The Chamber’s Autumn Assembly focused on the policies announced by the new government and their impact on Greater Manchester businesses.
The Assembly, which took place just hours before the new government’s first Budget, brought attendees up to speed on several issues that will be affecting employers and employees in the months and years to come.
Chris Fletcher, Policy Director at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, gave an overview of the following key policy announcements that have made since the new government came to power:
- National Industrial Strategy
- UK Infrastructure Bank re-purposed as National Wealth Fund
- National Policy Planning Framework
- First Meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions
- Employment Rights Bill has started its passage through parliament
He explained that the Employment Rights Bill aimed to:
- Improve flexibility
- Modernise trade unions
- Tackle zero hours contracts so workers have notice of shifts
- End ‘fire and re-hire’
- Support family-friendly rights such as maternity and paternity leave and give wider access to bereavement leave
- Enforce employment rights
- Ensure workers get fair pay
He pointed out that while the policies outlined in the Bill “came from a good place” they could have unintended consequences, such as employers deciding not to take people on full-time contracts and making more use of AI rather than employing new staff.
Other key government policies highlighted included:
- The transfer of the functions of IfATE to Skills England
- The Green Paper INVEST 2035, which identifies eight key sectors
- The Passenger Railway Services Bill, which will “make provision for passenger railway services to be provided by the public sector instead of franchises”
- The Greater British Energy Bill, which is concerned with “the production, distribution, storage and supply of clean energy”
Chris pointed out that INVEST 2035 did not include construction as a key sector despite the need for more houses and major infrastructure projects such as rail.
Key developments for Greater Manchester included:
- The Liverpool – Manchester Rail Board
- The Local Growth Plan
- The Local Industrial Strategy
- Tap in/tap out buses by March 2025
- LSIP Annual Progress Report
- The bus cap of £2 will remain in Greater Manchester until 2025, unlike the rest of the country which will see it rise to £3
The Policy Update was followed by a Presidents Panel featuring:
- Sharon Seville, former Stockport President (F1rst Commercial Recruitment)
- Danny Williams, Manchester President (Next Level Consultancy)
- Graham Dixon, Trafford President (Esprit Group)
The panellists explained why they joined the Chamber and the role of the local presidents as the voice of the Chamber in the local area and the conduit between local members and the Chamber.
Each of them was asked to list the key local issues in their areas. Sharon highlighted the polarised nature of Stockport in terms of the wealthy and deprived areas across the borough. She said skills provision was a major issue along with reducing economic inactivity. She highlighted the positive news around major local projects such as Cheadle railway station.
Graham explained that Trafford had a large industrial area and many major companies but said employees were being brought in from other areas because employers could not find the skills they needed locally. He added that policing and security were also major issues for Trafford businesses.
Danny highlighted the transport issues facing commuters travelling into Manchester. He said roads and public transport had to be improved to “make it easier and more comfortable to get into the city centre.” He also stressed the importance of the Chamber focusing on succession planning and increasing engagement.
The Assembly ended with an update on the Chamber’s Campaign for Business Work and a Forward Look to the Budget and the next steps for LSIP.
Subrahmaniam Krishnan-Harihara, Deputy Director of Research at Greater Manchester Chamber, looked at the announcements expected in the Budget, such as the increase to employers’ National Insurance contributions – you can read an overview of the Budget announcements here.