07.01.20
A renewed partnership between business and government
Source: PSE Dec 19/Jan 20
Matthew Fell CBI Chief UK Policy Director
from Whitehall to townhalls, from head office to high street shops
Speaking to businesses across the North there’s enormous pride and enthusiasm for its potential. However, after a prolonged period of uncertainty which is harming investor confidence and has caused people to lose faith in a system that they just don’t see working for them, we must ensure that 2020 is a year of action.
With challenges on the horizon that will define generations to come, any agenda for the North must be the result of a renewed partnership between business and government – from Whitehall to townhalls, from head office to high street shops.
Long-term challenges to make education fit for the pace of technological change, tackle the climate crisis, and ensure all parts of the region can share in growth require long-term solutions. And they must come from all parts of the North. Its only by doing so that the benefits of prosperity are shared by all.
Business can bring the investment and innovation, and nowhere more so than in the North. It’s home to many of the UK’s world class education institutions, a diverse range of businesses, and world leading research centres. But it needs sustained commitment. Whether that’s committing to HS2 in full to unlock connectivity across our major cities. Providing a clear framework for the future of devolution in England so that decisions are made closer to the people they affect. Or setting out how the 2020s will be a decade of delivery when it comes to meeting our Net-Zero climate ambitions. And the size of the prize is significant, focusing on the drivers of productivity – skills, connectivity, innovation, exporting, and business practices – could add £200bn to the economy.
EvoNorth 2020 must kickstart a new way of working across the North, bringing businesses and government together in a renewed partnership to make a compelling case for the North’s future.
On the 4th and 5th of March in Manchester, the EvoNorth conference is uniting hundreds of chief executives, directors and senior managers from across the Northern Powerhouse responsible for the delivery of transformational public services to the millions of citizens located in the North.
Over the two days delegates get to collaborate and share best practice through a series of seminars, panel discussions, workshops and innovation hubs focusing on improved outcomes and transformational public services and get to hear from an eclectic mix of speakers and panellists including Sir Merrick Cockell from Localis and the UK Municipal Bonds Agency; Cllr James Jamieson of the LGA; Tim Wood, Northern Powerhouse Rail Director, Transport for the North; Roger Marsh, Chair of NP11 and many more...
Click here to secure your subsidised tickets to this CPD accredited event for only £89.95 each and save over £200.