COMMENT
THE
LAST WORD
JEAN MOUNTAIN, Chamber President, on the issues that are worth talking about
AIRPORT EXPANSION The Transport Select Committee has again urged Government to make its mind up about where airport expansion should take place. And yet again, Government has been conspicuous by its reluctance to make the decision. The Davies Commission, set up to make
recommendations on the subject, concluded that expansion should be at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted airports. The Chamber, given those were the only options tabled,
backed Heathrow, one of our members, but with a request that road and rail infrastructure should be improved to make access to Heathrow easier from the East Midlands. But we believe the options are too London-centric and
that the job creation and resultant financial benefits should be shared around the country by utilising spare capacity at regional airports, including Chamber patron East Midlands Airport. Business hates uncertainty, whether its EU membership, HS2 and its station locations or decisions over how to enhance the country’s air freight offering. It’s time to stop sitting on the fence on key issues, Mr
Cameron, and to make the decisions that will give business the confidence to get on with what it does best, creating jobs and wealth.
CONGRATULATIONS COMMISSIONERS My congratulations to Paddy Tipping for his re-election as Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, and to the newly-elected PCCs for Derbyshire and Leicestershire, Hardyal Dhindsa and Lord Willy Bach respectively. Being Police and Crime Commissioner is a very
responsible position. People feel very passionately about policing and all have their own views on what is important for their local force, whether it’s ‘bobbies on the beat’, crime prevention or victim support. As Director of the East Midlands Business Crime Forum,
which represents more than 80,000 businesses, the founder, Director and former Vice-Chairman of the National Business Crime Forum and the British Chambers of Commerce's National Representative for Business Crime, I’m very pleased to see that all three are giving significant priority to cyber crime. I look forward to working closely with all three and to
making sure, in my role as Chamber President, that business issues are heard and acted upon.
BEATING ABUSERS On the subject of crime, I want to say how pleased I am that the Chamber is working with Nottinghamshire Police
54 business network June 2016
to stamp out domestic abuse. Whether perpetrated by men against women or women against men, domestic abuse is an evil crime. It doesn’t have to leave cuts and bruises on the victim.
Sometimes it is invisible to outsiders as it has deep psychological roots that can drive a victim to despair without friends or colleagues even noticing before it’s too late. The fact that a fifth of women will lose time at work as
direct result of domestic abuse is a terrifying statistic. Anything that can be done to reduce this pernicious
crime should be done. The White Ribbon pledge is a good start, and one all businesses should support.
REACHING FOR THE STARS The Government has declared its intention to grow the UK’s space sector to £40bn by 2030 – giving the country ten per cent of global space business by that date. This means quadrupling what the UK’s space sector is
doing today. That level of growth means huge opportunities and it is
imperative that the East Midlands wins at least its fair share. According to the UK Space Agency, most of the work in
the sector is currently clustered in London, the South East and the East of England. Recent Government commitment to Leicester,
Loughborough and Nottingham universities to encourage spin-out and start-up businesses in the sector is very welcome but it should be seen as only a springboard for the real challenge. As a region, we must aim for the stars… and reach them.
DON’T FORGET TO VOTE The ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to decide Britain’s position regarding membership of Europe is now just days away. The decision is in the hands of the people and for very
different reasons they have very different views on whether we should leave or remain part of the EU. The Chamber is strictly neutral, so we won’t tell you
which way to vote. We have done our best to make sure business has facts,
not spin and rhetoric, and understands the potential implications of a vote either way. Our message to all members, and the public at large,
isn’t to vote a certain way, it’s just to make sure you vote on 23 June.
AGREE OR DISAGREE? Join the debate by following @EMChamberNews and Tweet using the hashtag #LastWord
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