MARK Menary is the Bank of England's new eyes and ears in Kent and Medway.

As one of two deputy agents for the south east and East Anglia, he will focus on firms in the county, feeding opinions and data into the bank's interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee. He takes over from Phil Eckersley who is the new agent for Northern Ireland.

Mr Menary joined the Bank in 1987. His career has included spells in a variety

of areas and he has been working in the foreign exchange division since 2001.

The Bank's agencies 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 the Bank 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

chambers of commerce and the regional CBI, and maintain close contact with business support services 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 twelve agencies across the United Kingdom.