Chamber and committees

Good morning. Thank you for sharing your insight. I am interested in how we might view our approach to the inquiry and the issue of whether we use a deficit model that sees towns as a problem to be solved or an alternative model that sees towns as a solution for modern living. Your perspective that every town is unique and has its own story is relevant in that regard.

What do you see as the role of culture, events, tourism and leisure in relation to the identity aspect that you have been talking about and people’s experience of town centres?

Monica Lennon has a supplementary question.

It is understood that the UK Government might bring in new laws as soon as this week. Will you commit to comply with any future UK legislation in the area?

Are you convinced that your members are doing enough just now to retrain and upskill the existing workforce, if that is the main focus?

We move to questions from Jackie Dunbar.

I will bring in Gordon Nelson next. We are trying to get a handle on how long the skills retraining or new training will take and on its intensity.

I ask Martyn Raine to comment briefly on what he thinks will be required.

Thanks very much, Gordon. I call Brian Whittle.

Do you have any shame for yourself or your company?

A company director who breaks the law—that is a serious responsibility for any individual.

I will move on to the area of finance. When its annual accounts were signed off on 10 December 2021, the board of P&O Ferries Holdings considered the business to be “a going concern”. Can you explain what changed in the past three months, that led from the business being “a going concern” to the summary sacking of 800 workers?