PLYMOUTH: Following the successful application to become the accredited Chamber for Devon, as part of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) network, Plymouth Chamber of Commerce is set to become Plymouth and Devon Chamber of Commerce, providing the opportunity of ‘one voice’ lobbying for Devon businesses.
The BCC network comprises some 52 accredited Chambers in the UK, with the majority having county based or City and county based representation. Plymouth Chamber of Commerce applied for Devon accreditation earlier this year, following a board strategic review, when the region was advertised by BCC. This accreditation status will see Plymouth Chamber’s representation extend to cover the whole of the Devon geographic region, providing ‘one voice’ lobbying for Devon within the BCC network – something that has never existed before and to provide a larger business community, access to BCC offerings.
Peter Hartland, Chief Executive of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce said: “We are delighted to have been successful in our accreditation application. Our aim with this extended territory representation is to build stronger relationships with our fellow Chambers of Commerce and business support organisations throughout the region, establishing positive collaborative partnerships, to provide sustainable business support and lobbying for the Devon business community.
“Over the coming months we will be working alongside Chambers in the region to develop these relationships and reach out to businesses across Devon to provide the ‘one voice’ that has been missing within the BCC network. This will involve lobbying representation and collating business views for the region as a whole, through vehicles such as regional events and BCC’s Quarterly Economic Survey.
Plymouth remains a critical component of our ongoing activities and our resource and focus will not diminish. In fact the enlarged accredited geography should provide over time, enhanced networking and event opportunities for our existing business membership. Additionally, we are now excited to be able to formalise our broader county reach and aspirations and our aim is to build stronger collaborative relationships with our fellow Chambers of Commerce and business support organisations throughout the region.
As the accredited BCC Chamber for Plymouth and Devon, in partnership with our fellow Devon Chambers, we hope to greatly enhance the voice of business ‘one voice’ lobbying, within the third largest county in England.”
