Bank of England Governor Meets with Doncaster Business Leaders

The Bank of England’s top decision-maker met with Doncaster business leaders earlier today, so that he could hear directly from those on the ground level about the various economic challenges and opportunities they are facing here in South Yorkshire.

Addressing a crowd of over 100 delegates — including our city’s most-promising entrepreneurs, SME business owners, and many of its anchor employers too — Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, attended a breakfast session this morning at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Here, he shared his views and insights on the state of the nation’s economy but, more importantly, took the time to engage with delegates as they described their experience of business trading conditions locally, nationally, and internationally.

In short, it was a valuable opportunity for attendees to be part of an important conversation about where the UK economy is currently heading, as well as to share their insights, experiences, and most pressing concerns with the Governor of the Bank of England.

While at the breakfast session, Andrew — alongside the Chief Exec of Doncaster Chamber, Dan Fell — also opened Yorkshire Wildlife Park’s brand-new HEX Connect conference centre, which acted as the venue for the visit. Indeed, this was the inaugural event for that venue.

Enthusing about the breakfast session, which was convened by the Chamber, Dan Fell said: “We are extremely grateful to Andrew for carving out time in his schedule to engage with Doncaster’s business communities. Given its role in the economy, it’s important for The Bank of England to engage with firms on the ground who, day to day, are driving our economy forward.

“The fact that Andrew has come up to South Yorkshire for these insights — rather than defaulting to one of our nation’s core cities— is especially appreciated, as it means that we’ve had an opportunity to apprise him of the unique challenges, and equally unique opportunities, that we face here in the region and to share perspectives that may differ from those in places such as London and the South East.

“As articulated in our ten-year vision, Doncaster ’35: A Manifesto for a Winning City, one of our key ambitions for South Yorkshire over the next decade is that it will have a stronger voice at the national table, and more strategic relationships with those who empowered to make meaningful change. Events like these are therefore incredibly important and we’d like to thank our generous hosts at Yorkshire Wildlife Park for making this visit possible.

Echoing these sentiments, added: “It was a privilege to hear from Andrew, as he shared his knowledge and authoritative insights on the UK economy and where we are heading next. Better still, it was great to actually be included in that conversation as a local businessperson and to have this opportunity to help shape the Bank of England’s future decision making.”

Andy Morley, Group Managing Director for Clear Insurance Management and one of the event attendees,  added: “It was a privilege to hear from Andrew, as he shared his knowledge and authoritative insights on the UK economy and where we are heading next. Better still, it was great to actually be included in that conversation as a local businessperson and to have this opportunity to help shape the Bank of England’s future decision making.”

Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, said: “It was an insightful and informative session today speaking to a variety of businesses from Doncaster and the surrounding area. While we have a wide array of economic data and intelligence on the national and local economic environment at the Bank, it is always useful to hear first hand just what some of the challenges and opportunities the business community in towns like Doncaster are currently facing.”

Doncaster Chamber regularly organises events like this, giving its members a chance to engage with politicians, policymakers and other such influential figures.

Next up will be an MP Question Time session on Friday the 18^th of October, at which Lee Pitcher, Member of Parliament for Doncaster East & the Isle of Axholme, Sally Jameson, Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central, and the Rt. Hon Ed Miliband, Member of Parliament for Doncaster North and Secretary of State for Energy Security & Net Zero, will come together under one roof.

As its name suggests, the event will see all three MPs sitting on a panel to field questions from a crowd of Doncaster Chamber members. More information about this can be found below.