How Westminster Sees The East Midlands

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 20 February 2015

UPDATED: 20 February 2015

I was also delighted to attend and speak at the Love Business Event at Donington Park organised by the Whitwick based company Quiet Storm. I have attended for the past few years and the event has gone from strength to strength and this year was 6 times the size as the year before.

We have a number of small and medium sized businesses who are optimistic and are growing their companies. All of which creates more jobs and a higher tax take to fund our public services. As a former Chairman of the Institute of Directors, I know the importance of sentiment in business and why I powerfully fight anti-business sentiment as without a strong private and business sector, you cannot have strong public services.

The East Midlands is rapidly becoming a key region both democratically and economically in the UK. The region has recently been identified as the fastest growing region of the UK outside London achieving a growth rate of 4% last year. The economic surge is being led by the County of Leicestershire which was listed in the top 12 economic areas in the UK according to research by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Part of this is down to the fact that we have three great cities in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham and we are home to expanding manufacturers and successful multi-national companies such as Rolls Royce, Next and Boots. Foreign multi-nationals such as Toyota have set up here in the past and have continued to expand. Home grown building companies such as Barretts and Bloors have their bases in the region in my constituency. This is all because the East Midlands is a great place to do business.

The reasons for this in my mind are twofold. We have the natural advantages of both our position in the Country with the expanding East Midlands Airport being our gateway to the world. However there is more to it than that. We have a great and committed workforce who have adapted to new and emerging business sectors. These regions success and resilience can be put down to the diversity of our business sectors and we are terrifically well placed to keep our economic growth on an upward curve,

In Parliamentary terms, there are many key marginal seats in the region, the results of which will help to dictate who governs this Country later this year. Presently the East Midlands is well represented in Government with both the Transport Secretary and the Education Secretary representing constituencies in the region. We are having our voices heard and if we maintain our economic performance, it will mean Westminster will be taking notice.

Andrew Bridgen MP