A CALL went out last night from the professional business community to the majority Labour leaders of the City of York Council to draw up new economic plans for the city.

John Yeomans, chairman of York Professionals was speaking to more than 200 people at his organisation’s annual dinner at the Ron Cooke Hub on the new £750 million University of York campus development at Heslington East.

He said: “We are a year into the coalition but only a week into a change of political control of City of York Council, which puts a new party in control.

“On behalf of York Professionals I would like to urge upon the new council the need for an economic development plan for the city and the wider economy; a plan that is visible, clear in its objectives and the resources required to implement it and a business-like delivery mechanism.

“It does not need to be a huge document – in fact the shorter the better – it simply needs to be described in a manner that is convincing and which the public and business can get behind with their enthusiasm and determination to ensure the future prosperity of the city.”

Guest speaker at the dinner was Greg Dyke, former BBC boss and Chancellor of the University of York. His theme was Leadership: Why having the right strategy isn’t enough.

Mr Dyke argued that strategy alone did not make a good business leader. Generally “strategy” was a post-rationalisation for what they had achieved.

Archie Norman who had sold Asda to American giant Walmart for ten times the sum he had acquired it had told him that his strategy was a myth. He had simply spent two years sorting out an enormous cash crisis, then had decided what to do next in an opportunist way.

In his four years as Director General of the BBC the most successful long term invention was Freeview.

“It didn’t come as a result of a detailed, thought-out strategy. It came about because of the circumstances we found ourselves in.

“It was invented by two of us sitting in the office. It was actually much too good an idea to have when you are working for a public sector organisation. There are an awful lot of people out there who wanted more TV channels but didn’t want to pay.

“It had nothing to do with strategy. It was opportunity.”

But he did advise business leaders that what really mattered was “to employ people with good ideas and give them the opportunity and freedom to take risks.”

The protests that had occurred in the streets by BBC employees when he was forced out of office came about because he had a culture where people with ideas could flourish. “They had lived through a Prague Spring and they could hear the rumble of the tanks,” he said.