Somerset Chamber’s Membership and Policy Manager, Jenn Chidley-Sanders, met Employment Minister Mims Davies MP, in Taunton, on Thursday to highlight the work the Chamber has been doing as an official gateway for the Government’s Kickstart Scheme. The scheme is overseen by the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) and Ms Davies was in Taunton to launch a new Job Help Government website and t...

Some critical workers in England will be able to leave self-isolation to attend work under new plans to prevent serious disruption to vital public services. From today employers in certain specified sectors can seek advice from Government as to whether a worker can leave self-isolation to go to work. Full details can be found here. But Hannah Essex, Co-Executive Director of the BCC, said busine...

The Heart of the South West LEP has secured £1.8 million of funding from the Department for Education’s National Skills Fund to extend its current programme of Skills Bootcamps across the region. Comprising flexible courses lasting up to 16 weeks’ duration, the 22 technical Skills Bootcamps offer adults aged 19 or over the opportunity to build up or retrain in specific skills required by emp...

The British Chambers of Commerce’s Trade Confidence Outlook for Q2, released today, has shown that exporters still face significant issues after a historically weak Q1. The survey of more than 2,800 UK exporters revealed that the percentage of firms reporting increased export sales had risen to 27%, a seven-point rise from the previous quarter. The percentage of businesses reporting...

Responding to the publication of Government guidance for businesses ahead of the full reopening of the economy, Hannah Essex, Co-Executive Director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said it was important workers understood that July 19 would not see face coverings and hand sanitiser disappearing from all workplaces, businesses and venues.  “As the Prime Minister has said, the pandemi...

The number of job vacancies in the UK surpassed pre-pandemic levels in the three months to June, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. The ONS said there were 862,000 jobs on offer between April and June, 77,500 higher than the first three months of 2020. The rise was driven by vacancies in hospitality and retailing.The number of people on payrolls also grew...

Responding to news that the full reopening of the economy will go ahead on July 19, Claire Walker, Co-Executive Director of the BCC, said: “This is the news that firms across England have been waiting for and many will be sighing with relief to hear the Health Secretary finally give the green-light to reopening.  “But they still don’t have the full picture they desperately need to...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has outlined details for the final stage of lifting the remaining coronavirus restrictions in England. The Government is still anticipating all restrictions to finish on July 19, subject to a final review of the data next week. That will include an end to social distancing and no limits on social gatherings - indoors and outdoors - while facemasks will no longer be m...

The British Chambers of  Commerce has released the results of its Quarterly Recruitment Outlook survey for Q2 2021, with responses drawn from over 5,700 firms. The new figures show a surge in the proportion of firms expecting to grow their workforce in the next three months, as well as a notable rise from the previous quarter in the proportion who attempted to recruit. However, the data al...

Despite welcome news of a rebound in business activity, confidence and cashflow, albeit from an historically low base, the speed and extent of the South West’s economic recovery is threatened by labour market tightness and recruitment issues, according to the latest British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey. Regionally, the British Chambers of Commerce South West (BCCSW) is seeing ...

The British Chambers of Commerce’s Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) – the UK’s largest independent survey of business sentiment and a leading indicator of UK GDP growth – has found a marked improvement in business conditions in Q2 as COVID restrictions eased.  The survey of over 5,800 firms showed that some key indicators, such as domestic sales and business confidence, displayed signific...

Responding to the update of the ‘green list’ for international travel, British Chambers of Commerce Co-Executive Director Hannah Essex said:  “Government must work with businesses, the aviation industry and international partners to uncover solutions to further expand international travel quickly and safely, for example through better use of testing and vaccine passports. "While businesse...

More than 63% of local businesses that can offer flexible working for staff will continue to do so even once lockdown restrictions ease – with a third of those not planning to require staff to return to the office on a regular basis. According to a survey of local firms by Somerset Chamber of Commerce, 31% of the firms planning to allow staff to continue working from home would not require them...

The new Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland, will today (Thursday, June 17) set out the action needed to help firms and communities rebuild.   In her first speech at the BCC’s Global Annual Conference, Haviland will argue that key steps are needed to boost UK trade, unlock the blockages in the skills training system and build a greener and more sustainabl...

William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Businesses will welcome this Agreement in Principle as a step forward. However, there is a long way to go before the signing and implementation of a free trade deal. It should also be pointed out that trade with Australia represents only around 1.2% of the UK’s total, so whilst a deal will have welcome benef...