AFTER a busy summer, the regional business community seems to have slipped into overdrive since we moved into autumn, writes Joanne Fryett.

NECC Partners got back together for the first time to launch the autumn programme of meetings, which kicked-off with the first event at the International Centre for Life.

With the Scottish independence referendum taking place the night before, you can imagine what most of the conversation focused on, but as it has been much debated, discussed and reported on, I certainly don’t intend to add to the ongoing maelstrom of pledges, commitments and promises from all the political leaders.

It was interesting, however, to get a perspective from Andrew Hebden, deputy agent for the North-East at the Bank of England, who spoke exclusively to Partners.

All parties acknowledged that the no vote and forthcoming election, could affect industry across the board if indecision regarding key policies continued and all were agreed that our region, as Scotland’s closest neighbour, should play a key role in the consultation process to decide the devolution settlement.

It was a great opportunity for the Bank and Partners to examine and question regional comparisons and the many differences across the 11 UK regions in which the Bank operates.

The Agents and Deputy Agents are the Bank's eyes and ears on the ground, and provide information regarding business conditions and economic trends affecting businesses within a region.

It was good to hear their surveys returned similar results to our own Quarterly Economic Surveys, namely that confidence and growth is returning strongly.

Each Agency provides a monthly assessment to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) about business conditions, helping the MPC form a view on the likely path of the economy and inflation.

Agencies also contribute to the Bank's financial stability activities by providing a regular narrative on credit conditions for firms.

Once again, Partners were provided with an excellent opportunity to question and input directly into the Bank’s views on regional economies.

The Partner Programme for the remainder of the year will be looking at some of the stories behind new investment opportunities along with future plans for our region, and we should also be launching the results of the NECC Housing Survey but more to come on those, so watch this space.

Joanne Fryett is head of NECC Partners