The Somerset Education Business Partnership is supporting South Somerset 14-19 Partnership to host the second Somerset Virtual Careers Fair on October 14. Sponsored by Hinkley Point C and Abri, the fair attracts an audience of 3,000 year 10 and 11 students across Somerset. It is an ideal opportunity for businesses to showcase their early career opportunities to the next generation. In addition,...

Responding to the latest ONS survey on business conditions, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said: “This data backs up our own findings that the supply chain has been facing persistent challenges for the last few months. It is no surprise that more than one in three trading businesses have experienced problems in sourcing materials, goods and services at home, or had to change s...

Research published by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and SUEZ reveals a significant disconnect between UK businesses’ awareness of the importance of an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) approach and how many have these policies in place. The survey found that nearly seven out of 10 (69%) responding businesses, of more than 1,000 surveyed in the UK, think ‘environmental sustai...

The British Chambers of Commerce has called for the Government to draw-up a winter COVID contingency plan to give businesses clarity. Claire Walker, Co-Executive Director of the BCC, said: “Businesses will be encouraged by the announcements around further steps being taken to protect people from COVID and reduce its spread as we move into the winter season. “But they will be frustrated by th...

Reacting to news of the DIT's five-point plan for digital trade, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy, at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said: “It was good to hear Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the new Secretary of State for International Trade, using her first speech this morning to outline her five-point plan to open up new and secure markets through a focus on digital and business trade fl...

Somerset Chamber welcomed members back to physical events on Wednesday, September 1, at their annual Summer barbecue on the Thatcher’s Terrace at the Cooper Associates County Ground. After running over 260 events online since the start of lockdown, this popular event was a great way of re-starting physical events with guests enjoying reconnecting in person. Alistair Tudor, Operations Manager at...

Entries open tomorrow (Thursday, September 16) for the Somerset Business Awards 2022 and local BBC journalist and broadcaster Claire Carter has been confirmed as the host of the grand final. Businesses have until December 3 to submit their entries via the Somerset Business Awards website at www.somersetbusinessawards.org.uk. There are two new categories – Employee of the Year and the Rebuild an...

Commenting on the ONS labour market statistics for September 2021, British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Head of Economics, Suren Thiru, said: “The jobs market has continued its summer revival as demand for workers has surged following the easing of COVID restrictions. “But record vacancies also highlight the acute hiring crisis faced by many firms. With Brexit and COVID driving a more deep-se...

UK business investment is expected to decline this year despite the prospect of record economic growth, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) economic forecast.  The leading business group predicts UK GDP growth for 2021 of 7.1%, which, if realised, would be the strongest outturn since official records began in 1949. Following robust GDP growth in the second quarter, the UK's ec...

Shevaun Haviland is the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, writing for Politico, she says businesses need certainty and calls on the Government to make it clear what circumstances would force new restrictions to be introduced and what exactly those measures would be: When the COVID-19 crisis engulfed the globe, it was, first and foremost, a public health emergency of a scope ...

Congratulations to Tim Church, of Somerset Web Services, who won a luxury hamper of Somerset produce in our membership survey prize draw. Thank you to everyone who took the time to give us feedback and we hope Tim enjoys the treats! Somerset Web Services is based in Taunton and offers a full range of web-based services, from website design, hosting through to SEO.

Entries will open on September 16 for the county’s biggest and most prestigious annual business awards - the Somerset Business Awards 2022 organised by Somerset Chamber of Commerce. The annual awards are returning with new sponsors, new categories and a gala awards ceremony scheduled for March next year. The awards are free to enter and businesses do not need to be a member of the Chamber to ta...

The British Chambers of Commerce has welcomed the Government’s decision to extended the deadline for the implementation of the UKCA mark until the end of next year, following successful lobbying from industry groups. Post Brexit, the UKCA product mark was due to replace the EU CE mark by the end of this year, but industry groups had warned that a lack of testing facilities made this deadline un...

The UK jobs market is recovering strongly as the boost to demand from the easing of restrictions sees job vacancies hit a record high and more people are listed as being on payroll, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The number of vacancies hit 953,000 in the three months to July, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in the three months to June and...

The UK economy grew by 4.8% between April and June, but business investment remains short of pre-pandemic levels which could limit productivity and competitiveness. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, the increase in GDP was boosted by retail, restaurants and hotels reopening but was still below the 5% expected by the Bank of England. The UK economy is now 4.4% smaller ...