There is just over a month left to enter this year’s Somerset Business Awards and past winners and current judges have been sharing their top tips to help businesses put together a potentially award-winning entry. Businesses have until November 27 to submit their entries via the Somerset Business Awards website www.somersetbusinessawards.org.uk and with 14 categories, including three new awards...

Somerset Chamber CEO Stephen Henagulph has joined fellow Chamber network chiefs to call on the Prime Minister to meet five business tests to limit the impact of Coronavirus restrictions on businesses and jobs. In a letter to Boris Johnson from the British Chambers of Commerce Director General, Dr Adam Marshall, BCC President Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith and Chamber CEOs from across the United Kin...

Commenting on the launch of the Government’s ‘time is running out’ campaign, urging businesses to prepare for the end of the transition period, BCC Director General Adam Marshall said: “Facing the triple threat of a resurgent Coronavirus, tightening restrictions and a disorderly end to the transition period, it is little wonder businesses are struggling to prepare. Many firms will be tired...

The new three tier Coronavirus restrictions announced by the Prime Minister have been branded "a real blow to business" by British Chambers of Commerce Director General, Adam Marshall. Dr Marshall said: “Intensified restrictions will be a real blow to business and public confidence at a delicate time for the economy. Firms have put hard work and precious cash into making their businesses Covid-...

Yeovil Chamber delivered a successful, inaugural Business Awards ceremony, under very challenging circumstances on Friday, October 9, at Yeovil Town Football Club. The awards were the first of what is hoped to be a big and regular fixture on the Yeovil business calendar.  Sadly, the social distancing rules restricted the awards to a tightly-managed online affair, but this did not dampen the day,...

Commenting on the Government’s updated Border Operating Model, published today, BCC Director of Trade Facilitation Liam Smyth said: “Today’s announcement of a revised Border Operating Model provides some more of the detail that was missing from the version published less than 12 weeks ago. "Duty deferment accounts and postponed VAT accounting will both help firms’ cashflow as we enter a p...

British Chambers of Commerce Director General Adam Marshall has said the Government’s latest Job Support Scheme does not go far enough to help businesses facing local lockdown restrictions. The Government has announced it would expand the Job Support Scheme to support businesses that were required to close due to local Coronavirus restrictions. Government will pay two thirds of employees’ sa...

The UK economy continued its recovery in August, growing by 2.1%, as the Eat Out to Help Out scheme boosted restaurants, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics But the figure was below expectations and the economy is still 9.2% smaller than before the pandemic struck. It marked the fourth consecutive month of expansion following the slump induced by the Coronavir...

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 – found that business conditions remained weak in the third quarter of 2020, despite much of the economy reopening.  The bellwether survey of 6,410 firms, employing over 580,000 people across the UK, revealed tha...

The British Chambers of Commerce has welcomed new proposals outlined by the Government to ensure small businesses in the UK are paid on time. Currently £23.4 billion worth of late invoices are owed to small firms across Britain, impacting on businesses’ cash flow and ultimate survival. The announcement was part of a new consultation launched today, look to give new powers to the Small Busines...

In June 2020, HMRC announced a delay to the introduction of the new rules for the VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services. The new rules will instead come into effect on 1 March 2021. This is to help construction businesses overcome the effects that COVID-19 has had on them and to allow for more time to prepare. This could affect you and the way you need to account for V...

The British Chambers of Commerce's (BCC) Director General, Adam Marshall, has welcomed the Chancellor Rishi Sunak's  announcement of a Winter Economic Plan, including a new raft of measures to support businesses and the economy as the pandemic continues. Dr Marshall said: “The measures announced by the Chancellor will give business and the economy an important shot in the arm. Chambers of Comm...

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has published a critical update of its Brexit guidance dashboard containing 26 key questions that remain unanswered with just 98 days to go until the end of the Brexit transition period. The leading business group published the document alongside new research which suggests business preparation for the coming changes is low due to the unprecedented challenge...

Responding to new national restrictions for England to combat a rising number of Coronavirus cases, announced by the Prime Minister today (22 September), British Chambers of Commerce Director General Adam Marshall said: “Businesses understand that further restrictions are necessary to tackle the rising number of Coronavirus cases, but these measures will impact business and consumer confidence a...

The board of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has announced that Director General Dr Adam Marshall will leave the organisation in the Spring of 2021.  Dr Marshall has been Director General of the leading business group for five years, and has been part of the leadership team of the BCC for almost 12 years. He leaves the organisation with an enhanced profile and impact, a stable financial p...