20/06/2026
The last two weeks have flown by starting with London Tech Week and a seminar at Canva, held by the amazing Norwich based Tech Educators. A big thank you to James Charles Adams for the invite and I’ll be catching up with a few Norfolk businesses I promised to, next week. From there to Makerfield to help out campaigning for Rob Kenyon.
This week has been preparing for my role on Norfolk County Councils Scrutiny Committee and the 88 questions I’ve prepared for officers, going off this weekend.
Also on Wednesday and Thursday back up to Makerfield to support Reform UK in the election and meeting lots of lovely people who travelled from all corners of the UK. Shout out goest to the two councillors from Wakefield council who joined me for the England game. It looks like our campaign to get Starmer Out rang so true that Andy Burnham used to win. BTW Andy Burnham was on the same train carriage as me, I didn’t give up my seat for him unlike Josh Simons.
My reflection for the week.
I attended a Norfolk County Council Apprenticeship Exhibition in Norwich. It was well attended as it should be, bearing in mind the rise in NEET’s. But I have to ask myself out of the 40 or 50 exhibitors, all promoting Apprenticeship Training, paid for by our taxes, why was there only one employer there who could actually deliver a job alongside their apprenticeship. (Military service org).
So my question is… what are we expecting our young people to do? Go on a never ending carousel of training courses hoping that the government becomes ‘Business Friendly’ and we start employing again. Or keep paying towards training for non existent jobs. Chicken and egg.
We have to start asking the right types of questions. What’s the outcome and return on investment?
I’ve employed several apprentices over the years who have gone on to have great careers. But right now many of my friends are retrenching and shedding staff - the price of anti-business polices.