Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has joined with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Chambers nationally to urge the Government to help businesses grow as it considers its future spending plans.
As the Comprehensive Spending Review looms this Wednesday, Chambers have set out key asks to help business grow the economy.
These include:
Get Britain Thriving
- Investing in infrastructure by delivering more transport and energy projects and better grid connectivity.
- Providing long-term funding and practical support to help SMEs adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) to boost productivity and growth.
- Setting out long-term funding for Project Gigabit; AI is of no use if too many areas of the country are still in broadband blackspots.
Get Britain Working
- Transferring more Apprenticeship Levy funding from the Treasury to the Department for Education so it can be spent on training.
- Expanding the Youth Guarantee to include anyone between the ages of 18 and 24, to help young people find jobs, training and education.
- Involving more employers in skills planning by extending investment in Local Skills Improvement Plans and addressing gaps in training provision.
Get Britain Trading
- Providing global leadership by investing in digital trade.
- Giving SMEs better support to export and promote their products and services.
- Building on the success of last year’s International Investment Summit by developing a pipeline of overseas investors into the UK.
These recommendations were arrived at through consultation between the 51 Chambers across the UK, BCC and BCC’s Business Council. They also factor in research by the BCC’s Insights Unit, involving more than 5,000 businesses nationally, on the key issues holding back growth.
Suzanne Caldwell, Managing Director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said:
“Wednesday’s Comprehensive Spending Review will impact the future shape of our economy for years. So the Government can’t afford to get this wrong.
“At the end of the day its businesses that create wealth and growth in our economy. So fundamentally the Government needs to put more time, money and effort into supporting business. That’s a downpayment on our future prosperity.
“If the Government wants strong and consistent economic growth, it has to look at three key areas.
“It must promote consistent investment in people, in infrastructure and in trade. If it provides the support businesses need to thrive, in an increasingly competitive and protectionist global market, then the future can still be bright.”
