Future of the economy
This week
BCC National Assembly and AGM
The National Assembly meeting and the 2024 AGM are taking place on Wednesday 16 October as virtual meetings.
10:00 - 11:00 National Assembly
12:00 - 13:00 AGM
To plan effectively for the virtual meetings, all attendees are requested to register beforehand. In relation to the AGM, there are specific actions required in advance, concerning the appointment of proxies for Members and representatives for Non-UK Members.
Detailed meeting arrangements are enclosed in the National Assembly and AGM Participant Guide. This was was shared separately with Chamber CEOs on Thursday 29 August. If you need this resent, please contact Leona Murphy.
We look forward to seeing you online on the day and celebrating the achievements of our amazing Chamber Network.
Chamber Services – Boost your support for members with a Business Advice Resource Centre
The BCC has partnered with Atom, publishers of Start Up Donut, to offer you an exclusive discount on their ready-made Resource Centres.
Starting at just £83 per month, your members can have instant access to a wealth of practical content on finance, marketing, sales, operations and more.
Fully customisable to seamlessly integrate with your website and social channels, Resource Centres also provide the opportunity to generate revenue for your Chamber. Plus, until the end of October, Atom is waiving the £250 set-up fee.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your member services — find out more now. Contact Luke Flinders with any queries.
Global Britain
BCC Trade Update
The Prime Minister met with European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels on Wednesday. The Joint Statement issued after the meeting promised further co-operation in areas such as the economy, energy, security and resilience, as well as a UK-EU summit in the New Year. The BCC continues to seek a series of improvements to the trading relationship between the UK and EU to cut costs for companies.
The UK government will not proceed with the introduction of UK-wide labelling of meat and dairy products in terms of the new phase of Windsor Framework compliance measures. The new requirement will be that affected goods moving from GB to NI will require to be labelled, but not goods circulating only in GB.
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds MP, has written to the Chief Executive of UK Export Finance outlining new priorities for the next five years. These include exploring an expansion of available credit facilities to support more businesses to export, and increasing the overall number of exporters it helps.
The EU has postponed the implementation of its new Deforestation Regulation which would impact upon UK and other non-EU exporters. For larger firms, the new rules will apply from the end of 2025, and for SMEs, from end of June 2026. New guidance on due diligence measures was also published by the European Commission this week.
Indonesia has formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The UK’s accession will take effect among ratifying states on Sunday 15 December, when UK firms can then begin to use the new trading terms.
The next virtual meeting of the BCC Trade Policy Committee will take place on Tuesday 22 October at 14:00 (UK time). In addition to the usual agenda items, guest speakers from the DBT Gulf Co-operation Council negotiations team will join to discuss priorities for a trade deal with the six Gulf states. Contact William Bain for joining details.
Digital Revolution
Let’s talk cyber security this October
Keeping your customer, staff and supplier data secure from cyber attacks is easier (and cheaper) than you might think.
For Cyber Security Awareness Month, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is sharing free, quick and easy-to-use services to help you and your members stay safer online.
The NCSC is part of the UK government, and their purpose is to make the UK the safest place to live and work online. To support this mission, they provide cyber security tools to organisations to help them stay safe online. The tools are free, and no personal data is needed.
Share your insights on the Business Broadband market
As the UK government reviews Ofcom’s strategic priorities, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is conducting research into the Business Broadband market to assess whether any government intervention may be necessary.
The BCC is keen to gather insights from businesses regarding the current state of the Business Broadband market. If you have any feedback or perspectives to share, please reach out to Ben Martin.
Green innovation
BCC Net-Zero Survey 2024 – Fieldwork begins next week
As part of the BCC’s thematic survey programme, the next survey which will be launched this month is the Net Zero Survey.
Within this short survey, managed entirely by the BCC, we will be looking at the following topics:
Business attitudes and actions on net zero, severe weather, and energy.
Business attitudes towards potential employment policy changes.
Other topics including, the transition to AI and cyber security.
Fieldwork will begin next week. Please contact Stuart Morrison if you need further information.
Join the Chamber Network at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan
As you may be aware, COP29 will take place from Monday 11 to Friday 22 November in Baku, Azerbaijan.
We are delighted to invite Chambers from the UK and around the world to bring business delegations to Baku and participate in the Chamber Network's COP29 programme, which runs from Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 November.
The draft programme is now available and we encourage you to share this with your member businesses to gauge their interest in attending COP29. Please note that these details are still being developed and may change. We will keep you updated as plans evolve.
For more information or any questions contact the BCC team.
People and work
Curriculum and Assessment Review
The UK government has launched an expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review from KS1 to KS5 (primary and secondary school).
A call for evidence is now open until Friday 22 November. BCC welcome your views on what is working in the curriculum and qualifications landscape, and what could be improved.
We will prioritise literacy, numeracy and digital skills, as well as improved careers guidance from primary schools. To feed into the BCC’s response, please contact Hannah Larsen by COP on Monday 18 November.
Local economy of the future
Reminder: Autumn Budget 2024
Ahead of the Autumn Budget on Wednesday 30 October, the BCC team has made our submission to HM Treasury.
The submission outlines what we believe should be the priority areas for the new government.
The full submission can be found below. If any Chambers would like to discuss our budget asks, please contact the BCC policy team.
From burden to boost: How reforming business rates can fuel economic growth
Jonny Haseldine, Policy Manager at the BCC, has written a new blog about business rates which been featured in Elite Business Magazine this week.
The blog looks at how the current business rates system stifles growth, but by reducing multipliers and shifting to annual revaluations, we can encourage investment and ensure fairer taxation across sectors.
Upcoming events
Save the date - Global Annual Conference 2025
Join us on Thursday 26 June 2025, at the QEII Centre, London, for a day packed with thought-provoking discussions, inspiring keynote speakers, and unparalleled networking opportunities.
The host of the conference will be multi-award-winning journalist Clive Myrie. Clive is one of the best known and most experienced foreign correspondents and TV news presenters.
We can’t wait to welcome you and your members to what promises to be our biggest and most dynamic conference yet. Be sure to spread the word, mark your calendar and keep an eye out for further information on our agenda and speakers.
UK Export Finance (UKEF) Supplier Fair: Opportunities for UK Exporters in Togo
Tuesday 22 - Wednesday 23 October
Day 1 (In person): 09:30 – 17:00
Day 2 (Virtual 1-2-1 meetings only): 09:00 – 13:00
Westminster, London
In this event you can:
Hear from Dany Abboud, Managing Director, and Emile Antone, Procurement Manager at Hitech about the opportunities available.
Learn how UKEF helps UK companies win, fulfil and get paid for international business by providing guarantees, insurance and loans to support export activities.
Meet directly with the Hitech procurement team to discuss how your products and services meet their project requirements.
These events are a great opportunity to develop long-lasting relationships with leading, global contractors, who are specifically looking for UK products and services.
