<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/c5bd60b9526be0578a72ad0204039e2b.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">In our latest roundup of leaders in their own words, we hear from Rishi Sunak on his new economic plan, Nick Leech on building relationships with customers, Lee Summers on recruitment and John O’Reilly on the casino industry. Rishi Sunak‘Today’s measures mark an important evolution in our approach. Our lives can no longer be put on hold.’ (The chancellor of the exchequer on the new<a href="https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1309160219604406273?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet"> ‘Winter Economy Plan’</a>)Nadia Whittome‘It is important that MPs are able to vote in line with their conscience in consideration of all the facts and in good faith - all of which I am confident that I have done.’ (The Labour MP after <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nadia-whittome-overseas-operations-bill-sacked-keir-starmer-torture-b593409.html">being sacked</a> from her role as parliamentary private secretary after breaking the whip to vote against the Overseas Operations Bill)&nbsp;Lee Summers ‘I ensure they have the right attitude, and this is something that’s only possible to discern by working with people for a long time. It’s difficult to articulate what exactly constitutes the right person, but I know it when I see it.’ (The <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/oakmore-builders">Oakmore Builders</a> founder and CEO when asked about how he managed to build a strong team)&nbsp;Matt Hancock‘I’ve learned not to rule things out and one of the challenges that we have is how to make sure people are as safe as possible.’ (The health secretary when asked on <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54278053">BBC Radio 4's Today Programme</a> about whether students would be asked to stay in their university towns at Christmas).&nbsp;Nick Leech‘On top of the professional processes we put in place, we continuously strive to put the needs of our clients at the centre of all advice. This means understanding the realities of their lives and being aware that while we deal with complex finance every day, for them this may be unfamiliar territory.’ (The <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/nestor">Nestor</a> CEO on working with clients)&nbsp;John O’Reilly‘If we are shut for half the hours the consequences are obvious and our colleagues understand that.’ (The chief executive of Rank Group, which owns the Grosvenor Casinos, on his concerns that curfew measures will halve his revenues). Jonathan Downey‘If you are going to shut the doors and kick everyone out on the street, they are not just going to go home. That is going to take young people in particular out of Covid-secure, carefully managed venues into cramped flats and house parties and other venues where the virus is going to love it.’ (The co-founder of London Union, which runs several dining and events venues across the capital, on the impact of the new 10pm closing time.&nbsp;<div class="medium-insert-embeds">
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In our latest roundup of leaders in their own words, we hear from Rishi Sunak on his new economic plan, Nick Leech on building relationships with customers, Lee Summers on recruitment and John O’Reilly on the casino industry.

Leaders in their own words: Sunak, Whittome, Summers, Hancock and Leech

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/4738720e2cb38b12efe9d9f40481fbcd.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">As Britons show increased disillusionment with the coherence of the government’s Covid messaging, Dan Norris-Jones, managing director of Priocept, has called for more plain English in the digital world. Leadership in FocusIn the past few weeks, the government has variously told us to eat out to help out, to stay home where possible, to get back to the office but to work from home if you can and to heed the latest scientific modelling for what may happen in the future, which should in no way be confused with a prediction. It is therefore refreshing to hear a call for clear messaging and plain English. For Dan Norris-Jones, the founder and managing director of Priocept, his call is directly related to the digital world, which he believes is ‘even more jargon than when we started out [sixteen years ago].’ Explaining the problem <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/priocept">clearly and succinctly</a>, Mr Norris-Jones says:‘Despite working with information technology and software all day every day, and despite employing&nbsp;consultants who are experts in various digital technologies, even we struggle to make sense of all the latest jargon being used.‘Most technology jargon is not clearly defined, so if you find one expert who can explain what a term means, the next expert you speak with will invariably give you a different definition.‘If the experts in the field of information and digital technology can’t agree on, clearly define or understand their own terminology, then what chance does the lay person – consumer, business leader or government policymaker – have of understanding all the various terms and their nuances?’As such, one of Priocept’s key values is: ‘Never blind with science – always use plain English rather than buzzwords.’It is advice that Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance could perhaps have heeded before trying to educate the country on the difference between projections, predictions, modelling and forecasting. Founded by Mr Norris-Jones in 2004, Priocept combine software delivery, cloud infrastructure, network configuration, and electronic engineering to help businesses create digital products and services. Headquartered in London but with an office in San Francisco, the company’s clients include Argos, Avis, GlaxoSmithKline, Kent and Essex Police and Virgin Mobile.They were <a href="http://priocept.com/2020/03/19/priocept-appointed-to-spark-technology-innovation-marketplace/">recently appointed</a> to the list of suppliers that are able to provide services to public sector organisations through the Spark Technology Innovation Marketplace.Leadership Today The Daily Telegraph leads with <a href="https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/365/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/365/pub/365/page/2/article/86363">reports</a> that the government are encouraging people to report on their neighbours if they suspect them of disobeying instructions to self-isolate, which could result in a fine of up to £10,000.&nbsp;From today, it is a legal duty to self-isolate if you have tested positive for Covid or been told to stay at home by NHS test and trace. This follows reports that the public are losing patience with the chaotic nature of the government’s messaging. The move has been criticised by a number of Tory MPs, with up to 100 now believed to be prepared to back Sir Graham Brady’s proposed amendment to the Coronavirus Act, which would compel ministers to give parliament a vote on future measures.The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has also expressed his concerns at some of the current national rules, particularly the 10pm curfew on bars and restaurants:Mr Burnham <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-call-to-ban-alcohol-sales-from-9pm-9vwwmljcp">told the BBC’s Today programme</a>: ‘I received reports that the supermarkets were absolutely packed out to the rafters with people gathering. I think there needs to be an urgent review of the emerging evidence from police forces across the country.‘My gut feeling is that this curfew is doing more harm than good. It creates an incentive for people to gather in the street or more probably to gather in the home.‘That is the opposite of what our local restrictions here are trying to do. I don’t think this has been fully thought through.’As an alternative, he suggested allowing bars and restaurants to stay open later but banning the sale of alcohol across the board from 9pm. Speaking to the same programme, health minister Helen Whately said that the government was learning from experience:‘It is clearly early days. We have just changed this rule last week. ‘We keep an open mind on what is the best way to go about it. The steps that we have taken, particularly with the 10pm curfew, is something that we have done in some places during the course of the summer where we saw localised outbreaks and hospitality being part of the picture.‘We are constantly learning and seeing what has the most impact but we clearly need to take a step because of what we have seen with the rates going up across the country.’Leadership in HistoryOn this day in 1066, <a href="https://www.onthisday.com/photos/norman-invasion-of-england">William the Conqueror</a> landed on the south coast of England and seized the country from Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson, changing the course of English history forever.&nbsp;</div>

As Britons show increased disillusionment with the coherence of the government’s Covid messaging, Dan Norris-Jones, managing director of Priocept, has called for more plain English in the digital world.

Priocept's Norris-Jones calls for plain English as Britons struggle with government messaging 

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/7b78b5f7bb1366f899e92338d0ccbda1.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">As the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown forced businesses to pivot and rethink their offerings to reinvigorate income streams and secure survival, education and training providers are among those that have had to overhaul their delivery systems to provide remote learning and render their physical premises Covid-secure and safe for learners to return. Writing for the Leaders Council, <a href="http://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/phil-juniper">Phil Juniper</a>, the managing director of vocational and bespoke training and development programmes provider, <a href="https://www.vocationalsolutions.co.uk/">Vocational Skills Solutions</a>, chronicles the realities of the pandemic for his business and elaborates on what they have had to do to maintain operations.I would like to begin by wishing everyone and their families well. My family and I have been shielding since March 13 with our extremely vulnerable toddler, Theo, who suffers from Chronic Lung Disease. I have, therefore, witnesses first-hand the difficulties that many have faced over the last six months, with no real end in sight.However, as things are reverting somewhat toward normality, whatever that ‘new normal’ will look like, my team and I have been very busy making our learning environments safe and secure for our returning learners.When the pandemic arrived here in England, we like many others in our industry had to act fast to protect not only those who were losing their jobs in the dozens, but those learners who were already furthest away from employment. We worked hard to ensure that those that were furthest away, were not pushed even further away from the skills and support they needed. We set about redeveloping our delivery methods, implemented new IT systems and hardware, and invested heavily in staff training and professional development. As a result, we are proud to say that we were able to continue delivering our curriculum remotely to a large number of disadvantaged learners throughout this pandemic, many of whom have benefited both socially and economically during this very difficult, and worrying time.It is hard to comprehend now the extent of the journey we have all made, physically, mentally, and emotionally to get to this point, so it is great to see nearly all learners attending their classroom sessions in these early weeks. It has been very different, but it has been orderly, and learners have mostly been very good with wearing facemasks. By the end of the days, some have been a little more casual than they should have been, but it has been an encouraging start.The amount of work required to enable the reopening of our training centres throughout different regions has been extraordinary. Preparing a teaching environment to open in a pandemic has necessitated a complete overhaul and a rigorous review of even the smallest detail.<blockquote>Looking back to the weeks before the pandemic emerged, it is striking how much we took for granted. We never questioned whether our training centres would open for a new year, or how we would prepare to welcome our learners. There has always been a familiar routine for everything, but almost every step this year has had to be reinvented.</blockquote>We were fully aware that our learners would be apprehensive and in many cases worried about attending our centres, so it has been great to hear that initial feedback from them has been very positive, and learners have said they feel safe and protected in their learning environments. It was tempting to dwell on what was missing, but we had to remain focused on accomplishing what was important, and that is ensuring our learners receive quality education and learning, and are supported in to employment and/or further learning.For now, we must continue to operate in bubbles, so that we have the greatest chance of keeping our training centres open. However, as we become increasingly confident in our control measures, we hope to be able to introduce more relaxed learning environments, for more learners.I would urge everyone to continue to be considerate now and in the future. Stay safe, look after yourselves, and look after each other.<div class="medium-insert-embeds">
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	<figcaption class="">In July 2020, Vocational Skills Solutions managing director Phil Juniper appeared on the Leaders Council podcast series, discussing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the importance of robust leadership during times of crisis. You may listen to the interview here.</figcaption></figure>
	
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As the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown forced businesses to pivot and rethink their offerings to reinvigorate income streams and secure survival, education and training providers are among those that have had to overhaul their delivery systems to provide remote learning and render their physical premises Covid-secure and safe for learners to return.

“Almost every step has had to be reinvented”: Vocational Skills Solutions MD speaks of the realities of Covid-19 for training providers

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/30b7787a1e3fcc0271fa174b78c2dd47.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">This week, <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/chancellor-reveals-emergency-measures-to-protect-jobs-while-autumn-budget-is-called-off">chancellor Rishi Sunak</a> set out his “winter economic plan”, outlining how the government plans to help businesses after Covid-19 restrictions were tightened by the prime minister.Alongside the new <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-chancellors-winter-plan-will-support-wages-of-people-in-work-from-november-12080039">Jobs Support Scheme</a>, which will replace the furlough scheme and come into action from November 1, Sunak has said that there will be an extension to the repayment window for businesses who have borrowed money through the government’s bounce-back loan initiative, while the VAT cut for hospitality and tourism companies has been extended to the end of March 2021.Businesses who deferred their VAT will no longer be required to pay a lump sum at the end of March and have been given the option of splitting repayments into smaller, interest free repayments over the course of 11 months.<a href="https://twitter.com/hmtreasury/status/1309086840360706048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1309086840360706048%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fworld-54273738">The Treasury</a> has said that up to half a million businesses could benefit from the measures.One such business is <a href="https://www.uniformcollection.com/">Florence Roby</a>, a family-owned business in Prescot, Merseyside, specialised in the design and manufacture of workwear for the hospitality, beauty and leisure industries.At the beginning of lockdown, the business diversified into healthcare and diverted its production toward producing personal protective equipment for frontline NHS workers.Lloyds Bank stepped in at the time to support the business with a six-figure loan and capital repayment holiday through the government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.<a href="https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-west/tentative-signs-of-north-west-trading-recovery-lloyds">Speaking to Insider, Glenn Bemment, regional director at Lloyds, commented:</a> "Through all the turmoil, I've been struck by just how many firms have innovated during lockdown, diversifying and pivoting their models – discovering profitable new ways to operate that will be made permanent."The months ahead will likely bring new hurdles for north west businesses to overcome, but there will also be opportunities for recovery and growth. While it will no doubt be a gradual process, we look forward to seeing the region's confidence rise once again as firms find success in whatever lies ahead."In response to the chancellor’s measures, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the Confederation of British Industry, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-outlines-winter-economy-plan">said</a>: “These bold steps from the Treasury will save hundreds of thousands of viable jobs this winter. It is right to target help on jobs with a future but can only be part-time while demand remains flat. This is how skills and jobs can be preserved to enable a fast recovery.“Wage support, tax deferrals and help for the self-employed will reduce the scarring effect of unnecessary job losses as the UK tackles the virus. Employers will apply the same spirit of creativity, seizing every opportunity to retrain and upskill their workers.“The chancellor has listened to evidence from business and acted decisively. It is this spirit of agility and collaboration that will help make 2021 a year of growth and renewal.”National chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, Mike Cherry, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-outlines-winter-economy-plan">added</a>: “The UK’s small businesses are facing an incredibly difficult winter. [This] support package is the flipside of the coin to Tuesday’s Covid-19 business restrictions.“It is a swift and significant intervention, extending emergency SME loans, creating new wage support for small employers and the self-employed, and providing cashflow help on VAT deferrals and new Time To Pay for any tax bills to HMRC.”Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@f7photo">Michael Longmire</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/">Unsplash</a></div>

This week, chancellor Rishi Sunak set out his “winter economic plan”, outlining how the government plans to help businesses after Covid-19 restrictions were tightened by the prime minister.

Florence Roby one of the many businesses set to benefit from chancellor’s new Covid-19 economic measures

Elizabeth Hancock is the Chief Executive of Mary Ann Evans Hospice, a local community hospice whose aim is to provide specialised care, support and advice to patients and their families when living with a life limiting illness.

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Leaders in their own words: Sunak, Whittome, Summers, Hancock and Leech

Priocept's Norris-Jones calls for plain English as Britons struggle with government messaging

“Almost every step has had to be reinvented”: Vocational Skills Solutions MD speaks of the realities of Covid-19 for training providers

Florence Roby one of the many businesses set to benefit from chancellor’s new Covid-19 economic measures