Paul Scully Breakfast

On 12 April, LCCI discussed the upcoming local elections with Paul Scully, MP for Sutton and Cheam and the Conservative Party's Vice Chairman for the London region. Paul was recently appointed vice-chair of the influential London Group and has been involved in London’s political scene for decades. A well-known Brexiteer, Paul ran through the Conservative Party’s chances at the polls before discussing the Brexit negotiations, the city’s best curry houses and London’s transport and infrastructure priorities. His knowledge of London politics and the inner workings of CCHQ were incredibly valuable for our members to hear.

PwC Immigration Club

PwC hosted their latest Immigration Club on 16th April. This was very timely in light of the recent publication of the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) interim report on EEA workers in the UK labour market. The debate on immigration and skills is incredibly important for LCCI members and we submitted evidence to the MAC in October 2017 following their call for evidence and a roundtable discussion with members.

The MAC are due to published their final report in September 2018. Notable speakers at the PwC Immigration Club were Professor Alan Manning, Chair of the MAC, in addition to Julia Onslow-Cole, LCCI board member and Head of Global Immigration and Partner at PwC. This event also provided an opportunity for delegates to hear views of key people about immigration, in addition to wider issues surrounding Brexit.

Having your say – Consultation and inquiries

• National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published its draft revision to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for consultation. This revised draft NPPF is the first published since 2012 and sets out a series of policy proposals designed to reform the planning system, including; maximising the use of land, strengthened protection for the Green Belt and greater emphasis on converting planning permissions. LCCI will be responding to this consultation. The deadline is 10 May.

• Review of Build Out

Following the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget announcement in Autumn 2017, the Rt Hon. Sir Oliver Letwin MP was tasked with chairing a Review of Build Out. This review aims to explain the significant gap between housing completions and the amount of land allocated or permissioned in areas of high housing demand. Sir Oliver Letwin MP is due to publish a final report in the Autumn – ahead of this year’s budget – with recommendations on how to close this gap. LCCI’s Property and Construction Committee have invited the Head of Build Out Review to the next committee meeting to get feedback and comments from members.

Upcoming events

We think it’s important that LCCI members have the opportunity to put their views to, and hear directly from, politicians and decision makers.

• On 17 May, LCCI is hosting a lunch with Caroline Nokes, Minister of State for Immigration
• On 22 May, LCCI is hosting a lunch with Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor of London for Business
• On 6 June, LCCI is hosting a policy breakfast with Baroness Fairhead, Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion at the Department for International Trade
• On 12 June, LCCI is hosting a lunch with Jane Titcomb, Chief Executive of The Pensions Regulator
• On 19 June, LCCI is hosting a policy breakfast with Rebecca Long-Bailey, MP for Salford and Eccles and Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The LCCI Influence Blog - June 2018

If you would like to register your interest for LCCI policy events and to receive more information, please contact us at policy@londonchamber.co.uk.

For all LCCI Trade events, check out our business event calendar.