Commenting on the BEIS Committee’s report on Industrial
Strategy published today (Friday), Dr Adam Marshall, Director
General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
“A clear, ambitious mission – and the untapped potential of our
towns, cities and counties – need to sit at the heart of the
Industrial Strategy.
“We need to decide our top economic and social goals as a nation,
and develop a strategy that allows us to deliver these missions.
At the same time, we must galvanise business communities all
across the UK, so every area can leverage its competitive
strengths and make a strong contribution to economic growth and
prosperity.
“I applaud the BEIS Committee for recognising that mission and
place are crucial to the success of Industrial Strategy. Business
communities across the UK will now wish to see government adopt
many of these recommendations as it works to bring the industrial
strategy to life.”
On the Committee’s recommendation of a fundamental review
of Business Rates, where the BCC has been campaigning for radical
change, Marshall added:
“Business rates hammer firms with significant, volatile, up-front
costs before they turn over a single pound. They are a barrier to
achieving an ambitious Industrial Strategy, because they stop
many firms from investing in their own productivity and growth.
The Committee’s recommendation of a fundamental review of the
business rates system is one we have made for years – and it’s
time for action.”
