Someone complained to me that companies don’t understand how things work in the public sector.

That’s probably true, but then I’m not sure that they necessarily need to. Having said that, perhaps the most important element of the Chamber’s work is to influence decisions so that the public sector doesn’t prevent businesses from operating effectively.

Provided the planning system works and people can get to work easily, no-one is really bothered about how the functions operate and whether some activity has been funded by the European Union, by the Regional Development Agency or from central Government.

The latest issue is how to respond to the Government’s request for local authorities and businesses to form Local Enterprise Partnerships. We’re being asked to create a model that will help to drive economic growth by working across local Council boundaries.

If that means having a new body or bodies that will improve the infrastructure, ensure there is a well-educated and skilled workforce, deliver regeneration and new investment, then we definitely want to support the change.

The difficulty lies in being sure changes will bring benefits.

In Bradford, we are extremely fortunate that there are many business people who are passionate about the district and willing to give their time and expertise to partnership activities.

Looking at the area of economic activity and where people live and work, it makes sense to see whether we can work more closely with Leeds and other places in West Yorkshire.

But we need to focus on delivering better results rather than on geography and process. I doubt that will be easy.