On 27 April 2022 over 250 of Kent’s businesses, including many SMEs and FSB members, gathered for the annual Kent Business Summit. Set in the modern Sibson Building at the University of Kent, delegates heard from a range of speakers on a wide range of topics.
Proceedings were chaired by FSB member Deborah Turner, and she began by introducing Kitty Ussher, chief economist at the Institute of Directors. It’s not normally wise to start an event with an economics presentation, but Kitty was engaging, and her talk gave delegates plenty of food for thought. For instance, difficulties in the jobs market spiked after the pandemic, and not after Brexit as is commonly expressed in the media.
Andy Martin from the London Resort was perhaps the most ‘controversial’ speaker. The Resort had been in the press of late, with tales of their demise exaggerated. When the headlines didn’t match the content of the story, it was vital Andy be given an opportunity to clarify the situation with the Resort. The Resort plans to resubmit new proposals due to Tilbury’s designation as a freeport.
This has meant the ferry service from Essex needs to be rerouted. Two things stood out. The first was that the Resort doesn’t plan to build on the marshes. This might be obvious, but protestors claim the opposite. Andy showed detailed plans of the sites, with swathes of marshland protected, with the Resort planning to invest heavily. The second take away was the amount of investment.
While Kitty explained that growth is forecast to slow, the Resort aims to bring billions of private investment into Kent.
Other great speakers included Roger Gough, the leader of Kent County Council, Richard Hicks, the deputy Chief Executive of Medway Council, and plenty of speakers in breakout rooms in the second session of the day.
Big thanks to our co-organising partners Jo Rossi at Locate in Kent and Lesley Bennett at the IoD. Huge congratulations to Rebecca Smith of Kent Business School on being our lead organiser. Bringing together such a dynamic in-person event after the troubles of the past few years is an incredible achievement. We are already working on our next Summit, provisionally scheduled for 13 January 2023.