Chamber News

Date published: 12 December 2011

FiT For Purpose? Two weeks ago in Chamber News we raised our concerns about the impact on business of the Government slashing the Feed in Tariff for electricity generated via Photovoltaic panels. Last week saw the news that Carillion had placed up to 4,500 of their national workforce on notice of redundancy because of the massive impact of this.

We fear that this could be the tip of the iceberg. We also mentioned that we had co-signed a letter with Friends of the Earth expressing our concern about this. This letter has now got the other business representation organisations backing it as well as Greater Manchester MPs. If you are affected by this decision we would like to hear from you so that we can give feedback to the Government on the impact of this short sighted decision. Contact actionforbusiness@gmchamber.co.uk  

Elected Mayors - Your Questions Answered Greg Clark MP, the Minister for Cities, formally announced this week the date for the referendum on directly elected city mayors. The vote will take place on 3rd May 2012.

The Government is currently consultating on what powers elected mayors should have. The Chamber is concerned that businesses may think this automatically means a Boris or a Ken for Greater Manchester, the reality is much different. We have produced a list of FAQs on Elected Mayors and would welcome your feedback and comments on this issue, which will gather pace in the new year in the build up to the vote.

We are actively seeking your opinions on what, if any, additional powers should be available to an elected mayor which are not available to the current Leader and Executive of a Council. Your comments should be received before 14 December. Contact christian.spence@gmchamber.co.uk  

Regional Growth - Round Three
One of the few surprises in last week's Autumn Statement was the announcement by the Chancellor of a further £1 billion investment into the Regional Growth Fund (RGF). Most people had assumed that, after the second round closed a few months ago, the scheme would be ended, but the Government it seems had other ideas. Whilst the Chamber welcomed this news, some concerns still linger around the speed at which this money can be transferred through the system to successful bids. We await further details on this new round of funding.

Meet The Buyer A Meet The Buyer event will be held in Bury on January 26th. The event has been developed and led by a steering group consisting of private sector representatives, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Bury Council to help businesses in Bury benefit from procurement opportunities in the borough. By working with the public sector, we want to help Bury businesses understand what opportunities are available with the Council and how the tendering process works. Email events@gmchamber.co.uk to book a place. 

All Change Pensions Minister, Steve Webb, has announced that the timetable for pension auto-enrolment will change. This will affect all firms with fewer than 3,000 employees, although any business with a staging date for pension reform before July 2013 will be unaffected.

The changes will benefit small firms with fewer than 50 employees as they won’t now have to set up a pension scheme and make a compulsory pension contribution to their staff until 2015. For more information email a.morris@britishchambers.org.uk 

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the UK’s biggest and most influential Chamber, Policy, Lobbying & Influence, the Chamber is the recognised voice of business.