All Roads Lead to Transport: What We Learned at the Patrons’ Dinner

Last night we welcomed our patrons and guests to the latest Chamber Patrons’ Dinner at the Mount Pleasant Hotel - always a special moment in our calendar to break bread together, share ideas and perspectives, and hear from thought-provoking speakers.

We were delighted to be joined by Katharine Hammond, the new Chief Executive of the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority. Catherine spoke with warmth, humour and clarity, demystifying what the SYMCA is responsible for and the impact its work has on local businesses. She also painted a wider national picture, helping us see how South Yorkshire’s devolution story fits within the broader economic landscape - for those of us in the room whose Mastermind topic isn't English devolution.

While our Patrons’ Dinners are held under the Chatham House Rule, here’s a look at some of the main insights we can share openly.

Key themes from the discussion

After Katherine’s remarks, conversation flowed freely across the room, with transport, infrastructure and skills emerging as recurring themes.

• Transport and infrastructure

  • Neil Robertson from Equans Regeneration Ltd highlighted the opportunities, and challenges, surrounding the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. With an estimated 5,000 direct and 6,000 indirect jobs likely to be created, concerns were raised about whether the existing road network (particularly around Junctions 3 and 4 of the M18 and the A1 corridor) can cope with this growth.

  • Katherine was candid in her response: major infrastructure investment often requires competitive bidding, and she encouraged businesses to look at SYMCA’s Surface Access Statement Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Gateway East, which sets out current priorities (it's 43 pages long, don't worry we'll read it for you and give you the gist!)

 

• Skills and apprenticeships

  • Gemma Peebles from Harrison College spoke powerfully about the barriers young people face when choosing between apprenticeships and financial stability, particularly where benefits affect their wider household security.

  • Katherine pointed to the Apprenticeship Levy Matchmaking Scheme, which enables larger employers to share unused levy funds with SMEs - an initiative many around the table had not been aware of but was certainly welcomed.

  • Mike Smith of TwentyFour IT Services added that pay and attractiveness of work remain key challenges: if easier ways exist to make money, how do we ensure work and training are seen as worthwhile?

  • Ben Owen of DN Colleges Group mentioned the new alignment with Skills Street as part of the broader South Yorkshire Skills offer and said that as well as higher skilled roles at the airport, there is a job for everyone, including baggage handlers and ground staff, echoed by Ben Griffiths from 2Excel Aviation, who reaffirmed the need to communicate the breadth of opportunity that lay ahead of the reopening.

 

• Economic confidence and advice for business

  • Natalie Simpson of Handelsbanken Doncaster contributed a positive note, observing improvements in business confidence and readiness to invest in growth areas, despite wider economic challenges.

  • Tariq from Vigo Group emphasised the role professional services like Handelsbanken - accountants and financial advisors in particular - play in guiding business decisions. This insight echoes our recent Quarterly Economic Survey findings, and raises questions about how business representative organisations like the Chamber can better harness those trusted networks.

 

A shared commitment

As our CEO Dan Fell reminded the room, the Chamber is here to help. With more than 70 events each year, we’re well placed to ensure SYMCA and other decision-makers connect with businesses directly, on their terms.

Transport and infrastructure may have dominated the discussion - as Catherine herself joked, all roads lead to transport and infrastructure - but the evening highlighted something even more important: the willingness of businesses, partners and policymakers to work together on the big issues shaping South Yorkshire’s future prosperity.

With this event forming part of the Business Insight Programme we deliver in partnership with City of Doncaster Coundil, we will continue these conversations through our Transport & Infrastructure Forum and other upcoming events such as Your City Your Say.

For now, we’d like to thank Katharine Hammond, Doncaster Council and all our patrons for making the evening such a rich and engaging occasion.