One of Lancashire’s biggest business bodies could play a new leading role in Britain’s growth.
Plans unveiled on Wednesday by former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine called for a greater role from the British of Chambers of Commerce, which has three branches in the county.
The changes would see a “business support infrastructure” built around the Chambers and calls for changes in the law to beef up their power.
Babs Murphy, chief executive of the North and Western Lancashire branch, said it would be studying the detail of the announcement.
She said: “We welcome the fact that Lord Heseltine has recognised that Chambers of Commerce are local, resilient, independent, internationally-focused and pro-active in their communities.
“We are pleased that he believes Chambers can continue to play a central part in making local growth happen.
“Lord Heseltine makes a range of recommendations that, in his view, would help bolster Chambers’ ability to serve local business.
“We will be studying these recommendations carefully and discussing their implications with Chamber members, the government, and other business organisations in the weeks and months ahead.”
In his report, Lord Heseltine recommends giving Chambers “basic statutory functions” while retaining independence.
He also talks about the “important role” of other bodies, including the CBI and Federation of Small Businesses.
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