Recovery Members Update July 2010
Welcome to RHA Recovery Member Update!
Last month was a really busy month for me and everyone at RHA. The European Tow Show went ahead at Telford, organised by Frank McAllister and Chris Seaton. Roy Jones was sadly missed, but as Frank said ‘the show must go on.’
Well done to everyone connected with the organisation and thank you to everyone for taking time out of their busy schedule to visit the show. Visitor numbers were definitely up!
With most automotive trade shows cancelling last year, we were proud that our show went ahead. This year’s show was about consolidating, but there is a hint that next year will bring changes. Frank said his farewells after standing down as show director, so there will be a different show director next year and possibly some new ideas.
This year has seen a lot of companies being cautious in the wake of the world’s deepest recession, but I think many companies at this year’s show were expecting things to improve in the second half of the year. Next year’s show needs to reflect that optimism. The Tow Show is a wonderful showcase for our industry and with ERRI getting the full backing of the industry at the Stakeholders Meeting; we have every reason to be confident that the Tow Show should grow in strength because of that. ERRI has to be the right way forward for our industry in uniting it.
European Rescue & Recovery Initiative
Our chairman, Nikki King, was determined that ERRI should be the centre of the Open Meeting on the Friday morning. Over 200 operators and stakeholders heard David Ebsworth explain the overwhelming support for ERRI from the industry stakeholders at the previous day’s meeting. The delegates themselves voted unanimously to support the ERRI initiative. The RHA Recovery committee discussed Nikki’s strategic plan for ERRI at its monthly meeting and we have nominated members for the various working groups for ERRI.
There is a lot of hard work still to be done in accommodating the various trade bodies that make up the ERRI and the other industry stakeholders, but this initiative now has the full support of all the stakeholders and this is the first time all these various bodies will be sitting round a table and discussing issues that affect the operators.
New Members Sign Up
RHA Recovery had its own stand at the Tow Show, manned by myself and other RHA employees at various stages of the show.
The stand was always busy with operators stopping for a chat. It was quite surprising that so many non-members sat down to discuss issues that they face on a daily basis. We managed to sign-up five new members at the show, but many more members were interested and have indicated that they will be joining.
We are in the process at the moment of contacting the many people we spoke to about joining. ERRI was a common theme that operators wanted to discuss. Many operators see ERRI as a very positive innovation.
Police Contracts
I have written to ACPO about police contracts. The committee are concerned that certain police forces are requesting sensitive information on their application forms.
The information is deemed as intrusive and not relevant to appropriate business disclosures. The committee have approached two police authorities and requested that they re-word their application forms and both have agreed to do so, but by writing to ACPO we hope that all police authorities will get the message.
If you have experience of any such practices, please contact me or any other committee members. Your calls will be dealt with in confidence.
Keep in Contact
That’s about all from me at the moment. We would like to hear from operators if you have any issues that need resolving. We would also like some feedback on this year’s Tow Show and the ERRI. Please contact me at 07976 829927 or by email at d.gregory@rha.uk.net – I also have a dedicated landline on 01952 522565.