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Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Advocacy and Lobbying
Introduction
The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce is working hard to lobby for additional support for local businesses from Government and stakeholders.
Throughout this period we will be keeping in close contact with our members to understand their needs and undertaking a significant stakeholder engagement and lobbying campaign to secure them the support that they need urgently.
Lobbying Key Messages
The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have caused an economic shock unlike any on record. Throughout the pandemic, the GBCC has worked hard to lobby stakeholders in our members’ interests.
#BackOurBusinesses: Major retailers have now pledged to return over £2bn in COVID-19 support. The GBCC and 50 of our members, partners and stakeholders are calling on the Chancellor to:
- Ring-fence & utilise this funding for enhancing support for businesses
- Take urgent action across a number of key areas such as grant support, business rates reliefs, furlough contributions for closed businesses, VAT and delivering transparent, evidenced based decisions on all future measures impacting businesses
Keep Business Moving: A GBCC Action Plan explores how Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic are impacting on the region’s firms and what can be done about it. It includes:
- Action Plans for national government & local stakeholders on areas requiring urgent intervention for business survival & longer term efforts for business revival
- Messages from our members on how COVID-19 is impacting them & the support they need
- Evidence of the key ways in with COVID-19 is impacting businesses
Previous Publications Include:
What happens after December 2nd?: A stakeholder briefing paper calling for urgent action on clarity for businesses on COVID-19 regulations following the 2nd December 2020 & action on additional support for the most impacted businesses.
Unprecedented Times: combines in-depth analysis of data on local business performance with recommendations on government interventions. This publication was launched on the 30th June 2020.
Mind The Gap Unprecedented Times replaced the GBCC’s previous lobbying document Mind the Gap. Between the 23rd April and 29th June the GBCC released 6 versions of Mind the Gap
Stakeholder Engagement
The GBCC continue to work with local stakeholders and nationally via the British Chambers of Commerce to secure cross-sector and cross-party support for the interventions that businesses need. Most recent achievements include:
- Achieving local cross-party and sector support for our response, together with Birmingham City Council, to tier 2 restrictions & the additional support businesses need (read our statements 13th October: click here, 30th October: click here)
- Achieving over 50 successful appeals or automatic reviews for local businesses on the Local Authority Discretionary Business Grant Scheme
- Securing amendments to the Job Support Scheme, introductions of tier 2 grants and introduction of the extension of the furlough scheme through national lobbying activity by the British Chambers of Commerce together with a range of other business organisations and stakeholders
There is much more to do and the GBCC remains committed to standing up for our members’ interests throughout this challenging period.
If your businesses is falling through the gaps in Government support please contact KBM@Birmingham-Chamber.com