PUBLIC AFFAIRS

As Burnham’s speech at Labour Conference sought to pivot to a new direction for the Party, with a renewed focus on its aims and ways of working, the EIA and Henham felt the six-month point was also an appropriate time to review our work so far and discuss what should come next. We are very grateful to Rachel, Anna and Andrew for their feedback and are pleased that they are happy overall with the first phase of work.

Following the review, we have been considering priorities and next steps for the next phase of work. We will be presenting our proposals to the EIA Board in the coming weeks, including how we can continue to push for appropriate coverage of business events in the forthcoming National Events Strategy, further the case for BIST's ownership of the sector, and maximise the impact of our IS8 document.

Ahead of Parliament’s return in two weeks’ time, we have also been ensuring our materials for stakeholder outreach are up-to-date, and are developing advocacy plans to maximise what will be the longest Parliamentary session since before the summer.

Finally, with Tory Conference this weekend, focus has also turned to how Henham and the EIA can make the most of the event. We’ll be keeping a close eye on relevant events and receptions, and looking out for opportunities to engage with constituent MPs, APPG members and shadow ministers as the week unfolds.

Monday 28th September

• John Healey (Chancellor of the Exchequer) told Labour Conference that the Budget he delivers “a month today” will have fiscal discipline at its core - and that it would also take the challenging global backdrop into account. Alongside this signal, he also set out measures to support jobs and growth, with a new local apprenticeship service, to be led by mayors, targeted at young people to deliver “thousands more apprenticeships” across the country.

Tuesday 29th September

• In his speech at Labour Conference Andy Burnham said that “Brexit has done more harm than good” and suggested the government could keep the current arrangements with the EU, but may also seek a customs union, return to the single market or “go all the way” in what would be full EU membership. He confirmed there will be a UK-EU summit later this year, although the date for this has yet to be announced.

Wednesday 30th September

• DCMS published guidance on the Event Management and Delivery Framework 1, a multi-supplier framework agreement for event management and delivery services. It has five lots, covering public-facing events, indoor events, third-party events, smaller-scale events and crowd assurance services.

Both Houses remained in conference recess throughout the week; they will return on Monday 12th October.

Monday 28th September

• Lord Berkeley (Lab) asked whether the fiscal devolution roadmap would include a weighting for rural sparsity and remoteness in the retention of business rates and income tax by strategic authorities.
  • Lord Pitt-Watson (Parliamentary Secretary at the Treasury) replied that the Government will replace grants with a share of local income tax for every mayor from 2028, alongside “greater retention of the revenue from business rates for local councils and strategic authorities”, and that “at the Budget, the government will publish a roadmap setting out further detail on the design of fiscal devolution”.

Wednesday 30th September

• Baroness McIntosh (Con) asked what assessment the Government had made of the impact of the overnight visitor levy on small hospitality businesses.
  • Baroness Taylor (Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government) replied that “the impacts of the overnight visitor levy will be determined by local decisions”, that it will be for mayors and local leaders to decide whether to introduce a levy after local consultation on specific proposals, and that the Government expects local leaders “to publish an assessment of the impact of their proposals”.

hursday 1st October

• It was announced that UKREiiF, the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum, will move from Leeds to the Liverpool Experience Campus from 2028. Steve Rotheram (Mayor of the Liverpool City Region) called the move “a massive win for the Liverpool City Region and a real vote of confidence in everything we’ve been building together”.

Sunday 4th - Wednesday 7th October

• The Conservative Party Conference takes place in Birmingham. Henham to monitor for fringe activity, speeches and any announcements relevant to the EIA.

UKEVENTS welcomes Government response on business events

Reacting to the Government’s response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s report on Business Events, Glenn Bowdin, Chair of UKEVENTS, said that UKEVENTS welcomed “the Government’s recognition of the vital role business events play in driving economic growth, trade, investment and innovation across the UK”. UKEVENTS also acknowledged the industry representatives who contributed to the Committee’s inquiry, including the Events Industry Alliance, The Business of Events and Liverpool Experience Campus.

UKHospitality and BRC say hospitality has the highest tax burden of 11 sectors

Analysis by the British Retail Consortium and Flint Global, published by UKHospitality, found that hospitality paid 82p in tax for every £1 of pre-tax profit in 2025/26, against 72p for retail and an average of 50p across eleven sectors. The two organisations are asking the Chancellor to increase the retail, hospitality and leisure business rates discount and to support the businesses hardest hit by the 2026 revaluation.

IFS on sharing tax revenue with England’s mayors

The Institute for Fiscal Studies published a report today on assigning tax revenue to England’s regional mayors. It says that giving strategic authorities a bigger share of business rates would provide “stronger incentives” for them to develop strategic infrastructure, such as transport projects. It also recommends a formal system of equalisation as revenue varies widely between areas.

If you have any questions regarding this update, please contact the Henham Strategy team

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