In June of last year, York announced it had achieved accreditation as a Good Business Charter city, the first of its kind.
In contrast to some of the regional employment charters that have sprung up in recent years, the Good Business Charter presents a more holistic approach by championing minimum standards of responsible business behaviour across 10 key components throughout a city, town, county, borough or region.
The Good Business Charter is a simple accreditation with backing from the Trades Union Congress, the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Living Wage Foundation.
Founded by entrepreneur/philanthropist Julian Richer, it looks to measure organisations on their care for employees, customers, suppliers and the environment, all while committing to paying their fair share of tax.
For local government, this presents an opportunity to bring to businesses in their area something nationally recognised and business-led. It is underpinned by consumer polling that reveals 97 per cent of people think it’s important for a business to act responsibly.
City of York Council said its Good Business Charter would help it ensure York’s residents have access to the best working conditions, with fairness, representation, diversity and a shared commitment to environmental responsibilities at the core of its employment standards.
More recently, the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames received charter accreditation and is now encouraging businesses in the borough to follow suit.
We believe adopting the Good Business Charter in this place-based model brings all the benefits of a regional charter – championing your local area and spurring organisations and residents on to good, green growth – without the huge outlay in resources that designing your own charter can create.
Furthermore, it comes with support from our key partners and the opportunity for businesses to become part of a community that includes such companies as Aviva, Richer Sounds, Brompton and TSB.