ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN (DRAFT) FLINTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Comments by Cllr. K. Armstrong-Braun Introduction 1. Economics is a system of inter-relationships on money, industry and employment in a cultural and ecological context. It should therefore embody a careful management of resources and avoid waste. It should be carried out within the context of bio-diversity and sustainability (Agenda-21). 2. Since everything Man does involves consuming some of earth's resources, there is an upper limit to the amount of human activities that can be built on top of a finite resource base. So an Economic Development Plan cannot merely have objectives which are resource use without also having objectives to integrate sustainable use of resources, sustainable ecology and also quality of life for all species, i.e. sustainable development. 3. We persist with trying to get Economic Growth since the groups that make investments generating growth obtain good returns - at the expense of others, including the natural environment. Why do we persist, when we are suffering damaging results from many investments? 4. The County, like its predecessor, is advocating inward investment, but at what cost: # Low paid jobs, # Few jobs created - those which are, are only at a loss to hundreds of jobs lost elsewhere in the U.K. from relocations, # Free or cheap land and/or rent which is at tax-payers' cost - even the poorly paid have to pay for this, # Obscene loss of finite green field to concrete, # Millions of square feet of vacant industrial/commercial premises; the County should be directing new companies to use existing spare capacity and under-used and derelict land, # Loss of bio-diversity, not only to Flintshire but cumulatively the whole of the U.K. and indeed the whole planet. 5. The County cannot have sustainable balance if finite resources are misused. 6. Most inward investment does not bring economic benefit to the locality as, especially multi-nationals, take out the profits to tax-havens or pay out to distant shareholders or directors. This is a loss to the local economy. So the County should be seeking high quality, high employment small businesses which also, because of their nature, are more loyal to the local area. Many such enterprises pay higher wages. 7. In this light the County should be directing their thrust in attracting enviromental technology businesses - which are frequently labour intensive. This is one of the major economic growth areas worldwide, larger in total than the aerospace or chemical sectors. Flintshire has an unrivalled opportunity to capitalize on this type of employment, owing to its currently good environment and culture. (The U.K. currently has only 6% of this market, Germany has 29%, the USA has 25%. Ireland has 9%.) This meets the Plan's stated aim of diversity of business types. Appendix 3, a report on the SERA Conference, Sustainability, Full Employment and Quality of Life, discusses these issues in more detail. 8. I am very concerned to see that the Plan is not considering the County's people. They have become subservient to the interests of industry and business; on the contrary, industry and business should be subservient to the interests of local people. 9. There is no mention in the Plan of seeking a good quality of life for the County's people. It does mention providing a good environment for companies (para 5.1); but what about a good environment to live in? An Economic Development Plan should explicitly consider quality of life and environment for local people if it is to avoid working against other Development Plans of the County. (What is quality of life? A recent survey by the Social Science Research Council found that 'Family and Home Life' came first (23%) and 'General Contentment' came second (19%) while 'Work' came eighth (9%) behind even 'Personal Beliefs and Religion'.) An Economic Development Plan should be integrated with, and should assist and provide for, these more important parameters, not working against them. See also Appendix 3. In view of the fundamental nature of this critique of the Plan, it is inappropriate to submit suggestions for detailed amendments. The whole Plan should be re-thought, re- worked and re-written. However, to aid this process I enclose as an example, some more detailed comments: a) more detailed analysis of one sector - Tourism, b) proposals for new policies that such an analysis might suggest, c) hand-written comments on the whole Plan. These are contained in Appendices 1 (for (a) and (b)) and 2. If, however, it is decided not to re-think the Plan in the fundamental way needed then these comments should be treated as detailed comments, not just as examples. APPENDIX 1 - TOURISM (The following comments are informed by the content of the Conference on Tourism organised by Tourism Concern, London, 26 October 1995.) 1. In the world of long-haul outbound travel, competition is fierce. Consumers globally are ever more price conscious. Crucial to this is the ability and willingness of Flintshire and other neighbouring counties to come together collectively and market themselves as a region rather than as small independent counties. The Caribbean Coalition for Tourism (New York) has done this with 28 Caribbean countries coming together. 2. Tourism development has to be looked at carefully and in such a way so as to benefit those who live in the County (region). It should never be at the expense of the natural environment or day-to-day living, for Flintshire is their home. Visitors are but temporary, taking what they choose and then leaving again. But more crucially is the fact that visitors are normally not loyal to a place, the fashions change or are easily tempted to something different, and therefore leaving behind little-used or unused major infrastructures, causing great harm, unemployment and environmental degradation. 3. Fundamental to the success and development of any global, regional or even county tourism is the training of local people. The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. They live and know the area and a part of it, but importantly, they know the local people and should know the people's issues, both social, environmental and economic. 4. It is important in the promotion of tourism to a destination that the relationship between tourism and the environment should be examined. An Economic Development Plan incorporating tourism should carry out Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of a holiday destination. Using such a methodology to analyse environmental issues concerned with a holiday 'product' at a destination it provides a detailed analysis of the inputs required for the entire life-cycle of that product and destination-specific impacts that these inputs create. A series of LCAs could help to bring together information on the good environmental practices found at different destinations. 5. To meet the requirements of Agenda-21 the Tourism Plan needs to plan for Sustainable Tourism, that is: "Meeting the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support systems." (World Travel and Tourism Council, 1995) The authors of the Economic Development Plan should read the source of that quotation, which describes actions required in the Tourism Industry. The County Council should also join the Green Globe Programme, launched by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). This includes public awareness, which is crucial as stakeholders in the destination areas. 6. In line with the above critique, the following specific suggestions are made for amendments to the Plan: 6a. Insert new T1: "CARRY OUT A SURVEY OF EXISTING TOURISM ACTIVITY, ANALYSE FULLY FOR BENEFITS AND DISBENEFITS TO ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL FABRIC AND PROFITS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES." 6b. Insert new T2: "SET IN PLACE MEASURES TO CHANGE FROM EXISTING TYPE OF TOURISM TO ECO-TOURISM." 6c. Insert new paragraph after existing T7: "FORM A TOURISM FORUM FOR CONSULTATION WITH AFFECTED COMMUNITIES AND TO ALLOW PARTICIPATION IN FORMULATING TOURISM POLICIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH AGENDA-21." 7. (At this point I also wish to make another very specific suggestion, which is not necessarily based on the above argument. Knowle Hill, Buckley is of immense historical importance owing to its unique continuity of industrial use of that area since Roman times right through to the present day. Therefore add to existing T11: "DEVELOP KNOWLE HILL, BUCKLEY AS AN INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE PARK THAT EMPHASISES THIS LONG HISTORICAL LEGACY.") REFERENCE World Travel and Tourism Council, (1995), Agenda-21 for the Travel and Tourism Industry - Towards Environmentally Sustainable Development, London, U.K.