Businesspeople across Coventry and Warwickshire have called on a Government minister and other local leaders to help them fix the issues that are holding back economic growth – in the short, medium and long term.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce brought businesses together from across its five branches of North Warwickshire, Rugby, Coventry, Mid-Warwickshire and South Warwickshire at an event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford.
They were joined by local council leaders; representatives from the Local Enterprise Partnership; Mark Pawsey, MP for Rugby; and Nadhim Zahawi, MP for Stratford-on-Avon and Secretary of State for Education.
Mr Zahawi told the gathered businesses that, through policies on skills, he wanted to help make the UK economy the most dynamic in the world.
He said: “I always welcome the chance to meet with the Chamber and its members because they are at the frontline of business.
“One of the key issues that comes up time and again is around skills and that is why I was pleased to set out some of the ways that we are addressing this.
“We are starting to model the skills need of the economy – for the next six months, 12 months and five years – and that will help us to educate and train people in those areas that businesses need.
“The golden thread, when it comes to skills, is placing businesses at the heart of whatever we are doing as a Government because businesses know the challenges they are faced with every day.”
Attention then turned to gathered businesspeople who were given time to discuss the major issues before feeding back to Sean Rose, the Chamber’s Head of Policy.
Skills, training and recruitment concerns were all highlighted but the cost of doing business was also raised as an immediate and major concern, particularly with rising fuel and energy costs.
Sean said: “We are grateful to Nadhim Zahawi, Mark Pawsey and other regional leaders for joining us to hear the views of businesses from right across Coventry and Warwickshire.
“Our branch network means we are able to hone in on very localised issues for our members and, also, understand the bigger picture for the wider economy.
“Skills and training are something that do crop up regularly so it was great to have the Secretary of State for Education with us to hear those issues and to set out some of the ways Government plans to tackle them.
“But there is no doubt that, with costs rising both for businesses and individuals, firms are facing massive challenges and this was an opportunity to raise that with decision-makers in the room.
“It is why we are now calling, through colleagues at the British Chambers of Commerce for an emergency budget to support firms through the current cost-of-doing-business crisis.”
Karen Shuter, the Chamber’s Rugby branch chair, said: “Our branches are a vital voice for local businesses and, by speaking collectively, it adds weight to that voice and means we can get things done.”
Larry Coltman, the Chamber’s South Warwickshire branch chair, said: “I’ve been involved with the Chamber for many years now and events such as this show how we can pull businesses and decision-makers together to make sure the issues we are facing are understood at a local, regional and national level.”
Tim Squires, the Chamber’s Coventry branch chair, said: “Businesses have faced an unprecedented couple of years with Covid-19 restrictions but life hasn’t got any easier with costs going up and it’s vital that the Chamber speaks up on behalf of companies across the patch.”
Peter Burns MBE, the Chamber’s Mid-Warwickshire branch interim chair, said: “Business needs a voice and it is great that we can bring local companies together with Government ministers with the aim of improving conditions for all of our members to be able to grow.”