As the political party conference season heads to a close, we’re taking the opportunity to meet with our local Members of Parliament. As the voice of our members, we’re here to lobby and represent the views of the local business community, connecting them with key political leaders and decision makers.
It’s almost three months since the General Election, with the results helping to reshape the political landscape in our county. In North Staffordshire, four out of the five constituencies changed colour, with only Dame Karen Bradley retaining the Staffordshire Moorlands constituency. Of the four winning MP across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle under Lyme, three are completely new to the role, with only Gareth Snell having past experience as a Member of Parliament, in recapturing the Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency.
Prior to the General Election, we launched our Staffordshire Chambers’ of Commerce Business Manifesto and this was shared with all prospective Parliamentary candidates. Our Manifesto rests on five key themes:
- Connected Staffordshire
- Digital Staffordshire
- Global Staffordshire
- Green Staffordshire
- Skilled Staffordshire
You can view the Manifesto by clicking the link:
Business Manifesto 2024 – Flipbook – Page 1 (paperturn-view.com)
Not surprisingly, our discussions with the Members of Parliament will align with these five themes, as well as opening into wider conversation around levels of business confidence, devolution and what could be a critical Budget for business, due to be announced on Wednesday 30th October.
Last Friday, we sat down with Leigh Ingham, newly elected MP for Stafford. The shape of this constituency has changed and now extends as far north as Eccleshall. In the space of an hour, we had a really positive discussion around topics such as bringing high quality and well-paid jobs into the area, which will help to retain graduates and other learners, to drive the local economy. Newcastle & Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) will be unveiling a new Institute of Technology (IoT) at its Stafford campus in 2025. A welcome boost for the area.
With exceptional rail connectivity to four of the UK’s largest conurbations and two junctions to the M6, Stafford (along with the rest of the county), is very well connected.
Like many towns the length and breadth of the UK, Stafford’s town centre has struggled to cope with a drop in footfall, largely influenced by how we choose to shop in 2024. A number of initiatives are being delivered to pump prime one key development in town, ready to incentivise much needed developer financial support but we discussed how other measures such as hosting outpatients’ treatment in the town centre, will give more of us a purpose to visit Stafford and spend our cash in local shops. We agreed that we can play our part in amplifying news about positive developments such as the IoT.
Our meeting moved on to the topic of business confidence, with our most recent Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), suggesting a fall in the number of businesses who are investing in plant, machinery and equipment. Anecdotal feedback suggests that many businesses are holding back on commitment, until the Chancellor announces her Budget next month.
Our round of ‘Meet the MP’ meetings continues when we meet David Williams, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North (today – 30th), Sir Gavin Williamson (MP for Stone, Great Wyrley & Penkridge – 11th October) and Dame Karen Bradley, MP for Staffordshire Moorlands (15th November). You can meet your MP for a 1:1 meeting but there is a real synergy when we bring you together as a group of member businesses. Why not join us at a future ‘Meet the MP’ meeting? You can book your place through the events page on our website: https://staffordshirechambers.co.uk/events-calendar
