News

Commenting on the first estimate of GDP for Q3 2018, published today by the ONS, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said  “While the pick-up in GDP growth in the third quarter is welcome, the stronger headline figure masks a loss of momentum through the quarter from the particularly strong July outturn, when a number of temporary factors, including ...read more

Could your business feature as a case study? Small Business Saturday is planned for 1st December and the Cabinet Office will be showing their support again this year, and in the buildup they plan to celebrate small businesses across the South West as well as letting them know about what free government support is available. The four themed weeks are as follows: W/c 5 Nov: Business EnvironmentW/c ...read more

Giving his initial reaction to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:  “In an atmosphere of unprecedented uncertainty and heightened political noise, the Chancellor has demonstrated that he is listening to business concerns by delivering a Budget that supports investment and growth.  “The Chancellor responded directly ...read more

Ahead of the Autumn Budget on Monday, the British Chambers of Commerce is urging the Chancellor to take bold measures to bolster business investment, competitiveness and productivity in the face of Brexit headwinds.  The leading business group, which represents almost 75,000 companies employing six million people across the UK, is warning that a ‘business as usual’ approach to this Budget simply ...read more

BCC convenes a meeting with DEXEU Secretary Dominic Raab and seven Northern European Chambers of CommerceThe group collectively represents regions and nations that cover 70% of UK-EU trade – around £344bn in 2016Recent research by BCC shows a fifth of businesses will move part or all of their business to the EU in the event of a no-deal BrexitAt a meeting today (Thursday) with Brexit Secretary ...read more

Plymouth is working towards becoming an accredited Compassionate City, which will see the city council, St Luke’s Hospice and many other organisations working together to build emotional resilience in our community and ensure that the city is as compassionate a place to live and work as possible, for people nearing the end of their life as well as those left behind grieving. The notion of ...read more

Half of businesses surveyed say that Brexit is making it difficult to decide whether to import or export, hampering British tradeVolatility of sterling is also causing concernBCC has long been calling for clarity for business on the practical questions over BrexitThe BCC International Trade Summit takes place today at etc venues, 155 Bishopsgate, London A survey by British Chambers of Commerce, in ...read more

Following on from the recent Board electionsannounced at the Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting, we are pleased to announce that two of our current directors have also been nominated as vice chairs, as our new CEO Stuart Elford also takes up his position. Congratulations to Donna Barnes and Carolyn Giles who have now taken up their positions working alongside the ...read more

SW Rail Enforcement for Our Future Closing the gap is the Peninsula Rail Task Force plan to achieve Government investment in our rail network. With this investment, we have the potential for huge growth in the South West.  This investment is so vital that we do not see the disruption to rail services as seen in 2014. This caused big losses to our businesses in Plymouth and throughout the ...read more

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Commenting ahead of the Chancellor’s speech at the Conservative Party Conference, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “Philip Hammond is setting the right mood music by highlighting that it is business that drives prosperity and growth for everyone. While businesses will welcome the Chancellor’s pro-enterprise tone, they will be looking to his ...read more

•10 city regions shortlisted for share of £1.7 billion fund to overhaul transport links between suburbs and city centres•Plymouth, Norwich and Sheffield amongst ten more city regions set to benefit •£60 million available in the coming year to kick start transport upgrades•Better transport links will mean more well-paid jobs and opportunities for people  Communities across the UK will benefit from ...read more

"Firms will welcome the Prime Minister’s message to the world that the UK is open for business. However, what our business communities need is concrete action, not just warm words. “While the message was positive, corporation tax is far from the only concern facing Britain’s businesses and investors at this time. Companies want to see bold measures to boost the domestic business environment, and ...read more

Commenting on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP’s speech at the Labour Party Conference, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “While there were some bright spots, Jeremy Corbyn missed a golden opportunity to extend an olive branch to British business, big and small alike. “Labour must work more closely with businesses to transform the economy to the ...read more

Commenting on the Labour Party’s proposals ahead of the Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s speech at the Labour Party Conference, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “Let no one be fooled. Labour’s proposals are both a tax grab and an unprecedented overreach into the way many of our businesses are run. This is a missed opportunity to reassure ...read more

Please click here for the Social Media Activity Report by Fresh Air Group in association with Devon Chamber of Commerce on 20/09/18.

Commenting on the Migration Advisory Committee’s report on overseas students, Jane Gratton, Head of Business Environment and Skills at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “Business communities around the UK will be bitterly disappointed not to see support for the removal of overseas students from the immigration statistics. We have been calling for the removal of international students ...read more

The British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with DHL, today (Friday) publishes its latest Quarterly International Trade Outlook, based on survey and documentation data from UK exporters. The Outlook indicates that many exporters are performing well but economic and political factors are weighing on them.  The survey, of over 2,600 exporters, found that confidence in future operations remains ...read more

Commenting ahead of the publication of technical notices from the government relating to the possibility of ‘no deal’ in the Brexit negotiations, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “Businesses have waited too long for answers to some basic questions around Brexit - and have been particularly frustrated by the lack of clear guidance on some of the ...read more

Commenting on today’s interest rate decision by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:  “The decision to raise interest rates, while expected, looks ill-judged against a backdrop of a sluggish economy. While a quarter point rise may have a limited long-term financial impact on most businesses, it risks ...read more

Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and Industry   Guidance notes on the role of a Chamber Board DirectorMay 2018  Chamber Board Directors are responsible for the governance and success of the Chamber. Successful election candidates and co-optees become a Corporate Director, formerly a 288a, and thus assume the full set of director responsibilities as required by Companies House.  The Chamber is ...read more

Organisers of this year’s Devon Chamber Annual Dinner, which will incorporate the Chamber’s Business Awards, have announced today their delight at securing guest after dinner speaker Simon Weston CBE for the event (18 May).  The dinner is taking place on Friday 18th May at the beautiful Moorland Garden Hotel on the edge of Dartmoor, with a cocktail and canapés reception at 7pm, accompanied by ...read more