Coalition’s first 100 days debated

THE leaders of Yorkshire’s public and private sectors are to debate the record of the first 100 days of the new Government.

The debate will bring together 100 key figures to discuss the Government’s early decisions which have included the scrapping of Yorkshire Forward and the cancelling of a major loan to Sheffield Forgemasters.

Legal firm DLA Piper and Financial Leeds are organising the event at the Rose Bowl which will be chaired by the BBC’s Jon Sopel.

The panel will include new Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan and the chief executive of Financial Leeds, Howard Kew.

Neil McLean, managing partner of DLA Piper in Leeds, said: “There has been massive change in the political and economic geography of the UK in recent months – and there is clearly more to come.

“Reductions in public spending, tax reforms and the proposed abolition of regional structures and introduction of Local Economic Partnerships will affect us all, whatever side of the public/private sector fence we sit on.

“We believe there is a real appetite in the region to consider how these changes may generate new opportunities and challenges, and how we need to approach them.

“By bringing together key representatives from across the region and a panel of leading lights from the public and private sectors, we will create a challenging and interactive forum for discussion, and hopefully, some clear messages about where our region sees itself heading.”

Areas of debate on September 9 will include a look at the current economic landscape of the region, how Whitehall policy is translating in Yorkshire and what the opportunities and challenges are in the light of reduced public spending and increased localisation.