Chambers East welcomes rural connections report

The Chambers of Commerce for Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk working together as Chambers East, have welcomed the rural connections report prepared by Transport East. The report sets out how people and businesses in East feel about rural mobility, what challenges currently exist and where improvements to transport should be investigated.

Charlotte Horobin, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce said ‘Far too many people in the East live in a transport desert. There is no alternative to owning a car. We are pleased that the Transport East report sets out a number of feasible options for improving public transport.’

Denise Rossiter, Chief Executive of Essex Chambers of Commerce commented ‘Across the East, the lack of public transport means that many businesses have challenges in recruiting staff and helping them to access training opportunities. This results in skills gaps and productivity issues.’

Nova Fairbank Chief Executive of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce said ‘Central government policies and funding constraints create obstacles for local government when it comes to integrating rural transport needs into their plans. There is need for devolution deals to be extended to allow more local planning and funding of transport’.

John Dugmore of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce said ‘Our chambers of commerce are keen to work with Transport East, central and local government on plans to improve access to services and jobs’.

LSIPs have huge potential

A new report commissioned by the British Chambers of Commerce identifies that Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) across England are changing attitudes and encouraging more employers to collaborate and engage positively with the skills system.

Last year the Chambers of Commerce for Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk were given the green light by Government to proceed with their Local Skills Improvement Plans, but the plans are only funded until March 2025. Therefore, the chambers working together as Chambers East have joined the call for government to commit to funding the plans until at least 2028.

The chief executives of the four chambers said in a joint statement

‘Chambers are playing an important role in bringing employers and training providers together at a local level, to identify solutions and plan for change. The potential of LSIPs is huge. We need LSIPs to stay business led and to remain a key part of any government’s long-term skills strategy. We don’t want the hard work already done to be wasted.’