A new forum is being created for people in Greater Manchester to air their views directly to senior officials at the Bank of England and will be Chaired by Alliance Manchester Business School’s Head, Professor Fiona Devine.
The Citizens’ Panel for the North West will offer people a chance to tell the Bank what they think about issues such as jobs, housing and the cost of living.
The panel, which will meet for the first time in Oldham on 24 June, is one of 12 being set up around the UK by the Bank of England. The information gathered from the panels will be used to help the Bank’s policymakers better understand how the economy is performing in different parts of the UK.
The meeting in Oldham will be attended by the Bank’s Chief Operating Officer Jo Place, who runs the operations at the Bank, including technology, security, HR and Finance. “Our Citizens’ Panels are a crucial new initiative for the Bank of England, allowing us to listen directly to communities and citizens right across the UK about the economic issues that affect them,” she said.
“Hearing first-hand about what matters to people will allow us to make better decisions for the good of everyone in the UK.
“I’m really looking forward to coming to Oldham to hear about the things that affect people’s lives, from housing and pay to the cost of living and the financial services they use.”
The panel will be Chaired by Alliance Manchester Business School’s Head, Professor Fiona Devine.
Professor Fiona Devine said: “I am delighted to be contributing to this important Bank of England initiative, working with communities from across the North West.”
The Bank hopes to attract a wide range of people from a variety of backgrounds and anyone over the age of 18 is able to apply.
Panels will comprise of 24 people and are planned to take place twice a year at locations across the North West.
John Young, the Bank’s Agent for the North West, said: “I hope that we can attract a wide range of applications to join the panel so that we can hear from as many diverse voices as possible.
“You certainly don’t need to be an expert on the economy to come along – the economy affects us all in different ways and it’s those various perspectives we want to hear.”
The initiative is being supported by the charity Economy, which is currently running ‘crash courses’ in economics in communities across Greater Manchester.
Chief Executive Joe Earle said: “Economy is delighted to be supporting the Bank’s Citizens’ Panel programme. We believe that bringing more people into economics has enormous potential to revitalise the economy, the media and democracy.”
If you would like to apply to join the Bank of England Citizens’ Panel or would like more information, visit www.bankofengland.co.uk/get-involved/citizens-panels. Alternatively you can call the Bank’s Agency for the North West on 01925 813703.
