COMMENT
THE
UPCOMING GENERAL ELECTION While Theresa May’s announcement that a snap General Election will take place on 8 June this year certainly took a lot of people by surprise, it does now give all the political parties an opportunity to clearly state their intentions and what they stand for. Business does not
like uncertainty and I am sure organisations up and down the land will be seeking clarification on how each political party will set out their respective stall at a critical juncture for the country, should they be elected. Clearly, the next couple of years will be dominated by
Brexit negotiations and while the political leaders’ articulation of how they would look to achieve a successful outcome to ultimately enable the country to take advantage of opportunities will be important, it should by no means be the only conversation in the weeks leading up to election day. The Chamber’s own Quarterly Economic Survey (QES)
findings show that there are a number of long-standing issues and concerns for business leaders across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire – such as the skills gap – and such issues will need to be addressed.
COMMERCE HOUSE OFFICIAL OPENING It was an honour to join Annie Hall, the new High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Scott Knowles, the Chamber’s Chief Executive, as well as a number of dignitaries to officially open Commerce House recently. I said on the day while addressing those in attendance
that it is vital that the Chamber, as an exemplar business organisation, operates out of a building that is fit for
62 business network May 2017
LAST WORD
GEOFF POYZER, Chamber President, on the issues that are worth talking about
EMPLOYMENT FIGURES It was very pleasing to see recent figures that show unemployment in the East Midlands at 4%, which is virtually full employment. It is important moving forward that our members maintain free movement of skilled people from the EU.
purpose, and in Commerce House, the Chamber certainly now has that. Annie had some very kind words to say about the Chamber’s new premises on Dunston Road, Chesterfield, and I know from the subsequent tours that followed the opening that feedback from the dignitaries in attendance was equally positive.
QUEEN’S AWARDS WINNERS It was fantastic to hear that a number of Chamber members have recently been recognised by the prestigious Queen’s Awards. The Queen’s Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding
achievement by UK businesses in the categories of Innovation; International trade; Sustainable development and Promoting opportunity through social mobility. To win a sought-after Queen’s Award is something to be
extremely proud of and once again demonstrates the outstanding array of businesses of all shapes and sizes that we have across our region. Recipients of this year’s Queen’s Awards include Qdos Holdings (Innovation), HL Plastics (Innovation), Abacus Lighting (International Trade), Jackloc (Innovation) and The Romo Group (Enterprise). Congratulations to all businesses associated with the Chamber that have received Queen’s Awards accolades.
SKILLS GAP MUST BE A PRIORITY The Chamber has been both active and unambiguous in its calls for Government – irrespective of which political party is in power after 8 June – to prioritise the skills gap, an issue that is raised by a large number of the Chamber’s members time and again. The Chamber’s Director of Policy and External Affairs,
Chris Hobson, was absolutely right when he went on record recently as saying: “The Government needs to heed the voice of business in determining that future and as the biggest business-representation organisation in the Midlands, we hope it will take note of what our members are saying”. Availability of suitably-skilled workers, both at school-
leaver level and for key positions, remains a fundamental concern for many organisations in our region and the Chamber highlighted this to Greg Clark, the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Government must ensure that business continues to be at
the forefront of the conversation when it comes to bridging the gap between the classroom and the workplace and the Chamber will continue to bang the drum to this effect.
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