News Release
New Deputy Agent Appointed at the Bank of England Agency for the North East England and Cumbria

24 February 2000

Mrs Beryl Balls has been appointed as the Bank's new Deputy Agent for the North East and Cumbria. She succeeds Mr Mike Sadler who is retiring at the end of the month after 16 years as Deputy Agent.

The role of the Bank's Agencies is to maintain contact with a wide range of businesses and institutions in their regions covering all sectors of the UK economy. They report back monthly to London where the Monetary Policy Committee uses the information to help its understanding and assessment of current economic conditions. The Agencies are also involved with a wide range of business organisations such as the Chambers of Commerce and the regional CBI and they maintain close contact with regional TECs, Business Links and universities. Part of the role is also to represent the Bank and explain its work and policies. At present the Bank has a network of thirteen Agencies covering the entire United Kingdom.

The Agency for North East and Cumbria covers that part of England which lies north of the Yorkshire/Lancashire borders.

Notes to Editors

Beryl Balls joins the Bank to take up this appointment. Her career has most recently involved economic consultancy in the fields of energy and tourism. Previously she has lectured and conducted research in economics at local universities. Before that she was a Government Economist in Whitehall. She has also served as Chairman of Northumbria Ambulance Service and Gateshead Family Health Services Authority; and as a non-Executive Director of the Universal Building Society.