About the Black Country Chamber of Commerce
The Black Country Chamber of Commerce was formed in March 2001 from an amalgamation of three long-established Black Country Chambers of Commerce – Dudley & Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, together with Business Link Black Country. The Black Country Chamber of Commerce continues to build on its strong track record as a business service provider.
Black Country Chamber of Commerce is a membership organisation, offering a range of business support services and networking opportunities designed to meet the needs of owners and managers.
Covering Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, Black Country Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest in the country, creating a powerful voice for the 32,000 businesses operating in the region today. It represents their interests at local, regional and national levels and EU levels, on a range of key issues such as transport, the economy, business legislation, skills, red tape, the future of manufacturing and crime.
Activity includes:
- The Economy
- Skills Agenda
- Manufacturing
- Transport and Infrastructure
- Crime against business
- Red tape
- The Environment
- The Visitor economy
- Free legal helpline
- Free on line personnel department
- Travel Club
- Debt recovery advice
- Discounted healthcare
- AA fleet assistance
- Stakeholder pensions
The Chamber has recently launched a Young Professionals Network, an exciting new initiative representing and supporting all young professionals in the Black Country. YPN offers the opportunity to:
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Network effectively with other young professionals across the region
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Provides up to date training and mentoring schemes
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Exclusive discounts to bars, restaurants and other services
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Discount travel club
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An interactive web forum
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Opportunities to meet business champions, leading businesses and gain access to major business events
Presently, the Black Country Chamber - Dudley is actively lobbying government on behalf of businesses on many issues such as transport and infrastructure, liability insurance, and employment law.
To tackle local business crime, they are also working in partnership with Local Authorities and the Police, working with Dudley Crime and Disorder Partnership, as well as delivering business park co-ordinator services, to industrial estates in the borough.
Organisational Purpose
The Chamber has a reputation for working successfully with decision-makers to ensure that the real business voice is heard and to influence policy for the benefit of local business.
Chambers of Commerce represents the interests and support competitiveness and growth of business in their areas. They represent businesses of all sizes in all commercial and industrial sectors.
Chambers offer a range of services: respond to enquiries, issue export documents, arrange outward trade missions, provide government funded training and arrange networking events. In Birmingham & Solihull, the Black Country, Coventry & Warwickshire, Hereford & Worcestershire, and Shropshire they are contracted to deliver Business Link services. Chambers have an influencing role to help shape policy and provide a voice for business at local, regional and national levels. They engage and support business people who are interested in influencing and contributing to policy developments.
Chambers are local, independent, non-political and non-profit making organisations. They are funded, owned and directed by their members, with board and committee representatives drawn from the membership. Chambers may develop their own structure to reflect local needs, such as supporting networks of business groups in smaller geographic areas or setting up specialist departments to cater for needs of particular groups of people or communities of interest, e.g. the Institute for Asian Business, operating as a department of Birmingham Chamber but with its own executive committee.
There are seven Chambers in the West Midlands which are fully accredited and members of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the national network and support organisation. These are: Birmingham & Solihull, the Black Country, Coventry & Warwickshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, North Staffordshire, Shropshire, and South Staffordshire.
The Chamber engages in credible policy and lobbying activity, led by members.
Activity includes campaigning on 7 key business issues:
- business crime
- the economy
- energy & environment
- international trade
- regulation & red tape
- skills
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transport & infrastructure
Black Country Chamber influences Government Ministers, MPs, MEPs and Local Authorities as policy is developed and it works in partnership with decision making bodies locally to the benefit of member businesses, such as Employment & Skills Boards, Business Crime Partnerships and the West Midlands Business Transport Group.
Common Purpose with LSPs
Chambers work in a variety of local partnerships (increasingly with LSPs) to influence local policy and improve the competitive environment for business. For many LSPs, individuals from the Chamber may be among few business representatives, and the Chamber may play an important role in stimulating the interest of individual business people interest in the LSP’s work.
The National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal recognises that a successful local economy is the backbone of a successful local community and that active business involvement is necessary to secure investment and create and retain jobs. As service users, they have views that partners need to hear to deliver more customer-focused services. Business people may offer skills and resources that are not available from other sectors, and have new solutions to local issues. They may themselves be local service providers and are potential partners on renewal and regeneration projects.
Chambers and their members directly influence the pool of local jobs. They contribute to local targets for improving skills and ‘worklessness’ outcomes for LSPs.
As partners on the LSP, Chambers can:
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distribute information to local entrepreneurs and businesses
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promote the business case for involvement in the LSP
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help partners improve their targeting for engaging the private sector
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provide a source of intelligence about the local economy and local businesses
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link to job opportunities outside the area, and to possible inward investment
Drivers
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An opportunity to promote understanding of local business needs, and to influence LSP strategic priorities and actions.
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Scope to open up public sector procurement opportunities for local businesses.
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Short term: better contacts and local knowledge; longer term: better trading environment (less crime, better skilled workforce and better physical environment); in time: direct financial benefits for businesses (lower insurance premiums, lower staff turnover, more buoyant markets)
Relationship with Other Partnerships
- Learning Partnerships (employer groups)
- Regional Skills Partnership
- West Midlands Business Transport Group
- West Midlands Business Council
- Regeneration Zone
- Dudley Business Retail Crime Partnership
- Black Country Consortium
More Information
Other Things you need to know
- Businesses respond to concrete goals and measurable outcomes. It is essential to be clear about potential benefits, demonstrating how the LSP will make a difference.
- Business people value relevant, active engagement, rather than processes and procedures. Partners must be clear about what they want from business and help them understand the work of the public agencies (e.g. provide a “public sector jargon buster” and regular, concise updates on progress).
- To retain businesses interest, “quick hits” are essential: focus involvement on projects or consultations where business input can make a difference. This may mean waiting until public sector partners are ready to start making real changes towards joining up service delivery and mainstreaming.
- British Chamber of Commerce were partners in the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU) Business Broker pilot programme in nine LSP areas, including Stoke, to enhance the business voice on LSPs and to help match business interests to community needs. In some other areas, LSPs now have dedicated resources for similar activities. The national evaluation found Brokers had been generally successful in developing new ways to engage businesses in LSPs and neighbourhood renewal.
- British Chamber of Commerce are promoting the responsible business practices (under the banner Corporate Social Responsibility - CSR) highlighting practical, cost effective ways in which businesses can gain through involvement in improving their local areas.
Find out more:
Black Country Chamber of Commerce www.blackcountrychamber.co.uk
British Chambers of Commerce, with links to local Chambers www.chamberonline.co.uk/
