President 's column: Inflation worries, but still plenty to praise

Summer is finally upon us and whilst it 's lovely to have some very pleasant weather, it 's incredibly frustrating to see the business community continue to face tough economic conditions. At the same time there is much to be proud of and it was incredible to hear Aspects, the dedicated events space at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, being named national 'Business Events Venue of the Year ' by Visit England.

As a Chamber we know from talking to businesses operating across Burton and Uttoxeter that the combined 8.7 per cent inflation rate and increase in interest rate to 5 per cent is deeply concerning. Firms fear they will have to raise prices further as they deal with an unprecedented trading environment. To put things in perspective, core inflation - which excludes food, energy, alcohol and tobacco - is now at its highest level in the UK for more than 30 years.

Against this challenging backdrop the British Chambers of Commerce is lobbying the government hard to restore confidence to the markets and tackle the 'cost of doing business ' crisis. Minimising trade friction, opening up access to a wider labour force and reforming business rates all need to be prioritised. More than ever, we need a period of greater stability to allow firms to plan ahead with more certainty and deal with issues such as repaying loans and mortgages.

Closer to home, it was brilliant to hear about the promise of a multi-million funding package to give a boost to residents who rely on bus services in East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire, including better services to the Dove Valley Business Park at Foston to service early morning and night shifts. I 'm sure this will really help people to travel to work and also for businesses based in these business parks to recruit from both Burton, Uttoxeter and the surrounding region.

Following another record year of growth, it was great to see Willshee 's Waste & Recycling recruiting additional team members right across the business, including the appointment of Jon Cox as financial controller. Congratulations also go to Burton Albion Community Trust for winning the Refugee World Cup hosted at Keele University, competing against 16 teams to pick up the trophy.

I truly do believe that East Staffordshire is an incredibly attractive place to live, work and do business. I would encourage everyone to take a look at the new Discover East Staffordshire website which really does fly the flag for our region by showcasing the area and events.

It 's also great to see work beginning at the top end of High Street at the former Bargates site and that plans to transform the former National Brewery Centre into Molson Coors ' head office have been approved by East Staffordshire Borough Council. These are substantial changes for the town, but we must be positive about change, so we continue to move forward to future-proof Burton upon Trent and attract business investment in the coming years. For that to happen, East Staffordshire needs to be a fantastic place to work, live and do business and that 's why it 's great to have the forementioned Discover East Staffordshire website going live.

Our next networking meeting is on 19 July at Pirelli Stadium in Burton upon Trent. It is a special event where a keynote speech will be made by Stephen Darlison from ACAS who will talk about the topic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We 'd love to see you there.

If you would like more information on Burton & District Chamber of Commerce or to attend one of our networking events, please feel free to contact me at shaun.gray@ginho-group.com or Richard Brooks on r.brooks@birmingham-Chambers.com.

Shaun Gray is President of Burton & District Chamber of Commerce and European Managing Director of Burton-based Ginho Group