08/08/12

Nothing is impossible, says determined county councillor Mark Dance

by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Businessman and county councillor Mark Dance has hit the ground running by launching a “Top Gun” team of experienced officials to consider the implications of every policy issue on the economy.

The new cabinet member for regeneration and economic development is keen to take his brief into all policy areas because he says it is at the heart of jobs growth and prosperity for the county. Roads, property, ICT, finance all have an impact, he says.

“Regeneration and economic development aren’t a silo. It’s got to go right across the whole of KCC.”

This goes to the heart of his philosophy that puts business first. His creed is “Nothing is impossible” and he admits to frustration at bureaucratic delays. He is determined to remove blockages.

“Business is my top priority,” declares Dance, who has run a construction and glazing firm for 10 years. But so too are young people. He has already implemented plans for an apprenticeship scheme in memory of his predecessor Kevin Lynes.

He shares the late councillor’s enthusiasm for helping young people into the world of work.

Before Cllr Lynes’ death at the age of 51 earlier this year, his twin aims were to promote Kent business and encourage employers to hire young people struggling to find work.

Dance has found £50,000 to start the Kevin Lynes Apprenticeship Scheme to help a potentially “lost generation.”

He says: “If they’ve had no luck, let’s try and make some luck and get them in front of an employer.”

Dance is equally passionate about schools’ careers advice which he dismisses as light and patchy. As former cabinet member for education, he has seen that schools are not doing enough to turn out “work-ready” youngsters.

“It’s an embarrassment,” he says. “How do we engage business with schools? We’ve got to get into schools earlier, to start talking to young people about careers at the primary stage.”

Dance has been working on the third Regional Growth Fund bid of £30m, which would create 3,000 jobs in the Kent Thames Gateway and Coryton, Essex.

If approved, it would offer –like Expansion East Kent at the ex-Pfizer site at Sandwich – interest-free loans to companies investing and creating jobs in the Ebbsfleet area.

He has recently become a board member of Locate in Kent, the inward investment agency.

Dance says a third Thames crossing is crucial. “The payback would be massive and quick.” He also wants to see a roundabout outside the Kent County showground. Rural regeneration is another Dance passion.

He is excited by his new role, declaring he is a round peg in a round hole. He cut his teeth on his latest brief as chairman of the regeneration and economic development policy overview and scrutiny committee.

With high-profile cabinet roles in education and economic development on his CV, Dance has held Premier League cabinet portfolios. He is itching to make a difference.

Council colleagues can expect to be led a merry Dance if they fail to engage in his agenda and passion for business, economic success and young people’s achievement.