Chambers merge business support in LEP shake up
CHAMBERS of commerce in South Yorkshire are to merge their business support functions into a single company which could eventually take over a significant proportion of their work.
The chambers in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham argue the move is necessary as part of the shake-up following the proposed abolition of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward which will be replaced by a series of local enterprise partnerships. A new LEP is taking shape that will cover the Sheffield city region area.
Initially bringing together the business support work of the four chambers, the company could eventually absorb activities including enterprise, training, human resources, international trade and events. Membership and policy representation will continue to be delivered separately.
Nick Tovey, president of the Sheffield Chamber, said: “We believe that the new jointly owned company would become the vehicle of choice for national and local government to access the business community.”
The LEP proposal for South Yorkshire will include plans for the chambers to collectively provide a bank of business advisors, deliver enterprise initiatives and support the growth of South Yorkshire as a market and location for global invesment.
Richard Wright, a director of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, said: “There is a need for a flexible but focussed support targeted at strategic business sectors that will help the area’s economic growth.
“The chambers are already recognised across the UK and globally as the voice of business. It is this route to business which is the main offer provided by the chambers in South Yorkshire and by combining our business support activities we believe this gives us even greater strength, and a much more cost effective and focused offer.
“Our aim is to be a strategic part of the best LEP in the country. The present invitation to form an LEP is essentially a blank canvas asking for innovative and far reaching proposals which we believe we have come forward with.”
