News

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

The Spring Budget 2024: Business Will Benefit, But More is Needed

The Chancellor’s Spring Budget, delivered yesterday (7th March at the time of writing) is, it’s fair to say, hardly a business game-changer.

That said, there’s perhaps more business benefit in it than initially meets the eye - and not least because it contains changes that we, through our connection to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), lobbied for.

Here’s a brief overview of what we believe are the Budget’s most important business takeaways.

Read More

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement – What Does it Mean for Your Business?

On 22nd November, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made his Autumn Statement to Parliament – and despite the challenges of the past three years there were positives in it for businesses in our county.

Here’s our overview of what you need to know, the changes and the continuities you should expect, how you will benefit from them, and other developments you need to be aware of.

Read More

What the 2023 Budget Could Mean for Your Business – and How We Can Help

“Cutting and simplifying” – this is how the Government headlined its 2023 Spring Budget.

So, we did some cutting and simplifying of our own, boiling the budget down into its business essentials to highlight the changes and opportunities you need to be aware of - and how we at the Chamber help our members take action to get on top of them.

Read More

COP27 Report Adds Sustainability to the Long List of Business Challenges. Who Can Help?

The WTO’s World Trade Report, released at the recent COP27 summit, contains much to make us all proud of being businesspeople, because it sees trade as the potential cornerstone of sustainability and climate action – not the hindrance to it that it is often viewed as.

Read More

Budget Statement 2022: Hidden Effects Businesses Need to Understand

Chancellor Hunt’s turn at the despatch box on 17 November was, in many ways, noteworthy for the taxes he didn’t change, rather than those he did.

But it’s important for businesses to understand that the absence of changes to headline tax rates hides changes to thresholds and allowances below the surface – and these will affect how much of your business’s earnings you keep.

Read More

How to Budget - And Where to Get Help With It

Setting and managing budgets for your business can be a challenge. After all, planning how to spend what you can’t be sure you’ll have is something of a moving target!

With this in mind, we’ve put together a whistle-stop guide to take you through the budget essentials, and point you to advice and resources we at the Chamber offer to help make budgeting if not a breeze, then at least a little less turbulent.


Read More

BCC/Totaljobs: Budget must address critical skills shortages to ‘level up’ UK growth

Over half of UK firms attempted to recruit in the last quarter of 2019, but almost three quarters have struggled to find the right talent, the largest survey of UK employers has found.

Read More

Haiders Bitesize Budget 2018

Written by Haiders Accountants 02/11/2018

With Brexit on the horizon and with no deal in place, it was clear this Budget announced by the Chancellor was more eagerly anticipated than its predecessors. With that in mind we thought we’d provide a bitesize summary of the key points impacting small business owners.
Read More

What the Autumn budget 2018 means for small businesses

As we head into November, Dr. Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) gave his reaction to the Autumn budget:

Read More

A shot in the arm for business investment and growth

Giving his initial reaction to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

The Spring Statement 2018

 

by James Pinchbeck, Marketing Partner Streets Chartered Accountants.

The Chancellor has delivered his first Spring Statement, which did away with the typical announcements around tax changes and public sector cuts or increased spending. 

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BCC reacts to Chancellor’s Spring Statement

Commenting on the Spring Statement, delivered today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

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BCC: Currency volatility compounding cost pressures for many businesses

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) releases the results of its survey, in partnership with American Express, which finds the majority of businesses expect the fall in sterling to increase their costs.

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George Hay Chartered Accountants says Chancellor has offered little to SMEs in Autumn Budget, despite calling them the “backbone” of the economy

While measures around the UK’s high-tech economy and a dramatic cut to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for first-time buyers dominated Philip Hammond’s Budget, George Hay Chartered Accountants, which has offices in Biggleswade, Letchworth and Huntingdon, has criticised the lack of support for SMEs.

Read More

Budget 2017: Full BCC reaction

Giving his reaction to the Autumn Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

Budget 2017: Welcome action on business basics – but more to do on bigger picture

Giving his initial reaction to the Autumn Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

BCC: UK’s weak trade position shows no signs of improving

Commenting on the trade statistics for September, released today by the ONS, Mike Spicer, Director of Research Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

BCC comments on MPC decision

Commenting on today’s interest rate decision by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, Mike Spicer, Director of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

BCC Budget Submission

Ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget on November 22, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is urging the government to take immediate action to halt the expected 3.9% increase in business rates valuations next year, as part of a bold Budget that seeks to boost the UK’s productivity.

Read More

BCC Quarterly Economic Survey: Manufacturing boost fails to lift UK growth

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) today publishes its Quarterly Economic Survey – the UK’s largest and most authoritative private-sector business survey.

Read More

British Chambers of Commerce: Initial reaction to Spring Budget 2017

Giving his initial reaction to the Chancellor’s Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

Chancellor must act on mounting concern on business rates

As the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) publishes statistics that show two-in-five businesses are more concerned about business rates than three months ago, the business group renews its call for action in the Spring Budget this week to ease the burden of rates and bring about fundamental reform to the system.

Read More

BCC: Inflationary pressures intensifying for businesses

Commenting on the inflation statistics for January 2017, published on the 14th February by the Office for National Statistics, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

Read More

BCC International Trade Survey: Fall in Sterling expected to increase cost base and push up prices

The recent fall in the value of Sterling is squeezing domestic sales margins, and increasing the cost base of UK businesses, according to the results of the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) latest International Trade Survey. The findings, released today, also indicate that the weak pound is expected to push up the prices of products and services.

Read More

BCC Budget Submission: Action needed on rate burden that is sapping businesses

Ahead of the Chancellor’s Spring Budget on March 8, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is urging the government to take action on delivering real reform to the business rates system.

Read More

Global Headwinds and Uncertainty Slow UK Growth in 2016

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today downgraded its UK GDP growth forecast, from 2.5% to 2.2% in 2016, and from 2.5% to 2.3% in 2017; for 2018, included for the first time in the forecast, GDP growth of 2.4% is predicted.

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Summer Budget Highlights

The Chancellor has delivered the first all Conservative budget since 1996 and seems to have provided a balance that seeks to eliminate the deficit but also maintain the stimulus to support a growing economy.

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BCC Budget Submission: Time to end our ‘make-do and mend’ culture

Ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget announcement on Wednesday 8 July, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is urging the government to commit to rebuilding Britain’s infrastructure, bringing to an end our ‘make-do and mend’ culture.

Read More

BUDGET 2015: Chancellor pulls off tough balancing act again

Commenting on Budget 2015, delivered today by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

The Spring Budget 2024: Business Will Benefit, But More is Needed

The Chancellor’s Spring Budget, delivered yesterday (7th March at the time of writing) is, it’s fair to say, hardly a business game-changer.

That said, there’s perhaps more business benefit in it than initially meets the eye - and not least because it contains changes that we, through our connection to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), lobbied for.

Here’s a brief overview of what we believe are the Budget’s most important business takeaways.

Read More

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement – What Does it Mean for Your Business?

On 22nd November, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made his Autumn Statement to Parliament – and despite the challenges of the past three years there were positives in it for businesses in our county.

Here’s our overview of what you need to know, the changes and the continuities you should expect, how you will benefit from them, and other developments you need to be aware of.

Read More

What the 2023 Budget Could Mean for Your Business – and How We Can Help

“Cutting and simplifying” – this is how the Government headlined its 2023 Spring Budget.

So, we did some cutting and simplifying of our own, boiling the budget down into its business essentials to highlight the changes and opportunities you need to be aware of - and how we at the Chamber help our members take action to get on top of them.

Read More

COP27 Report Adds Sustainability to the Long List of Business Challenges. Who Can Help?

The WTO’s World Trade Report, released at the recent COP27 summit, contains much to make us all proud of being businesspeople, because it sees trade as the potential cornerstone of sustainability and climate action – not the hindrance to it that it is often viewed as.

Read More

Budget Statement 2022: Hidden Effects Businesses Need to Understand

Chancellor Hunt’s turn at the despatch box on 17 November was, in many ways, noteworthy for the taxes he didn’t change, rather than those he did.

But it’s important for businesses to understand that the absence of changes to headline tax rates hides changes to thresholds and allowances below the surface – and these will affect how much of your business’s earnings you keep.

Read More

How to Budget - And Where to Get Help With It

Setting and managing budgets for your business can be a challenge. After all, planning how to spend what you can’t be sure you’ll have is something of a moving target!

With this in mind, we’ve put together a whistle-stop guide to take you through the budget essentials, and point you to advice and resources we at the Chamber offer to help make budgeting if not a breeze, then at least a little less turbulent.


Read More

BCC/Totaljobs: Budget must address critical skills shortages to ‘level up’ UK growth

Over half of UK firms attempted to recruit in the last quarter of 2019, but almost three quarters have struggled to find the right talent, the largest survey of UK employers has found.

Read More

Haiders Bitesize Budget 2018

Written by Haiders Accountants 02/11/2018

With Brexit on the horizon and with no deal in place, it was clear this Budget announced by the Chancellor was more eagerly anticipated than its predecessors. With that in mind we thought we’d provide a bitesize summary of the key points impacting small business owners.
Read More

What the Autumn budget 2018 means for small businesses

As we head into November, Dr. Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) gave his reaction to the Autumn budget:

Read More

A shot in the arm for business investment and growth

Giving his initial reaction to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

George Hay Chartered Accountants says Chancellor has offered little to SMEs in Autumn Budget, despite calling them the “backbone” of the economy

While measures around the UK’s high-tech economy and a dramatic cut to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for first-time buyers dominated Philip Hammond’s Budget, George Hay Chartered Accountants, which has offices in Biggleswade, Letchworth and Huntingdon, has criticised the lack of support for SMEs.

Read More

Budget 2017: Full BCC reaction

Giving his reaction to the Autumn Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

Budget 2017: Welcome action on business basics – but more to do on bigger picture

Giving his initial reaction to the Autumn Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

BCC: UK’s weak trade position shows no signs of improving

Commenting on the trade statistics for September, released today by the ONS, Mike Spicer, Director of Research Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

BCC comments on MPC decision

Commenting on today’s interest rate decision by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, Mike Spicer, Director of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

BCC Budget Submission

Ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget on November 22, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is urging the government to take immediate action to halt the expected 3.9% increase in business rates valuations next year, as part of a bold Budget that seeks to boost the UK’s productivity.

Read More

BCC Quarterly Economic Survey: Manufacturing boost fails to lift UK growth

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) today publishes its Quarterly Economic Survey – the UK’s largest and most authoritative private-sector business survey.

Read More

British Chambers of Commerce: Initial reaction to Spring Budget 2017

Giving his initial reaction to the Chancellor’s Budget, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Read More

Chancellor must act on mounting concern on business rates

As the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) publishes statistics that show two-in-five businesses are more concerned about business rates than three months ago, the business group renews its call for action in the Spring Budget this week to ease the burden of rates and bring about fundamental reform to the system.

Read More

BCC: Inflationary pressures intensifying for businesses

Commenting on the inflation statistics for January 2017, published on the 14th February by the Office for National Statistics, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

Read More

BCC International Trade Survey: Fall in Sterling expected to increase cost base and push up prices

The recent fall in the value of Sterling is squeezing domestic sales margins, and increasing the cost base of UK businesses, according to the results of the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) latest International Trade Survey. The findings, released today, also indicate that the weak pound is expected to push up the prices of products and services.

Read More

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