Region can benefit from closer economic ties with India

The UK-India trade deal will bring ‘important benefits’ to Coventry and Warwickshire, boosting local supply chains.

That’s the view of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce chief executive Corin Crane, who welcomed the landmark deal.

He also urged firms to make the most of export support on offer to help them trade around the world.

Corin said: “We welcome today’s UK and India trade deal and can see it bringing important benefits to the Coventry and Warwickshire economy, especially around our manufacturing, automotive and education sectors.

charity Down Syndrome UK to fund a programme which will help ensure that every secondary school pupil in the country is given the very best start and allowed the same opportunities as their counterparts in the classroom.

The money they raise will go to equipping all schools with training, resources and ongoing support in subjects such as numeracy, literacy, communication and social interaction, to ensure all teaching staff have the right skills to work with students with Down syndrome in their care.

The programme is being devised by Becky Baxter, a speech and language therapist with almost two decades of experience in working with students with Down syndrome.

A similar programme devised by Becky for early years and primary teaching and support staff on behalf of Down Syndrome UK has been a huge success.

Dave said: “Snowdon was tough but Ella was her usual trouper self.

“Our supporters too have been great and hopefully by the end this will help us collect £3200 towards our fundraising total of £40,000 so we can launch this programme in classrooms across the country in the coming year.

To find out more or to donate to the programme log on to https://www.justgiving.com/page/ltsglobalsolutionssecondaryeducation

“The reduction in tariffs on UK car exports to India and the reduction in costs on import components will boost our local supply chains while our two great universities should see a boost from more flexibility around skilled professionals and collaborations in higher education and research, especially in STEM and innovation.

“On top of that, I would encourage any businesses thinking about trading with India to contact the Chamber for support and advice through our export documentation service and WMCA Export Support Programme.”

William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said: “The signing of this agreement is a clear signal of the UK’s continuing commitment to free and fair trade.

“It will open a new era for our businesses and boost investment between two of the world’s largest economies.

“Key UK sectors which are expected to benefit include food and drink, industrial goods and automotives. Not only will they see lower tariffs now, but there will be further reductions over the next decade, creating stable conditions to expand UK exports to a fast-growing market.

“Currently around 16,000 UK companies are trading goods with Indian companies, and there is high interest in our Chamber Network to grow that.

“A stronger UK-India relationship also creates huge scope to raise our services exports, which already outperform our sales of goods. This deal will create new opportunities in the transport, travel, creative and business support sectors alongside traditional strengths in finance and professional services.”