Business leaders meet politicians (From Swindon Advertiser)

Business leaders meet politicians

1:30pm Saturday 12th June 2010 in News By Leigh Robinson

GWE Business West has organised the first meeting between businesses and the MPs for Swindon, Gloucestershire and the west of England to discuss important local business issues.

The meetings were prompted by the British Chambers of Commerce asking all chambers to participate in co-ordinated lobbying of MPs on various business matters, ensuring Government awareness of them at grass roots level.

GWE Business West is an organisation devoted to helping businesses across the region and promoting their interests.

MPs who have been involved so far include South Swindon’s Robert Buckland, his North Swindon counterpart Justin Tomlinson, Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury), Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold) and Dawn Primarolo (Bristol South).

Tessa Coombes, its director of policy and strategy, said: “As the new Government moves policies forward, we want our local MPs to subject major economic policy decisions to a Business Recovery Test.

“If a policy proposal can spur business growth and wealth creation, it should be supported, but if a policy proposal has negative impacts on businesses, even unintentionally, it must be rejected.

“The examples provided were based around the employer National Insurance rise and proposed changes to Capital Gains Tax – both of which would fail the Business Recovery Test.”

Ms Coombes said the discussion varied on this issue but overall the concept of the Business Recovery Test was supported, and the general principle welcomed. But there was also some suggestion that it needed better definition for it to be useful.

A topical issue for conversation was the proposed abolition of Regional Development Agencies and their replacement with Local Enterprise Partnerships. These are proposed as joint local authority-business bodies brought forward by local authorities themselves to promote local economic development.

The coalition agreement says these business bodies may take the form of existing RDAs in areas where they are popular, but in other areas should form around “natural economic areas”.

The discussion at the meetings also focused on the question of what is a natural economic area.

Ms Coombes said the options and issues explored included: l A recognition that the south west region does not stack up effectively as a region l Possible importance of an M4 corridor sub region l The potential for bringing together the west of England, Wiltshire/Swindon and Gloucestershire into one local enterprise partnership l The formation of enterprise partnerships around existing county areas.

Ms Coombes said: “GWE Business West will continue to work with MPs, Government and British chambers of commerce to meet the needs of small business to work in partnership to deliver on priorities for our area.

“These discussions may take the form of local or London- based meetings, lunches or dinners, question time events and individual discussions.”