Chamber manifesto gets back to business

A NEW business manifesto for the region is with MPs, as a key parliamentary year begins.

Hull And Humber Chamber Of Commerce – the voice of business in the area – has spoken, with a 48-page report containing 74 policy recommendations, produced with partner chambers across the wider region.

Prospective parliamentary candidates will also receive the document, entitled Back To Business, as Britain gears up for a charge to the polls in the coming term, which began with last week's Queen's Speech.

Carolyn Burgess, president of the chamber, said: "The period after the next General Election will be critical for businesses as we recover from the recession.

"Whichever party is in control, the policies the Government adopts will determine how quickly we return to growth.

"The country can only achieve the prosperity we all want if businesses have the right environment to succeed in.

"The manifesto has dozens of specific ideas about how the next Government can get behind businesses and we are looking forward to discussing them with politicians."

The manifesto argues the Government should make business success its number one priority as this is the only way to create new jobs and rebuild tax revenues. It focuses on national and regional issues, looking to reverse a poor regional record on productivity and a lagging economic growth rate.

The chamber represents more than 1,500 companies in the Humber sub region, with 76 of the biggest 100 companies on board.

With six other chambers in Yorkshire, that number becomes 11,500.

Specific policy recommendations include:

Supporting economic growth

A moratorium on new employment legislation during the course of the Parliament.

Scrapping the proposed rise in employers National Insurance Contributions set for 2011.

Abolishing the planned rise in small business corporation tax.

Reducing public spending with no area "off limits", including the NHS.

Reforming unaffordable public sector pension provision.

Scrapping the ability of local councils to introduce workplace parking levies.

Turning round Yorkshire & Humber's skills record

Incentivising businesses to train their staff through tax breaks.

A simplification programme for the endless training and skills initiatives and quangos.

A 'basic skills pledge' signed by every school in the region.

Support to get businesses into schools via enterprise education.

Closing the productivity gap by investing in the region's infrastructure.

Giving Yorkshire & Humber a fair deal on transport funding.

Increasing capacity of key road and rail corridors to prepare for future growth – with the A160 at Immingham highlighted.

Developing the region as a centre of UK low carbon energy production, including carbon capture.

Rolling out high speed broadband.

Shifting power and funding from Whitehall into Yorkshire & Humber

Retaining an explicit commitment to reduce the gap in economic growth rates between North and South.

Giving business a direct say in the future of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

Incentivising local councils by allowing them to keep a proportion of additional business rate income.

Introducing Accelerated Development Zones to fund key economic development schemes.

Shifting real regeneration, skills and transport powers to the area.