Letter: Our county needs to promote itself and attract businesses

Indicators are subject to distortion and do not fully reflect things like the health of the economy and certainly do not reflect the health of the Shropshire economy.

Mr Carney is not the sole arbiter of prosperity, and long-term prosperity demands a framework to attract business to this country, and given the varying circumstances of each area, this is hard to do with a national proposal.

I would like to see Shropshire come up with a proposal to promote, outlining its own unique plus points – reasonable house prices, attractive countryside, no significant deprived areas and so on.

I would suggest targeting and cultivating areas such as the web and information technology-based industry based around 'Silicon Roundabout' in London. An area which has none of the attractions of London and all its disadvantages. North Shropshire would be much more pleasant for them.

Regarding specific companies, I worked on a project for Airbus and it struck me as a company which would be ideal for Shropshire, especially as we lie in between two major Airbus sites. However, the national profile which this country presented to it was bad beyond description.

It has fierce loyalty to associates and expects the same back. All customers are listed on a wall, and at the time British Airways was not there. It was extremely unhappy about that, and the fact it had substantial investment here which would be more efficient elsewhere, did not help.

At the time the British were selling their share in the company. I said that where I lived, everyone who could wanted to work for Airbus, that Airbus had the best reputation bar none as an employer, and the whole area was proud f the product and it's association with Airbus. Which surprised them.

Given the national incompetence in such things, Shropshire will have to organise it's own long-term regeneration.

Robin Lloyd

Ellesmere