Mayor sets up Covid-19 ‘think-tank’ for Cambridgeshire business resilience

Mayor sets up Covid-19 ‘think-tank’ for Cambridgeshire business resilience

Meeting for the first time today, a new Covid-19 leadership group set up by Mayor James Palmer laid out a hard-hitting agenda to help the region keep its businesses going until the emergency is passed.

The Mayor’s aim in establishing the Mayor’s Forum – a single voice for business in Cambridgeshire – is to foster recovery through bolstering economic resilience and addressing priority challenges for businesses that can be solved or alleviated locally -and by involving Westminster in resolving those that can’t.

Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough James Palmer said

“The Mayor’s role puts me a unique position to draw together the mix of talents and expertise our region needs at this time.  We must help pilot Cambridgeshire & Peterborough from shock and response today, through recovery, and into a future where we can once again thrive.

Continuity is king and beefing up resilience in the local economy is hugely important to everyone who needs to get back to work. Cambridgeshire must be on the front foot when the virus threat drops back. Of course, some issues can only be resolved by Westminster, but where it’s locally possible to alleviate hardship and distress, then we’ll be doing it.”

The Mayor’s Forum is a think-tank where local business leaders, key stakeholders, MPs, transport providers, and even the banks can analyse the impact of Covid-19 on economic resilience, consumer and investor confidence – and formulate plans for recovery in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Crucially, it will also provide a well-informed voice to Ministers and the PM through the Mayor, regarding both economic impacts of the virus crisis that cannot be resolved locally and advocacy for financial and other support.

The Mayor’s Forum, which met virtually today to observe social distancing,  will meet every week.