Leaders of Yorkshire's public and private sectors are gathering to review the impact of first 100 days of the new coalition Government on the Yorkshire region.
The debate, organised by legal firm DLA Piper and Financial Leeds, will take place on September 9th at the Rose Bowl in Leeds. Its aim is to bring together 100 leaders of the region's business community and public sector, to consider the challenges and opportunities facing Yorkshire under the new Government.
BBC Political Commentator Jon Sopel will chair the discussion, whilst Tom Riordan, new Chief Executive of Leeds City Council and Chief Executive of Financial Leeds Howard Kew will sit on a panel of leading representatives from the region's political and business worlds.
Neil McLean, Managing Partner of DLA Piper in Leeds comments; "There has been massive change in the political and economic geography of the UK in recent months - and there is clearly more to come.
"Reductions in public spending, tax reforms and the proposed abolition of regional structures and introduction of Local Economic Partnerships will affect us all, whatever side of the public/private sector fence we sit on.
"We believe there is a real appetite in the region to consider how these changes may generate new opportunities and challenges, and how we need to approach them. By bringing together key representatives from across the region and a panel of leading lights from the public and private sectors, we will create a challenging and interactive forum for discussion, and hopefully, some clear messages about where our region sees itself heading."
Invitations to attend the event, which will be followed by a dinner at the venue, have already been sent to business leaders and public sector officials across the region, along with an invitation to suggest questions for the panel and discussion topics. Key areas of debate will include a look at the current economic landscape of the region, how Whitehall policy is translating in Yorkshire and what the opportunities and challenges are in light of reduced public spending and increase localisation.