Exporting is good for Hertfordshire!

Whilst the UK economy is facing challenges at home and aboard the service sector will be the main driver of Britain’s recovery, whilst the manufacturing sector continues to struggle. However as many firms have maintained their skill base and with further support during the recovery, particularly for exporters, the manufacturing sector will gradually continue to rise.


However findings from BCC’s recent skills gap report, cited that gaps around knowing how to take a product to market is holding back potential exporters.

We believe commercial export skills should be central to business education, and help guide entrepreneurs through essential areas of managing finances, cross border supply chains, understanding legal and bureaucratic requirements. The survey also found language skills will be critical to the success of exporters, and currently very few speak the language of their buyer sufficient to do a deal.

Whilst French remains the most commonly spoken language, of 5000 businesses interviewed only 5% had technical French language skills. As the UK continues to drive up exports, and reduce the balance of payments deficit, this is going to be more of a problem. In faster growing markets such as China and Russia, 95% of businesses have no skills in these languages, and yet according to an IMF forecast China will grow by an estimated 7.75% and Russia by 3.4% (IMF)

There is a real need to heighten the importance of languages in the curriculum and skills agenda, and create the next generation of business leaders to be born global, and for businesses to have more incentives to train staff in languages relevant for their International trade.

The Chamber movement has been going for over 200 years, providing businesses with practical support, access to knowledge, skills and encouraging exports through our export seminars, workshops and export documentation and translations services.

For help and advice on export seminars, Country awareness and export documentation please email export@hertschamber.com

You have to be in it to win it!

With just over a week to go until the deadline for our 2013 Inspiring Hertfordshire awards, we are getting very excited about discovering some new centres of business excellence, outstanding individuals and showcasing some amazing talent in the County!

For some experienced award winners, it isn’t just about delegating the task of completing of a form, and hope and see, it’s part of a strategic journey to showcase the organisation as an excellent employer, and or outstanding company to do business with, or to gain recognition for outstanding performance and achievement. This not only gains a huge amount of publicity, leading to new business opportunities but also plays a significant role in attracting the cream of talent, and boost confidence and morale internally. For SME’s that may find they really haven’t got the time, we learnt from finalists last year in the same position who claimed by investing time into the business, to analyse where it had come from, what it had achieved this year, and more importantly the vision for the future, was worth every penny in time.

What was evident was the consistent approach across all the finalists and winners in how outwardly facing they were in the local community, with board level commitment to engaging with the local community, building local relationships with schools, and local charities, and embedding a culture that fosters supporting local prosperity. Whatever category the finalists and winners entered there was a clear vision for growth in this area, they weren’t merely reacting to local opportunities but had a clear business plan and strategic objectives for raising customer excellence, or growing International trade , and even a KPI for winning awards.

If you haven’t yet downloaded your entry form, there’s still time, www.hertschamber.com and we are delighted to have the support from leading businesses across the county as 2013 sponsors and judges;

Server Choice, Smart source, Ashridge, Goldsmith Centre, Breeze and Wyle’s UH , Exemplas, Simply health, Aldwyk Housing, and Cllr Sharon Taylor, Locality budget and Stevenage Borough Council, and Dacorum ‘Look No Further’ sponsoring our new Tourism Award.

I hope 2013 will be an Inspirational year for Hertfordshire businesses and hope we will have the opportunity to showcase many of you at our awards dinner on the 16th May, at Porsche Hatfield, and wish you further success in the Comets’ own Hertfordshire Business Awards launched later this year.

Father Christmas?? No, I dont think so either...

Economic growth, the ‘holy grail’ how, or who, will make it happen? Government, the Banks, perhaps it will be Father Christmas? No I don’t think so either. Certainly the Government and Banks have an important part to play and, depending on their actions, they are likely to have an effect, whether it be positive or negative remains to be seen but, at the end of the day, there can be little doubt that it is only businesses and their customers who will turn the economy around.


Depending on your point of view one might argue that we should welcome Government initiatives such as those designed to remove red tape, reduce onerous planning conditions and to enable small businesses that are struggling to obtain finance from an increasingly risk averse banking sector. Though, it will take time for benefits to become apparent every little helps. Red tape impacts disproportionately on small growing businesses and many are deterred from expansion as a result of concerns, real and imagined, with the planning system. I am also very aware of the Banks claims to ‘have plenty of money and are eager to lend’ but in truth I have seen no evidence to suggest that such claims are being translated into action.

Those of us who are a bit longer in the tooth will remember the days when banking was about locally based people who understood local businesses and were prepared to manage risk not, as seems to be the case today, to eradicate it entirely. Time will tell if the Governments initiative makes a difference but, whatever the merits, I suspect that very few people are expecting the ‘complete’ solution.

In the past the answer was easy, throw more public money at it, sadly there isn’t much left. Nonetheless, there appears to be some being made available to parts of the country where unemployment and other issues remain a consistent problem no matter how much money is lavished upon them. This might make some social sense but in reality it is highly questionable as to whether the impact is anything other than short term. Perhaps it is time to take a different approach, how about reducing the amount of money being poured into these areas, where without incentives businesses are reluctant to locate, to create jobs that have all the sustainability of a chocolate teapot. Instead, what about investing it in areas that are able to produce long term benefits that are likely to be economically sustainable for some time to come?

Where should the Government invest our money? Where it will have most effect of course? How about places like Hertfordshire? Places where businesses want to be; places where good long term jobs can be created; places which have the communication and transport links that are essential to success in the global economy. Taking funding, as we have historically done, from areas that are generally successful and pumping it into areas with a track record of failure might deliver short term social benefits but in the long run, from a business perspective, makes no sense at all.

The other essential part of the equation requires encouraging customers to spend money, raising the taxes of those who are able to do so won’t achieve this nor will maintaining some of the other barriers that discourage them from doing so. Half hearted efforts to ignite the housing market for instance will not work if, in this part of the world at least, stamp duty remains at current levels. Why move from one asset that is not accruing in value to another when the cost of doing so is added to by high levels of indirect taxation.

Clearly the Government is not in a position to start flinging cash, nor can it afford to choke off regular income lines, but surely with a little imagination there are actions that could be taken to encourage consumer spending without adding further pressure on the National Debt.

The removal of stamp duty; extending the National Insurance holiday on small businesses taking on new staff to include this part of the country; using some of the enormous amounts of business rates that are collected here and spent elsewhere to accelerate business growth and encourage research and investment in areas that are able to sustain it; might provide fertile ground in the search for solutions. Clearly the decisions of Government are difficult and challenging but to paraphrase what a wise man once said ‘if you keep doing the same things expecting different results you are likely to be very disappointed’. Actually he said that this was a definition of madness but you know what I mean.

I hope we continue the glow of optimism that was created by the Olympics, if we replicate that in the economy we will surely see the benefits feeding through into productivity and job creation

As the old song goes ‘the party’s over’ but, ‘is it time to call it a day’? Apart from the curmudgeonly few, most of us will have viewed the Olympics and the Paralympics as inspirational events demonstrating the very best in human endeavour and a magnificent illustration of just what can be achieved with goodwill, ingenuity and a massive amount of hard work. Of course the athletes were the stars of the show but it was a show that, in the words of Lord Coe, was ‘made in Britain’.


Prior to the event, if one was to believe a fraction of the publicity being purveyed by the doom mongers the whole thing was going to be a disaster riddled with incompetence and scarred by bad planning. According to the more dire predictions we were on target to produce an occasion that would live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons. I daresay they are lining up as we speak to undermine the legacy too.

We have learnt many things from the Games. We have learnt that the British public will turn out with enthusiasm to support something that is run according to the highest professional standards. We have learnt that individuals can, in the face of tremendous odds, rise to all sorts of challenges. We have learnt that as a country we can do great things. We have learnt that, when all is said and done, we Brits really do enjoy success whilst simultaneously being able to apply perspective when things don’t work out quite as we would have hoped. The trick going forward will be to apply these lessons.

Business people have, of course, always known that if you create what people want and it is of good quality and sold at the right price people will buy it? Business people face challenges everyday but the vast majority have developed the ability to resist and overcome them come what may. Great things? Business people have been doing them for years providing jobs and income for themselves, their families and their employees. No one ever succeeded in business without understanding the need for a good product, tremendous effort and the requirement for somewhat more than their fair share of resilience. Most have developed a good understanding of success and failure and found a way of living with both.

The Olympics may not have been great for everybody but as a nation I believe we gained a variety of benefits, probably some of which we are yet to be identified. Legacy? I really hope that we build on the success of our athletes and support them and those who aspire to emulate them. I hope too that we recognise the importance of our business folk and the herculean effort many have put into overcoming tremendous odds. Finally, I hope we continue the glow of optimism that was created, if we can replicate that in the economy we will surely to see the benefits feeding through into productivity and job creation.

The Government didnt cause the current problems but as they are in the driving seat they need to do something about it...

As yet more statistics hit the street proclaiming further economic gloom and doom some of us, me included, are inclined to scratch around for straws of comfort rather than to simply accept the implications of the evidence that some would say is staring us in the face. Burying our heads in the sand? Maybe, but on the other hand what’s to be gained from burying our heads in our hands? In any case, is relying upon these traditional indicators of financial health helpful?


In recent years, largely as a result of incredible technological changes, the world has moved on at a pace that few would have thought possible ten years ago. It was only 15 years or so ago that email was regarded with suspicion, that websites were rare in the extreme and that social media was not even a twinkle in some ‘techies’ eye. As the use of technology has become more widespread customer practice and demand has changed dramatically.

Was it only a few years ago that people maintained that internet sales wouldn’t take off claiming that before purchasing buyers would need to be able to touch and feel whatever it was they were buying. Nowadays we can reflect, not only upon how wrong they were, but also upon the wider impact of the online revolution. One could write volumes on the subject; demands for greater convenience, lower prices, that most white goods are now regarded as being disposable to name only a few of the outcomes.

Simultaneously attitudes have changed in other areas. Remember the heady days when our houses earned more than we did and, for those who had any, cash deposited in the bank grew in value with little or no effort. Those were the days when, if servicing debt became difficult, we just borrowed more; happy days, when water was cheaper than milk and diesel was cheaper than petrol. Weren’t those the days too when the experts decided that it would be more cost effective to send manufacturing processes to parts of the world where they could be carried out more cheaply while we would thrive on ‘high value’ processes alone.. What crazy times they were.

My point? Well we can bemoan rises in public borrowing, widening of the balance of payments, reduced standards in education, the wrong type of leaves on the line, and any other thing that takes your fancy, but the fact is that, unless somebody is prepared to do something as a result, such indicators are of little more than academic interest. In any case, given the way the world has changed in recent years, I would question whether the traditional indicators are as pertinent as they were in the past. The one thing I am sure of is that the time for simply sitting with our heads in our hands has long passed we need action, energy and direction leading to growth in the economy. This government didn’t cause the current problems but as they are in the driving seat they need to get on and do something about it.

Blame can wait... what we need are solutions that work.

If one were to listen to the Banks you would be hard pressed to understand why so many businesses are complaining about their reluctance to support them and, that if they do, are only willing to do so on the most penal terms. ‘We have money and we want to lend’ is the oft repeated dictum but the reality on the ground seems to be very different.
In today’s reality those deemed to be worthy of support either don’t need it or, as is the case with a growing number of businesses, don’t want it. On the other hand those who do require their support are disqualified simply because they do. Lewis Carroll would have been proud of the situation we have created and would, perhaps, have nominated the Queen of Hearts as the next Governor of the Bank of England.

In today’s world the first thing one seems to be required to do is to determine ‘who is to blame’. The Banks for creating the mess in the first place? Is it the government for lacking in leadership? Is it the economic incompetence of the previous government? Perhaps, it is The Bank of England and the regulatory authorities? The press and a variety of economic commentators for persistently, and consistently, undermining confidence? Possibly, even, the reluctance of businesses that can invest in the future simply stockpiling cash while they sit on their hands waiting for someone else to blink? I think I can save a great deal of time, to a lesser or greater extent it is all these although, actually, blame can wait. What we need are solutions that work.

Given the recent banking crisis few, if any, would argue for an unregulated orgy of lending but what is required is a source of lending that can be accessed by growing small and medium sized business that doesn’t attract penal rates of interest or the need to put forward their ‘first born’ by way of guarantee. We also need a process in which decision making is transparent, fair and timely. Too many businesses are being required to go through opaque drawn out processes costing them time and money before being told that they have been successful, or worse, unsuccessful.

Whilst I do not share the more extreme views of the ‘doom and gloom brigade’ I strongly believe that the economy needs an injection of growth. There are a number of measures that can be taken but one must be to deliver more financial support for small and medium sized businesses. Delivered with care encouraging sensible lending to this sector will enable it to flourish whilst simultaneously delivering the economic growth we need. The government, the regulators and the banks were quick enough to get round the table when the latter needed support it is about time they sat down and sorted things for the rest of us.

There are times in history that call for great leadership. I would suggest that now is one of them

In challenging times when our focus should be on key issues it is depressing to see that nationally, our so called leaders, consider that reflecting upon who ate what, where and with whom carries greater importance than encouraging growth in our economy. There are times in history that call for great leadership I would suggest that now is one of them. We do not need a great debate on hot pies, queues at petrol stations and the usual party political tit for tat. It is time that national leaders of all parties started to ‘man up’ and begin doing what is best for the country.


That times are difficult is beyond dispute but thankfully, despite the seemingly endless shenanigans of the Westminster village, many businesses continue to display admirable levels of resilience and are ‘turning the corner’. It is a great shame that they are not receiving the support they need to fully capitalise on their efforts. I am not talking about handouts, I know there is very little public money available, what we need is a range of clear strategies focused on encouraging a competitive business environment. In any event spending vast sums of public money rarely has a long term effect, one has only to go back to Tony Blair’s ‘education, education, education’ response when asked about his main priorities. Businesses were complaining of difficulties in recruiting skilled staff then and, 15 years and billions of pounds later, it still has difficulty recruiting people with appropriate skills.

Leadership requires conviction and an ability to overcome difficult challenges. Arguably our lack of leadership is illustrated in our inability to overcome what might be described as the ‘too difficult’ strategy issues, take for the example of a lack of an aviation policy. I recognise that this is a controversial issue but, if we are to remain a major trading nation, we must be able, conveniently, to visit our trading partners in other parts of the world. We also need them to visit us. In the past forty years, while many of our competitors have moved forward with numerous major developments, we have built a couple of terminal buildings and increased landing fees making us one of the most expensive places on earth for business people to visit.

Whether it be resolving issues concerning skills, international travel, roads, railways, housing, high speed broadband or a plethora of other infrastructure issues it seems that we have become followers not leaders. We have become bickerers and point makers more interested in promoting narrow vested interests and proving points rather than achieving things. Perhaps, the recently introduced planning regulations will improve the situation, we shall see.

There are numerous other ‘too difficult issues’ many of which are exacerbated by the speed of change in our modern world, they nonetheless must be addressed if we are to maintain our position as a leading trading nation. To paraphrase Einstein it is a sign of insanity to keep doing things the same way expecting a different outcomes, had he been alive today he might well have warned about the dangers of pursuing similar strategies whilst the environment is changing around you.

What might be seen as political rough and tumble in Westminster amongst the national press has consequences elsewhere. I am frankly not concerned about the dietary whims of David Cameron, Ed Milliband and their dinner guests, I am even less interested in their ongoing games. We have overcome a number of challenges in recent years but there will inevitably be more to follow. We do not have time to mess about, we need to address important issues not waste time satisfying the self indulgent mores of the Westminster Village. It needs to change the way it does business, and fast.

We have applauded the first two ‘Osborne’ Budgets but on this occasion our verdict is ‘must do better’

As yet another Budget comes and goes I am keenly aware that the rhetoric surrounding it has changed little over the years. Those on the same political side as the Chancellor pick out the bits they like and herald the whole thing as though he had produced the elixir of life, those from the opposition pick out the bits they don’t like and accuse him of being something akin to the devil incarnate. Neither approach does them any credit nor does it do us mere mortals any particular service.


In my view this year’s budget was not too different from the majority I have listened to over the last twenty or thirty years, good in parts not so good in others, from my perspective it neither got the blood racing nor did it make it boil. Of course the reduction in Corporation tax is welcome as is the support for companies engaging in research and development but the failure to retract plans to increase fuel duty and business rates was disappointing. Despite claims to the contrary this was not a budget to inspire growth, it was neutral at best.

Whilst some Hertfordshire businesses are starting to see ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ times remain tough. These, previously announced increases will only hinder hard pressed business people in their efforts to grow profits and in so doing to provide the platform that will create much needed jobs. Arguably this government has done much to stabilise the economy following years of profligacy by its predecessor but much more needs to be done.

Whilst applauding the Chancellor for ‘steadying the ship’ one is, nonetheless, entitled to ask “what next”. Once stability has been achieved we have to plan for growth. As any experienced business person will tell you standing still is rarely an option. There is much to be done and I certainly recognise that the challenges are complex but, loading additional cost burden on thousands of small businesses is not the answer. Certainly the reduction in Corporation Tax will help some but it won’t make up for the additional property costs (including rent) or the burgeoning increases in fuel costs. Added to the additional National Insurance costs landed on business during the last throes of the previous government it requires, if anything, genuine reductions in the cost of doing business.

The British Chambers of Commerce recently launched its ‘Business is good for Britain’ campaign it might have used the word ‘essential’. Whichever way one cuts it when it comes to wealth and job creation business is ‘the only game in town’. Hertfordshire businesses in particular have demonstrated extremely high levels of resilience in the face of rising costs and increased global competition. Given a supportive environment Hertfordshire businesses will begin to take up the slack in the jobs market but they cannot do so if they are continually put under pressure by the effects of indirect taxation. We have applauded the first two ‘Osborne’ Budgets but on this occasion our verdict is ‘must do better’.

We have some wonderful High Streets which we need to support - We all have a part to play!

Reports from eminent sources proffering views about what ails our High Streets and which ones have the most vacant premises have been abundant recently, but few have done more than regurgitate the same old issues. Most have been met with the usual hand wringing, finger pointing and the accompanying blame games that are played out in response to such reports. With perhaps the exception of the Mary Portas report, few if any have provided solutions. So what’s to be done?


No one in their right mind would profess to have all the answers to such a complex issue and in a short article I am certainly unable to provide more than a few pointers to gently stir the debate. However, it seems to me that to succeed in developing successful, financially sustainable High Streets one has to presuppose that we all, retailers, central government, local authorities and the local community alike, do not merely want our High Streets to be successful but are also prepared to play their part. Without their explicit and active support no improvement will be achieved. Each and every party has to play its part and be willing to do what it takes.

Central Government could start by increasing business rate relief for smaller retailers and by encouraging local authorities to introduce local retail plans. Local Authorities might look at introducing ‘managed retail space’ at low ‘easy in easy out’ rents; something that might also have some impact on the unsustainable rent increases many small retailers seem to be facing; and, above all, review what they can do to improve the ‘shopping experience’ of customers. In the longer term they must also develop imaginative local retail plans that go way beyond maintaining the status quo and which include a thorough review of parking policies. Simply putting saving our High Streets in ‘the too difficult tray’ and forgetting about them is not an option.

High Streets need to be attractive, vibrant places they are also, like any other business areas, subject to changing trends and practices; this reality has to be reflected in any planning, it also needs to be accepted by retailers and other interested stakeholders. Today’s customer demands, convenience, quality and high service levels, all at the right price, it is essential that this is recognised by all concerned. Today’s customer has more choice than at any time in our history as time goes by the changes brought about by the ‘internet age’ will not diminish.

So to the other important player the local community or, if you prefer, the customers, what is their role in all this. Arguably, they are simply there to be served according to their needs and I for one would defend to the death their right to choose but, ultimately, without their patronage our High Streets are not sustainable. To coin a phrase they need to ‘use them or lose them’.

We have some wonderful High Streets which, if my supposition is correct we would all like to see maintained and sustained. Collectively we need to support them, we all have a part to play.

ECONOMY, ECONOMY, ECONOMY...

A great deal has been said about the current economic climate, probably too much, there seems to be an ongoing competition amongst experts and the press as to who can come up with the most dire forecast. One says things are bad another says it’s worse. This may serve to burnish certain egos but it does nothing for consumer confidence and certainly doesn’t do anything for the majority of businesses that have been well run. In Hertfordshire we are fortunate to have many companies large and small that have set the standard in terms of innovation; companies that have been developed using sound business practice; companies have been run responsibly. Whilst some will need to tread cautiously they remain viable and will continue to be source of wealth generation and employment.

In any period of challenge those that have the ability to demonstrate clear thinking will come to the fore, thrashing around for one solution after the other is not the answer. The problem is within the financial system not, by and large, within the run of the mill businesses that most of us know and understand. Of course they are affected but it is not a problem of their making left to their own devices with sensible levels of financial support they will continue to succeed.

What is needed is a period of reflection enabling the myriad of initiatives to work, the seemly endless drive to fill column inches or airtime must come to an end. In the same vein the apparent need by some to provide justification has to cease. We all have a good idea what went wrong and where the blame lies. It will be the innovative non-financial businesses that will get us out of the problems that face us we are calling on politicians, regulators and the financial press to clear their heads and ensure that an environment is created that will enable them to so.

It’s a funny old world or is it?

Just when you think you’ve seen it all something else happens. A government with a Prime Minister who made his reputation pursuing Miss Prudence starts throwing money around like a lottery winner, the Governor of the Bank of England declares that nationalising the banks is an option and RBS/Nat West announce that they are going to start doing business again.

Let’s get the last point out of the way straight away. Well done RBS/Nat West, let’s hope that the others follow their example sooner rather than later. Unless and until all banks return to doing sensible business any hope of recovery is nothing more than a pipedream. I don’t mean returning to the target driven recent past where lending at any cost appears to have been the norm but a return to what many of us of a certain age would have regarded as “good business”. Sensible lending where all concerned understood the risks and where clients knew where they stood.

As for the Governors aside that nationalising the banks was “an option” something clearly needs to be done to get the them “out of neutral” but, as things stand at the moment, it would be difficult to say who would be worse, our under fire bankers or our government.

As for the measures announced this week by the Chancellor let me say that I, like everyone else in the country, really, really hope they work. Do I think they will? Well that’s another story. Actually I am far from convinced and certainly question some of the measures announced. Reducing VAT 2.5% might have some marginal impact but given the level of discounting one already sees on the High Street and elsewhere I really can’t see it having much effect.

What concerns me greatly is the thought that as the economy is recovering businesses will be hit again by increases in National Insurance. I know the so called “giveaways” need to be financed but raising NI thresholds is a measure which will ricochet around the system like a stray bullet. Adding costs to employing individuals will add to wage pressures and make businesses even more reluctant to take on new people.

Ultimately, of course, its always business that pays and I acknowledge some good things in the Chancellor’s statement. Reversing the decision to charge empty premises tax for which we have been campaigning for some time, is welcome and the increase in funding for the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme (as long as the banks get behind it) will have some impact.

Overall though the statement brought out my curmudgeonly side (not usually far from the surface anyway) and I am inclined to view it in the same light as most budgets in recent memory. A mixture of “smoke and mirrors” and we’ll all pay for it in due course. If it does the trick though, along with everyone else I will be delighted.

Where there's muck there's...

The more observant will have noticed our recent event aimed at raising awareness of the environmental sector and to start a countywide debate on the issues. This week I was able to join an East of England Regional Assembly party visiting the Danish Region of Mid Jutland which is taking an extremely proactive approach toward seeking energy efficiency solutions.

Of the sites we visited one converting animal fat into bio-diesel and another turning all sorts of manure into bio-gas were the most interesting. They were both interesting for a number of reasons, not least because they were turning materials that would have otherwise would have been incinerated into valuable heat and power sources. Another interesting outcome was the fact they were adding value to what, at best, would previously have been regarded as nuisance materials.

In a short visit it would be foolish to think that one could discover the definitive answer to the debate on energy efficiency, indeed if anything, yet more questions were raised. How do you ensure that the supply of the relevant materials will be sustainable? Can you ensure that the cost of the raw material is kept at a reasonable level? Can you make the process commercial? And so on and so forth.

To support their research they had also set up an Agro-Science Research Park where they conducted a range of relevant research, hosted start-up research companies and also encouraged young people to develop their science and engineering skills.

Was I impressed? You bet. Envious? Oh yes.

Hertfordshire prides itself on its knowledge based industries and makes a variety of claims about innovation in the county but I have to say we could learn a great deal from the positive, energetic approach of our Danish colleagues. We also need to recognise that finding solutions to the environmental challenges we face will not only be good for the planet but will also provide enormous economic benefits going forward.

As I write I can hear the planners saying “we don’t want these nasty recycling plants” but, in reality, they were no more intrusive than other farm buildings we see in our countryside. What I found really impressive was that someone could take 50,000 tons of waste animal materials and turn it into 55 million litres of high grade bio diesel. Even more impressively any residual ash was used to make cement and bricks. Efficient or what?

Of course there are many questions to be answered. We need to find satisfactory long term answers. If we don’t someone else will.

Solving the conundrum will provide opportunities on a variety of levels. The Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry intends to play a leading role in opening up the debate on this subject and I would be delighted to receive contributions towards it.