THE YORKSHIRE AGENDA ON: BUSINESS
IN THESE most unpredictable of times the one thing that all Yorkshire bosses crave is stability.
Nothing spooks business confidence more than a lack of certainty and the period in the run-up to exiting the European Union is set to be turbulent.
What companies in the area will want to see from the next occupant of Number 10 is a substantive and measured approach to Brexit, rather than the sabre rattling and posturing seen of late.
They want to feel like the next Government not only has a clear agenda for how it will successfully get us out of the EU, it also wants it to keep the markets updated as to how it intends to do this.
Hiding behind a “no running commentary” mantra will frankly not be good enough.
An early commitment to protecting the rights of EU nationals providing invaluable contributions to our region’s firms and communities would be a strong starting position for this.
Similarly the next Government must not be allowed to renege on long-standing commitments made from Westminster regarding improved transport services and devolved spending for the north.
Another area in which the next Government can make a substantive contribution to improving the lot of Yorkshire’s economy is to make a commitment to addressing the region’s shortage of recruits with the skills demanded by companies. Yorkshire is home to thousands of world class businesses, the majority of whom continually cite skill issues as their biggest problem.
The tourism industry supports thousands of jobs in the region and the next Government should support the region to build on to huge successes such as the Tour de Yorkshire.
Schools, colleges and universities must be given the funding and support to make sure that they can produce the workers of the future who can fulfil the needs of our businesses.
While nobody in the region’s business community doubts the scale of the Brexit process, it equally is of the mind that we must not allow it to be used as an excuse or distraction from these vital issues.