Fishburn Hedges

17.05.2011

Sir Philip, Lord Sugar…. and now Mary Portas is the latest government sign-up tasked with an independent review.  It was announced this week that Portas has been appointed by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills to assess the future of the High Street and to identify what government, local authorities and businesses can do to promote the development of more prosperous and diverse High Streets.

I am a massive fan of Mary.  Her TV shows are hugely watchable, she clearly knows her stuff and her feisty ‘take-no-prisoners’ style certainly gets things done (although I gather the retail community aren’t entirely enamoured…)  But do we really need another celebrity business guru leading the government change charge?

Sir Philip Green was appointed to lead an efficiency review of government spending last year and in 2009 Lord Sugar was hired as Labour’s Enterprise Tsar.  We even had Carol Vorderman appointed as a Maths Tsar.  But what have these people really achieved apart from headlines, and not all of those entirely positive?

These appointments feel like government simply pandering to a celebrity-obsessed electorate.  Fame is not always equivalent to expertise and governments, no matter what their politics, are too seduced by the quick headlines these announcements generate.  Indeed, it seems the whole idea of a Tsar has replaced a Commission of the great and good as the quick fix of the day.

Long-term investment in someone with real expertise driving forward an area of government policy can undoubtedly be a good thing.  From what I’ve seen, Martha Lane Fox, for example, has made real strides addressing the challenge of digital inclusion and getting 10 million online.  Yes, she has some celebrity appeal, but she’s also brought a deep understanding of the very specific issues and a time commitment to tackling the problem that mean she is around to give regular updates and progress reports, and to delve into the detail – such as providing real advice on the content and navigation of the direct.gov website.

Changing policy and delivering action requires hard graft, slogging through departmental meetings, listening to stakeholders and identifying practical changes to act as a catalyst. And enough civil servants to make it happen.  Above all, it requires a knowledge of the way the government machine works.  Otherwise your report is consigned to join the others gathering dust on the top shelf.

Only time will tell whether Mary Portas is another Martha; whether she can deliver more than just a few celebrity appearances on High Streets up and down England.  But I sincerely hope she can, because there’s no doubt our High Streets are in dire need of saving. 

Posted by Rachel Woods