Welcome to this month’s policy update. The big news is of course the announcement of a general election on 4 July. Whatever government is elected we believe there are some policy options which are fundamental to supporting business. We therefore fully support the five-point plan published on 29 May by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) to which we are affiliated.

The plan calls for:

• An Industrial Strategy with green innovation at its heart.  
• Better skills planning, bringing businesses and training providers together. 
• Business rates reform to encourage growth and investment.  
• Improved relations with the European Union to cut the costs for business.
• A Government appointed AI champion for SMEs to spearhead uptake of new technology. 

Party manifestos have not yet been published but when they are we will be examining them for policy statements relevant to business. Meanwhile we can expect a drip-feed of policy announcements as the campaign progresses!

A couple of other points to note:

Climate Change Action Pack
Essex County Council has developed an advice pack specifically for Essex businesses to help them reduce their carbon footprint.

The pack has been developed following recommendations from the Essex Climate Action Commission’s report ‘Net Zero: Making Essex Carbon Neutral’ and in consultation with a range of Essex businesses and key professional bodies. The pack demonstrates how businesses can transform, mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

Reducing the carbon footprint of a business can often be extremely daunting and complex, but the advice pack aims to simplify the process and highlight ways in which a business can not only save but also potentially make money. 

Visit the Essex County Council web page to find out more about the advice packs and other resources which have been developed to help transition to a future net zero county. 

We would be very interested in comment and feedback from members on how useful they find the pack so please do let me know what you think.

Minimum Wage
A reminder that, as flagged last month, the Low Pay Commission is consulting on its recommendations to government on the level of the minimum wage and related issues for 2025 and beyond.  

If you wish to respond to this, directly or through me, the deadline is 9 June.

A reminder also that members are welcome to get in touch about any issues, ideas or concerns relating to your business, your business location or the sector you are operating in. We will aim to help with local or central government rules and regulations you may be grappling with. You can email me at iainmcnab@essexchambers.co.uk or call on 07929 522951.

I also am very open to ideas and suggestions about what more the Chambers could do to support you. I’m trying to visit as many members as I can - so please do let me know if you would welcome a short visit.

Thank you for reading and all the best!