The Bank of England South West Monetary Policy Report briefings - November 2025

This month, Business West Chambers of Commerce hosted two Bank of England South West Monetary Policy Report briefings at the Bristol and Bath offices of Initiative member Thrings.

These sold-out events brought together our Chamber and Initiative members, along with the wider business community, to hear exclusive insights from the Bank of England and engage in critical discussions on the economic challenges and opportunities facing our region. 

Bristol briefing summary - 13th November

Jamie Barber, Deputy Agent for the South West, joined us at our first event to share the Bank’s latest analysis and forecasts on key economic indicators, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), labour market trends, inflation, and the monetary policy response.

There was a cautiously optimistic outlook; it was noted that inflation is expected to ease. If that happens, interest rates are likely to fall gradually. The Bank will continue to do what is necessary to get inflation back the 2% target.

While growth remains modest, businesses are demonstrating adaptability in the face of ongoing challenges, and a gradual softening of the labour market is helping to restore balance between employers and jobseekers. This is also helping to ease underlying inflationary pressures.

Using your voice 

This event wasn’t just about receiving insights; it was a platform for interaction. Jamie made reference to the Bank’s value and use of business intelligence, from across the UK, to help shape its understanding of economic conditions in real-time, as well as to add some depth to the headline datasets. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) really value this ‘colour’ and depth, in understanding businesses’ motivations and sentiment, and that in turn supports their decision making on interest rates.