OPINION CHAMBER LINK


THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF GREATER BIRMINGHAM CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE


EDITOR’S VIEW


BY JOHN LAMB


neutral in the debate while he backed Brexit. The official line of neutrality from the BCC reflects the stance Greater Birmingham Chambers


I Sutton Coldfield


Chamber of Commerce


of Commerce are taking ahead of the referendum on 23 June given the very real divisions that exist in the local business community, And to underline that position a series of events has been arranged (see page 15) so that members can be fully briefed on the issues before making up their minds. Businesses per se, of course, do not have a vote but their leaders and colleagues do so it’s important that everyone understands the consequences of staying in or not so that business people can make an informed choice at the ballot box. As chief executive Paul Faulkner has written, the GBCC has come under pressure from


both sides of the divide to “take a stand”, to tell businesses that they should be voting one way or another. But we felt our role was, in Paul’s words, to keep the debate grounded and given the out-


pouring of rhetoric and accusations from both sides that remains a sensible move. We will be dealing with most sides of the debates, from a local economy point of view, global


Connecting you to opportunity


FRONT COVER The Chamber’s new website will be tablet and mobile friendly See page 6


EDITOR John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064 j.lamb@birmingham-chamber.com


You can now read the latest issue of CHAMBERLINK and view back issues online at: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com


implications and spelling out all the issues in our “Understanding Brexit” event on 4 May that will include unbiased information from representatives of leading business and professional service sector firms. They will assess what Brexit or the Prime Minister’s new EU-UK deal could mean. In the months leading up to the referendum, we will actively survey business opinion and


inform the debate. On 19 April the Chamber will be launching its first Quarterly Business Report (formerly


Economic Survey) of 2016 at Birmingham City University and during the debate on the local economy we will look at how the EU referendum may impact on the key exporting activities of the manufacturing sector. The new survey (see page 8) shows a remarkable jump in the fortunes of manufacturers,


with 46 per cent increasing sales compared with 31 per cent in the final quarter. Previous quarters have revealed a tale of two business communities in Greater Birmingham –


a buoyant services sector and a struggling manufacturing sector. The Quarterly Business Report (QBR) event will examine these fluctuations and dig into


more detail on the local manufacturing sector, how it relates to the wider business community and local economy and will look ahead at how the EU referendum may impact on this key exporting sector. The recruitment difficulties which were reported to have reached a record high in the


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findings of the final report of 2015 have eased somewhat, according to the latest figures. A massive 89 per cent of manufacturers reported having difficulties recruiting in Q4 of last year but that has now eased to 56 per cent – still high but a move in the right direction. This has led to an general increase in the upbeat mood of the business sector with confidence increasing – something we hope the outcome of the EU referendum will boost further.


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CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.


BIRMINGHAM CHAMBER PATRONS


t was John Longworth’s suspension and subsequent resignation that thrust the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) network into the EU spotlight. It was clear from the outset that the former BCC director general would not be able to lead an organisation remaining


4 CHAMBERLINK APRIL 2016


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