The final part of the SWOT analysis – what are the threats to us?

This is a tough one – especially if we are to be honest.

In some ways we are our own biggest threat. I think we sometimes beat ourselves up when we don’t need to. I guess that is sometimes because we see better things on the other patch of green grass. And there is no harm in that. We should aspire to better. In fact the City are pushing a message of ‘good’ to ‘great’.

Politically the strength of the Labour movement locally can be perceived as a bad thing. Not because there are bad politicians but rather that opposition is ineffective. I’m not sure this is healthy – but I can’t seeing it change any time soon. I think this remains a threat to the City.

We also have two Cities close by who are snapping at our heels. We have Leicester with a bigger and more culturally diverse population and we have Derby who have a very clear marketing message and position – they punch above their weight. We have to be careful not to be complacent; simply saying we are ‘better’ doesn’t quite was in these times. We have to prove we are better.

Something that will emerge over the next few years (months?) is technology – and this threat applies to all major Cities. We have to be ready for the massive change in technology – particularly with the necessity to be connected. If we don’t get connected then we will suffer long term consequences. Fast internet connections, wifi, augmented reality applications and connections are going to play an increasingly important part of our lives.

Like all of the parts of this ‘business plan’ these things are all connected. Have I missed anything obvious?