Bristol businesses have developed a manifesto for change – a direct call to action to the city council following the elections next week.
Organisation Business West, as the Chamber of Commerce in Bristol, Bath and Gloucestershire, and the business leadership team operating across Swindon, Wiltshire and the West of England, is keen to lobby and challenge on behalf of business on issues that matter to business.
Tessa Coombes, Director of Policy, Business West said: “Businesses have consistently told us what the key barriers to their growth are; access to finance, excessive regulations, skills shortages, infrastructure deficit, insufficient land/premises for housing and jobs. We have therefore issued a challenge to local councils across Bristol, Bath, West of England, Gloucestershire and Swindon to consider a manifesto for business growth.”
The Business Manifesto focuses on three key aspects:
- Working with Business
Business and local authorities working together can achieve so much more.
- Infrastructure, Planning & Development
Working with business to promote the area and attract inward investment is critical to increasing private sector jobs growth. To do this effectively councils need to fully understand what attracts business and what will encourage them to stay.
- Local Enterprise Partnerships
Business needs to be at the heart of LEPs providing clear direction on business needs and potential for growth.
A copy of this “manifesto” was sent to all party leaders across our area. After the election Business West will be contacting them again to see how they intend to respond to business issues.