Local industrial strategy Inquiry session at Cummins Technologies

The All-Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group (APMG), vice chair Heidi Allen MP, will hold an Industrial Strategy session, in partnership with Made in Yorkshire and Cummins Turbo Technologies. This event will take place on Friday 13th September from 8:30 until 13:15. 

APMG is a “cross-party coalition of parliamentarians, manufacturers and industry organisations”, working together to create new industrial policy ideas, critique existing policies and generally help the manufacturing community engage with the policy process. 

The Industrial Strategy focuses on boosting productivity by “backing businesses to create good jobs and increase the earning power of people throughout the UK”. 

Session 1 of the Industrial Strategy Inquiry Evidence took place at Donington Hall, in partnership with Norton Motorcycles, the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership and Made in the Midlands. 

Like the event on Friday 13th September, session 1 was open to APMG and Made in Group members. The day started off with a networking breakfast, moving on to a presentation from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership in regards to the Industrial Strategy. 

Some of the leading Midlands manufacturing businesses came together for a discussion on the potential impact of Brexit and issues the sector is facing. 

A positive highlight from the event was the confidence of the Made in Group members in regards to Brexit. Charles Addison, Deputy CEO at Made in the Midlands, said:

“In December 2018, we did a survey and 85% of members were confident of growth in 2019 despite the uncertainty over Brexit”. 

Strategy Inquiry Evidence session 2 will take a similar structure to session 1. The discussion panel will consist of Ian Smyth, Head of Economic Policy WYCA, Paul O’Donnell, Head of External Affairs, MTA & Inquiry Commissioner, Alex Robison, Director of Made in Yorkshire and Ben Carpenter Merritt, Policy Manager at Policy Connect. Some discussion points will consist of thoughts around the Local Industrial Strategies and pressures manufacturers are currently dealing with. 

Made in Yorkshire Director Alex Robinson is eager to get the conversation started between Made in members and hear their thoughts on current and potential policies. Alex said: 

“We are bringing together over 25 Made in Yorkshire members from business manufacturers to companies that provide engineering services who are keen to be part of the discussion. We are looking forward to hearing what they have to say”. 

Local Industrial Strategies are led by Combined Authorities with the aim of “coordinating local economic policy and national funding streams and establishing new ways of working between national and local government, the public and private sectors”. Manufacturing is a major factor of the economy making up 23% of it, therefore is important for this factor to play a “central role in the industrial policy”.