Reform Needed To UK Labour Market Access | BCC News
Responding to the House of Lords European Affairs Committee report on the future of the UK-EU relationship, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The BCC welcomes these clear and well-evidenced proposals for reform of access to the UK labour market. We provided evidence to the Committee based on our research among businesses in key economic sectors. “There are [...]
Quarterly Recruitment Outlook: No sign of hiring difficulties easing | BCC News
The latest Quarterly Recruitment Outlook (QRO), a survey of more than 5,000 UK firms of all sectors and sizes by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) reveals businesses are still facing record high difficulties in hiring new staff. The first quarter results for 2023 show that recruitment difficulties have fallen just two percentage points from the record high level [...]
Prices continue to rise, despite slight drop in inflation | BCC News
Reacting to the latest ONS inflation data for March, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Today's [19th April] CPI rate of 10.1% means that prices continue to rise at an alarming rate. Driven largely by housing and food costs, this is on top of an already high growth rate from this time last year. “More positively, today’s figures show that the [...]
BCC Quarterly Economic Survey: Despite uptick in business confidence, most firms see no improvement to sales | BCC News
The British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) for Q1 2023 shows that while business confidence has improved from a very weak base, most firms see no improvement to business conditions. Over half (52%) of UK firms believe their business turnover will increase over the next 12 months, up from 44% in Q3 2022. However, only one in [...]
First-ever East Lancashire Chamber Assembly is a Collaborative Success | Chamber News
On Tuesday 28th March 2023, our Diamond Ambassador businesses came together with Chief Executives and leaders from local councils, colleges, universities, business groups and local Members of Parliament, gathering at East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce’s Clayton-Le-Moors headquarters to contribute their thoughts in the first-ever Chamber Assembly. Hosted by Miranda Barker OBE, CEO of East Lancs Chamber, the event saw [...]
Energy And Climate Strategy Must Not Forget Business | BCC News
Reacting to the Government’s announcements on its updated climate and energy strategies, Alex Veitch, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The government has grasped the scale of the climate challenge with a wide-ranging plan to boost green energy production. “Policies the Chamber Network have campaigned for have been brought into play; amending planning rules to [...]
Inflation Increase Puts Firms Under Significant Pressure | BCC News
Responding to the latest ONS inflation data, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “An unexpected rise in the CPI rate to 10.4% indicates that the UK economy is still in the midst of a stubborn peak. The main drivers of inflation - restaurants and hotels, food, and clothing – confirm the pressure we [...]
Miranda Barker OBE reflects on Spring Budget 2023 | Chamber News
Reflecting on the announcements made in last week’s Spring 2023 Budget, Miranda Barker OBE, Chief Executive Officer at East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, commented: “I’m glad to see the support emerging for getting people back into work, for both parents and potential early retirees. Skills shortages are now holding back every single business sector, and in turn, damaging UK [...]
BCC Budget Reaction: Measures unlikely to shift dial on business investment | BCC News
Giving her full reaction to yesterday's Spring Budget, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The Chancellor has acted to address the unfilled jobs blighting our economy. It is especially good to see the help on childcare and for over 50s workers. “The plans for full capital expensing are also a step in a right [...]
BCC Budget Reaction: Investment Key to UK’S Brighter Future | BCC News
Giving her initial reaction to today’s Spring Budget, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The Chancellor has acted to address the unfilled jobs blighting our economy. It is especially good to see the help on childcare and for over 50s workers. The plans for full capital expensing are also a step in a right [...]
