After two days spent chatting to bosses of large businesses across the county, Phil Eckersley finally puts up his feet and checks his emails.

Sitting in his Maidstone home, he is also preparing notes to report back to the Bank of England in his role as its agent for the South East and East Anglia.

On Thursday, the Bank of England decided to keep interest rates at their historic low of 0.25% and upgraded its growth forecast for the UK economy to 2% this year, up from 1.4% forecast in November.

Mr Eckersley, who relocated to the county in 1983, having been born and raised in Merseyside, plays a vital role in helping the monetary policy committee make its decisions.

He is one of 12 regional agents for the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street.

His primary role is to visit companies and take an “economic sounding” to find out how they are faring.

After asking questions about activity, output, the labour market, price pressures and credit conditions, he reports his findings to the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC), which decides how to set interest rates.

“You are a fool to estimate when interest rates will go up. It is a very inexact science...” - Phil Eckersley, Bank of England

Even with the countless economic surveys published weekly by various business and economic groups, he insists the role is vital.

“It’s an early indicator,” he said. “There is a significant time lag before the impact of changes hit the economy. Some official data is backwards-looking and takes time to publish. You are looking at a rear view mirror.

“We are trying to shorten that time span and find out what businesses are telling us about their order books.

“It can shed a bit of light on what policy we may be expecting for the economy in the future.”

To do this, he keeps a contacts book of 850 businesses across his region, spread across a variety of sectors. His findings have, on occasion, put him at odds with the view of the MPC.

“Sometimes I have moderated their views,” he said. “It goes through a lot of rigorous analysis.

“My report is quality checked to make sure everything I present fits in to their view of the world, and we have internal debates about what inference I’m putting on reports.”

Last year, interest rates fell to 0.25%, their lowest-ever level. However, with the likely return of inflation this year – thanks to rising import costs caused by a weaker pound – many analysts are trying to fathom when the Bank of England will alter its historically low rates.

Mr Eckersley is coy.

He said: “The bank doesn’t predict the future path of interest rates. It relies on market expectations.

“You are a fool to estimate when interest rates will go up. It is a very inexact science.”

What challenges do Kent firms say they face?

“They tell me it is difficult to recruit certain skills in Kent. There is a two-speed story in Kent because parts of east Kent are not moving so quickly as west Kent although incomes are going to improve. High-speed links have made a bit of a difference. The biggest bugbear of Kent business is infrastructure difficulties. There is a need for a Lower Thames Crossing and an improvement in the road network. That is way beyond the remit of the MPC, but it is the sort of information we pass back and gets picked up.”

How is the Kent economy responding to the impending Brexit negotiations?

“I’m interested in the national economy rather than the Kent economy. I’m reporting back to the committee the views of large UK firms which may have their headquarters in Kent but I am not a regional economist. It is not of relevance to us whether Kent is doing well in the bigger picture.”

What will be the impact of the national living wage rises in April?

“In the South East, I would counter that its impact is likely to be slightly less than other parts of the UK because wage levels are generally higher here. I’d give a different steer to an agent in the North East on that.”

Why has the UK economy fared better than many predicted after the Brexit vote?

“The primary driver of growth in the third quarter of 2016 was household consumption. People continued to consume products and services at a rate quicker than we might have expected. We didn’t see a return to saving which we might have seen in times of uncertainty. Some people say it was just a nice hot summer and it brought out people spending. It was good news for pubs and bars.”

How will businesses cope with the uncertainty caused by Brexit?

“It is very early days in this adjustment process. Post-referendum data suggests household expenditure remains robust but it is not clear what will happen to firms’ behaviour. Sentiment around the referendum period was negative and if that manifests itself then we should expect a sharp contraction in activity. We are talking about moderation in growth. It takes a while for this uncertainty to translate into action for firms.”

CV

Born: 3/3/1961

Lives: Maidstone

School: Christ the King, Merseyside

Family: Two sons and a stepson

First job: Laundry boy at Pontins holiday camp

First wage: £1 for four hours work

Car: Lexus 300 hybrid

Book: “I quite like military history by Lyn MacDonald.”

Film: “I like the Bourne films and great British films like Chariots of Fire.”

Music: The Shires

Gadget: iPad

Last holiday: Bay of the Somme, France

Charity: Oxfam

Typical day

Phil Eckersley usually catches up with emails first thing and leaves his home in Maidstone after the rush hour.

He did a company visit in Dover at 11am the day prior to our interview before a trip to another company in Canterbury in the afternoon.

In the evening he attended a dinner with contacts.

He stayed over in Canterbury, and the following day he drove to Hythe for a company visit, followed by another in Cranbrook in the afternoon.

After returning home, he began answering emails.

In his downtime he plays tennis one or two times a week and runs a small badminton club in Maidstone.