Reflections on the Great Northern Conference 2025

Yesterday’s Great Northern Conference in Doncaster provided a full day of discussion, debate, and networking for business leaders, policymakers, and academics from across the North. Co-headline sponsored by Doncaster Chamber, the event offered a platform to explore innovation, skills, infrastructure, and growth, while highlighting the vital role of civic-minded businesses in driving social and economic progress.

The day opened with a warm welcome from BBC Look North’s Amy Garcia and James Mitchinson the long serving and well-respected Editor for the Yorkshire Post. In his keynote alongside Mayor Ros Jones, Chamber CEO Dan Fell reflected on Doncaster’s momentum and ambition, citing achievements such as city status, investment in skills and innovation, and the imminent reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Dan outlined the Chamber’s “2035 Business Manifesto,” a blueprint for a greener, fairer, more connected, and prosperous city. Crucially, he framed the conference not as a plea for help but as an invitation to partnership – demonstrating that when business, government, and communities collaborate, meaningful progress can be achieved.

Plenary sessions and breakout discussions explored the North’s connectivity, infrastructure, energy, healthcare, culture, and skills. Delegates debated practical solutions for regional growth and innovation, demonstrating how collaboration can create tangible social and economic impact.

Amid the optimism, a critical theme emerged: the impact of the government’s policies on business confidence. As economic growth remains the stated number one priority, there is a growing perception among Yorkshire businesses that a “hostile business environment” is constraining investment and recruitment. Doncaster Chamber’s Head of Policy Sian Booth emphasised in her plenary that the best way to improve innovation is for government to “get out of the way.” With rising costs from minimum wage increases, employer National Insurance contributions, and new employment legislation, many firms are cash-flow neutral or negative, hesitant to invest in new facilities, apprenticeships, or green initiatives.

Luke Fermor of Woodland Group illustrated this vividly, explaining that recent Budgets will cost his business nearly £3 million by the end of 2026, limiting investment in alternative fuels, solar panels, and workforce expansion. His point echoed a broader concern: businesses are willing to invest and drive regional growth, but only if government policies create certainty rather than risk.

The conference highlighted that civic-minded businesses are the North’s backbone, but they operate in a challenging landscape. As Dan Fell emphasised, conferences like this exist to showcase what is possible when enterprise, policy, and community work together – not to seek handouts, but to create practical solutions. One truth is clear:

businesses want to give back, invest locally, and take calculated risks – but they can only do so in an environment that allows them to thrive.

The Great Northern Conference was a timely reminder that growth, innovation, and social impact are inextricably linked. When businesses, policymakers, and communities collaborate, the North can move from good to great – and Doncaster Chamber is proud to co-headline the event, helping lead the way.