theory is no different than what happens when living near another counties border. Bill http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8260000/newsid_8263300/8263345.stm Looks like it wasn't a dream! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguindust Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Rea Lily important also to use local tradespeople. Look at the WHIA list or ask Trading Standards for theirs ,get word of mouth recommendations but not only do you contribute to the local economy you keep local Warrington people in work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 You say it’s really important to use local traders but you can tell people that till your blue in the face because if other towns offer a better overall shopping experience then people won’t shop here. Appealing to people’s civic conscience might have worked in the past but in today’s society it’ll get you absolutely nowhere. Let’s face it, the Golden Square is okish but it’s no match for places like the Trafford Centre and God forbid if a visitor chooses to venture too far outside. I walked through the town today and it was thoroughly depressing so why on earth do we expect people to want to go there. With evermore people choosing to buy stuff online, town shops are bound to suffer so if you want to retain a vibrant town centre economy then we need to start thinking of putting stuff in the centre that people can’t get on line. Pull the crumbling Parr Hall down and build a modern entertainment complex linked directly to the Golden Square and while we’re at it bring back the baths and multi-screen cinema. Make it nice and make it so people want to come here. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguindust Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Sorry. I meant Tradespeople like plumbers ,decorators etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 You'd have a job getting a plumber or other tradesman who wasn't local to come out to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Warrington Council manage to get trades people from out of town quite easily.... builders from St Helens, Electricians from Manchester.... you'd think we didn't have any in Warrington !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Geoff was on about buying goods like food mixers but the schoolboy theory works even better when using trades people. Plumber fixes leaky tap and gets paid £10 Happy plumber Plumber spends £10 on a haircut Happy hairdresser Hairdresser spends £10 getting her nails done Happy nail person Nail person spends £10 getting shoe fixed Happy cobbler Cobbler spends £10 on history video Happy video person £10 = £50 and five happy chappies. Bill PS Video person spends £10 on petrol There's always one that cocks the whole thing up isn't there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Do you have a phone number for that plumber Bill cos my outside tap's leaking and a tenner sounds very reasonable Warrington Council manage to get trades people from out of town quite easily.... builders from St Helens, Electricians from Manchester.... you'd think we didn't have any in Warrington !! WBC should be leading the way and using trully local (ie Warrington based) trades people and companies. That way the local Warrington companies get more work and in turn, as work load increases, they may then have a need for more staff or maybe apprentices (who again should be trully local). I guess this day and age St Helens and Machester etc are classed as being local by people though... they shouldn't be though IMO !! Edward........ EDWARD !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Rea Lily important also to use local tradespeople. Look at the WHIA list ........ What is a WHIA List ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Settle Posted January 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 http://www.whia.org.uk/article.asp?id=23 Dizzy I've found this link: It reads 'WHiA is a home improvement agency whose aim is to help older and disabled people maintain and improve their home. We are a not-for-profit organisation. The majority of our clients are home-owners or people who rent in the private sector. If you live in a Housing Association or Golden Gates property then some of our services will be available to you as well'. I like Bill's example it's similar to the one I taught and involves not just shops, but local business and workers/apprentices - letting the money circulate as much as you can within the local economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Thanks for the link Geoff (and to you too Penguindust). I had googled but didn't find that but for some reason I thought Pengy meant something like an approved list of all trustworthy local companies and tradespeople. It's worth knowing about WHiA and sounds a good scheme for those who need a bit of help and I have quite a few elderly neighbours near me so I'll tell them about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Maybe the Manchester or St Helens companies employ people who live in Warrington? I live in the borough, work for an American company with UK head office in Harlow, but serve customers in Warrington. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Maybe the Manchester or St Helens companies employ people who live in Warrington? I live in the borough, work for an American company with UK head office in Harlow, but serve customers in Warrington. I have worked on a great many Warrington Council projects and on quite a few I was the only Warringtonian and I have seen a lot of contractors who have travelled a hell of a lot further than from Saint Helens and Manchester to work on Warrington Council projects. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Similarly, I have worked on projects for customers all over the North of England, in other parts of the country - and sometimes overseas. If a company were forced to use only "local" staff on a particular customers project then they'd simply not bid for the work in the first place and the customer would end up being charged more by a "local" firm who know that they are the only firm in town and so can charge what they like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Inky..... do you know how many electrical contractors there are in Warrington? Do you know how many builders there are?..... The council should take the lead and use them for council projects paid for by the councils taxpayers and not send the money out of town Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 The council should get the best value for money out of MY hard earned council tax that it can. If a firm based in another town is cheaper - then that's who they should use. I know that a lot of tradesmen, builders and the like will not touch public sector jobs because they don't need the hassle of all the hoops they have to jump through to get onto the authorised suppliers lists. Most of these hoops have nothing at all to do with ability to actually do the job - the councils also insist on proof of all the extraneous crap like "diversity training", "investors in people", "ISO9000/BS5750". If an electrical company (for example) is going to jump through all of those hoops then they are naturally going to do work for any number of local councils in their area of the country. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 - the councils also insist on proof of all the extraneous crap like "diversity training", "investors in people", "ISO9000/BS5750". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Diversity? Investors? ISO's etc ?..... So does that mean that 'ticking boxes' is now more of a requitement than actually being able to do the job these days then Inky? Smaller and independant companies probably stand no chance against the big wigs then I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Diversity? Investors? ISO's etc ?..... So does that mean that 'ticking boxes' is now more of a requitement than actually being able to do the job these days then Inky? Smaller and independant companies probably stand no chance against the big wigs then I guess. ahem!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 ahem what !!! Try buttercup syrup or honey and lemon in hot water or lemonade Just replying to what Inky said in general that's all and some companies, and even hopeful employees, are definately discriminated against sometimes just because they aren't a member of a certain group or can't put a little tick in a relevant tick box that's all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 As a director of smaller, independent local company with over 15 years of experience contracting to WBC I disagree and have never come across the kind of discrimination you allude to. Perhaps I am just very lucky in which case I should buy a lotto ticket, regardless what the odds are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 You've got the job PJ Fancy going half's on buying that lottery ticket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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