Downtown in Business (DIB) has announced a new series of events – ‘The New Centres of Power’ – designed to help businesses understand -and influence -the biggest shift in political and economic decision-making for a generation.
Following Prime Minister-designate Andy Burnham’s commitment to deeper devolution, a Number Ten North, stronger mayoral powers and a new partnership between business and government, DIB says the balance of power in Britain is changing -and businesses must change with it.
For more than twenty years, Downtown in Business has been building relationships with ministers, metro mayors, council leaders, chief executives, MPs, peers, senior civil servants and business leaders across the UK, and championing devolution.
According to DIB group chair and chief executive Frank McKenna, those connections have never been more valuable.
Frank McKenna said:
“Politics is changing. Power is moving. Decisions that were once made almost exclusively in Whitehall will increasingly be taken in our city regions, our Combined Authorities and, if Andy Burnham delivers on his vision, through a completely new model of government.”
“Businesses that continue to believe Westminster is the only game in town risk missing the biggest opportunity in decades. The conversations that will shape investment, regeneration, infrastructure, planning, skills and economic growth will increasingly take place in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, the West Midlands and every ambitious city region across the UK.”
“Downtown in Business has been preparing for this moment for more than two decades. Long before devolution became fashionable, we were bringing together the public and private sectors because we understood that sustainable economic growth only happens when business and government work together.”
McKenna said the organisation’s ‘The New Centres of Power’ series would position DIB members at the heart of those conversations.
The DIB programme will include:
- A national programme of The New Centres of Power events examining how Britain’s changing political landscape will affect business.
- A High-profile Parliamentary Reception at Westminster bringing together ministers, MPs, peers, metro mayors and business leaders.
- Exclusive leaders’ lunches, roundtables and policy forums with the country’s key political and economic decision-makers.
- Thought leadership reports, policy briefings and business intelligence analysing the implications of the Government’s devolution agenda.
- Expanded engagement with Combined Authorities, local government leaders and Whitehall to ensure members’ voices are heard as new powers are transferred from the centre.
“This isn’t simply about networking,” McKenna continued.
“It’s about influence. It’s about insight. It’s about ensuring your business is represented where the big decisions are being made.”
“If Burnham’s agenda succeeds, Britain will have a new political and economic map. Businesses need to understand where power is moving, who is making decisions and how they can engage effectively. That’s exactly what Downtown in Business has always done—and why there has never been a better time to become part of our network.”
Downtown in Business hosts more than 150 events every year, including business conferences, awards dinners, parliamentary receptions, policy roundtables, sector forums and exclusive dinners with ministers, metro mayors, council leaders and senior business figures.
The organisation also leads national campaigns on devolution, planning reform, skills, transport, housing, hospitality, the visitor economy, late payment and business-friendly economic policy.
McKenna concluded:
“The next decade will potentially redefine the relationship between business and government. Those who help shape that change will prosper. Those who simply watch from the sidelines will not.”“The New Centres of Power is our invitation to businesses across the UK to be part of that conversation. If you want your business to have a voice, to build relationships with decision-makers and to influence the future direction of our economy, there has never been a better time to join Downtown in Business.”
