Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

The proportion of firms planning to increase investment has fallen to its lowest level since the pandemic, according to the latest British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Quarterly Economic Survey. The UK’s largest independent business sentiment survey also shows confidence weakened in Q2, with fewer firms increasing sales and inflation re-emerging as the leading concern.

A new Administration must back business if it wants the UK to prosper, Director General of the BCC, Shevaun Haviland, is set to warn.  

At the BCC’s Global Annual Conference, Haviland will outline how successive governments have hobbled Britain’s business prospects and the three drivers of growth through which the damage can be fixed. 

She will urge the next Prime Minister to resist the temptation to pile costs on business, if they want the economy to deliver the growth needed to fund wider priorities. 


On Economic Growth

Haviland is expected to highlight how delivering growth is the only answer to the UK’s persistent tax, borrowing and spending challenge, saying:  

 “The difficult truth is, whoever leads the UK, the primary challenge remains the same – delivering growth.  

“Outside of the pandemic rebound, UK growth has flatlined year after year. And this economic malaise is nothing new or attributable to the policies of a single government.  

“Despite all our strengths, we are failing to fulfil our potential. Businesses can feel it and voters can feel it too.” 

On Business Confidence  

Emphasising the importance of business confidence, Haviland will say:    

“We have the ambition, the ideas, the talent. Why aren’t we delivering more growth as a nation?  

“Our research gives a clear answer – it is a lack of confidence.  

“Weak confidence reduces appetite for risk, which reduces investment, which hampers growth, which knocks confidence further.  

“And this circular crisis of confidence is now shackling ambition. Blocking the actions needed to invest,  innovate and trade.  

“And whoever sits in No10, or the Treasury, needs to understand that.  

“Businesses can only deliver growth, if the environment they operate in gives them the confidence  to act. And that is where political leadership can make all the difference.” 

On Policy and Costs 

Addressing the cost of doing business in the UK, Haviland is expected to say: 

“A cost of doing business crisis is now suppressing the very growth we want to see. Over the last decade policy choices have made the reality of doing business even tougher. 

“Government imposed costs on your average SME have risen by more than 70 per cent in just 10 years. 

“At a time of huge economic shocks and global headwinds, successive UK governments have chosen to pile more and more cost on companies. That is no way to run an economy. 

“So, if we want to see growth - our political leaders must reduce the burdens on business.  

“Taxing businesses more, would be a road to ruin. The quickest way to destroy the fragile confidence that we have left. You must back businesses, not tax them, if you want to see growth. 

“Great care is also needed to prevent the Employment Rights Act, having a similar confidence crushing effect. We need to find a mix that works for all. That means coming together. Government, unions and business and accepting that there will need to be compromises to make this package workable. Ensuring rights – but also employment.” 

Also speaking at the conference will be Robert Begbie, CEO, Commercial and Institutional at NatWest – the BCC’s headline partner for the event. 

Looking ahead to the day, he said: 

“Growth and confidence must be at the centre of the UK’s economic agenda. The UK does not lack ambition or ideas — the challenge is scaling them into globally competitive businesses. As the UK’s largest bank for business, we see first-hand the opportunity to turn resilience into momentum — bringing together ideas, capital, policy and technology where growth happens.  

“By supporting businesses from start-up through to scale, and helping create the right conditions for investment, we can unlock confidence, remove barriers to action, and drive sustainable growth across the UK.” 

Responding to the latest Bank of England interest rate decision, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce said: 

“Holding the interest rate at 3.75% was the sensible call given the current geopolitical situation. The MPC is right to emphasise that monetary policy can not address the root cause of this shock - rising global energy prices. However, the Bank signals that future rate rises are possible if the conflict persists.

Responding to the latest inflation data, published this morning by the Office for National Statistics, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce said: 

“Today's 3.3% inflation figure for March is an early signal that the Iran conflict is feeding through into official data and impacting the UK economy.  

A new report on a pioneering scheme for business-led skills planning in England has identified a pressing need to better engage Generation Z with the workplace.   


The analysis of Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) found they have engaged thousands of people and employers in the training and education that firms desperately need.   
 

The proportion of businesses reporting increased export orders sits at 25% in Q1 2026, compared with 31% in Q2 2018    

There is a big split relating to the size of the business, with 23% of SMEs reporting increased orders, compared to 38% of larger firms. 

Services exporters also appear to be struggling with 23% reporting increased orders, against 29% for manufacturers. 

Responding to the latest inflation data, published this morning by the Office for National Statistics, Stuart Morrison, Research Manager at the British Chambers of Commerce said: 

“For businesses across the UK, today’s inflation data represents the calm before the storm. 

The latest British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) economic forecast suggests slow growth in 2026, higher inflation due to the Middle East crisis, and rising unemployment as the labour market softens.  

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned that removing the UK’s tariff exemption for low value imports could risk pushing up prices, harming small businesses and reducing trade intensity.  

The British Chambers of Commerce is urging the government to adopt its six-point plan to support UK exporters as the US President’s new 15 per cent tariff kicks in.  

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Business Council has met with the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, Steve Reed MP, to call for planning reform to deliver growth.  

A new report from the British Chambers of Commerce is calling for the government to reform the apprenticeship system to make it fit for the 21st Century. 

As the UK celebrates National Apprenticeships Week, it finds that the current framework is too rigid, lacks clarity, neglects higher-level skills and is failing to meet the needs of business.  

In new survey data, the percentage of businesses reporting increased export orders has fallen to 21% in Q4 2025, compared with 31% in Q2 2018
 
A further 50% report no change, while 28% report a decrease 

Smaller and medium sized businesses have been hit much harder than larger firms, with just 19% of SMEs reporting increased orders, compared with 39% of firms with more than 250 employees

• Less than a quarter of surveyed firms (23%) expect to increase the size of their workforce in the next three months, compared with 63% expecting no change, and 14% a decrease.

• Just over half of surveyed businesses (52%) attempted to hire staff in the last three months (compared with 54% in Q3).

• Recruitment difficulties eased slightly in Q4, however 70% still report problems hiring staff (75% in Q3).

The latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) from the BCC’s Insights Unit once again highlights price pressures as a central concern for UK businesses. Just over half (52%) of firms report that they expect to raise prices over the coming months, reflecting ongoing cost challenges. While the QES is not designed as a formal inflation forecast, its price expectations measure has, over time, proved to be a useful barometer of inflationary pressure in the wider economy.

Responding to the Chancellor’s Budget statement, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce said: 
 

“The Chancellor has listened to our calls and made the right choice by not piling major new tax rises on businesses’ shoulders, which will calm nerves.

Andy Haldane CBE has been elected the new President of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) taking over from Baroness Lane-Fox  

 

He was elected by representatives of the accredited Chamber Network at the BCC’s Annual General Meeting, today (Wednesday 15th October). He will take up the role on Sunday 1 February 2026. 

Commenting on the latest ONS trade data, BCC Head of Trade Policy, William Bain, said:  

“The first month of reduced automotive tariffs has had a positive effect on US exports alongside more certainty on the outlook for other manufactured goods sectors.  

 

Responding to the latest GDP data published by the ONS this morning, Stuart Morrison, Research Manager at the British Chambers of Commerce said: 

 
“Today’s data shows the UK economy had a subdued summer, with limited growth in the three months to July, and 0% in the month alone.  

 

The latest British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) economic forecast has upgraded growth expectations for 2025. But overall, the outlook remains subdued. The forecast shows: 

 

• GDP growth in 2025 revised up to 1.3% (from 1.1% in the previous forecast) GDP forecast for 2026 and 2027 remains unchanged at 1.2% and 1.5%.  

 

• Business investment is expected to grow by only 1.6% this year and will remain subdued across 2026, rising only by 1.9%.    

 

Fewer than one fifth (18%) of micro-exporters (fewer than 10 employees) increased export orders in Q2, with 29% reporting a decrease. 

By comparison, 29% of large exporters (more than 250 staff) increased their export orders with a fifth (20%) reporting a drop.

Reacting to news of a trade deal in principle with the US, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the BCC, said:  

  
“This deal will be met with a huge sigh of relief by many British businesses. 

Reacting to the UK formally joining the Comprehensive and Progressive agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) today, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said:  
 
“This is a red-letter day for our traders.

A five-point plan for immediate action by the new government is at heart of the British Chambers of Commerce Election Manifesto published today.

The future of the economy may sound like an awfully big topic – and one you can’t influence. But in fact these conversations – and some great networking opportunities that go with them - are within your reach!

•    Almost half (49%) of businesses say current customs checks and declarations are a barrier to exporting. This rises to 62% for manufacturers
 
•    Taxes and duties, due to tariffs, are the next biggest stumbling block for two fifths (40%) of firms.
 
•    Regulations, such as product certification, cause problems for a similar proportion of businesses (38%)

The British Chambers of Commerce has called for Government to focus on boosting services, advanced manufacturing, green and digital trade if it wants to hit its £1tn trade target.

As a member of Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, your voice, input, and influence don’t stop at the county’s borders. As part of the wider British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), we represent your interests to policymakers, politicians, industry peers, and the media, at a national level.