We shouldn’t really be surprised at the extent of Gordon Brown’s changes to the faces of government last week – but it means that everyone we’ve got to know, and who have supported women’s enterprise development over the last few years, is now in a different place. Margaret Hodge, who in her short tenure was an energetic and committed champion, is replaced by Stephen Timms in the re-named DTI – the Dept of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR). Patricia Hewitt is out altogether and with Ruth Kelly’s departure to Transport, we have yet another Minister for Women team – Harriet Harman and Barbara Follett. A former women’s enterprise Minister, Jacqui Smith, has been elevated (with a baptism of fire) to Home Secretary.
Other points of interest: an all-women team in the Treasury (apart from Chancellor Darling of course); a new department for innovation, science, universities and skills (and an all-male ministerial team); Ed Miliband in overall charge of Cabinet Office (good news for his former colleagues in the Office of the Third Sector (OTS))?; Hazel Blears in charge of Communities & Local Government.
So a few challenges ahead but we have confidence that a combination of Stephen Timms (who ‘gets’ the enterprise agenda) and the Ministers for Women will ensure that women’s entrepreneurship is still a priority issue. Barbara Follett will sit in the Dept of Work and Pensions, and with Harman’s cross-government reach, they will bring passion and commitment to the role.
The big disappointment has been the formation of a new ‘Business Council for Britain’ – with only one female business member – Marjorie Scardino of Pearson (FT etc) - and the remainder mostly representing the pale and the grey. See full list at: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12224.asp. Am I being too pessimistic? Let me know what you think of the list.
July 5, 2007 at 6:04 pm
It will be interesting to see what happens to Margaret Hodge’s 1,000 women ambassadors programme officially launched last Monday. I heard much enthusiasm to mentor and support girls and women in enterprise from women who attended the launch, but some frustration that they were ready to do it but there was as yet no programme structure (not that that should stop us getting out there anyway, but a co-ordinated effort is welcome in addition to our own initiatives and actions). Margaret announced that an inducation timetable would be completed by the RDA’s in the next couple of months. She also recognised publicly that this might be her final action in post, so was keen to get it started.
I’m hoping that Barbara Follett’s appointment as 1 of the 2 ministers for women will be good news for women’s enterprise – she has an interesting history of being enterprising herself (was it in South Africa?) and when I’ve heard her speak she’s come across as forceful, active, and not afraid to shake some trees.
Ref pessimism – it depends how much the women and the men in power know about, care about, and work towards a fair enterprise agenda both for men and for women. I know Prowess will continue to do a great and critical job of promoting collaboration around the agenda, along with the many enterprise agencies, individuals etc. A multi-pronged approach.