Communities Secretary talks localism at ICE
ICE hosted the 15th anniversary reception of the Enterprise Forum at One Great George Street in May, which saw the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP outline the Government’s Localism agenda to an audience of parliamentarians and senior business and industry leaders.
“To make and sell, you need to plan and build”
Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP spoke about the importance of infrastructure and engineering to the UK economy and confirmed the Government’s ongoing support for infrastructure as a central plank of its plan for growth, arguing that it was in Britain’s national interest.
Engineers at the heart of society
Nick Baveystock, ICE Director General, highlighted the importance of the relationship between engineers, business and Government in today’s challenging economic climate. Nick commented how our quality of life depends on our infrastructure functioning effectively and “Engineers are at the heart of society. They provide the infrastructure which – quite literally – keeps the wheels of commerce turning”.
The voice of infrastructure
The Enterprise Forum aims to strengthen policy links between the business community and the Conservative Party. ICE, as the voice of infrastructure, has been a member of the Forum for many years. Membership of the forum enables the Institution to engage with the business community and build relationships within the Conservative party. ICE’s public affairs engagement programme also includes similar work with other political parties.