Welcome to the Chamber’s

Crewe has recently received disappointing announcements, that the town will not be the headquarters for the government’s newly formed Great British Railways (GBR) organisation, and that HS2 Phase 2a will be delayed. Not becoming the GBR headquarters is news none of us wanted to hear, but Crewe had a strong public and private sector bid backed by the local business community. Though we lost out to Derby, who themselves have a strong rail heritage and who ran an excellent campaign.

Within a couple of weeks, we also heard that HS2 phase 2a would be delayed by two years. More disappointing news, but the Government is still committed to delivering HS2 Phase 2a between Birmingham and Crewe. The country has seen significant inflationary pressure and increased project costs, so they will rephase construction by two years, with an aim to deliver high-speed services to Crewe and the North West as soon as possible after accounting for the delay in construction. It’s still coming and we can and should continue to make the most of this opportunity.

The Chamber will continue to push local politicians and the Government, through the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) to develop and create an environment for our businesses to prosper in. This includes infrastructure, business support and skills provision. In terms of skills, the Chamber has been delivering the ‘Local Skills Improvement Plan’ (LSIP) for Cheshire & Warrington, which will provide the private sector the opportunity to influence the local skills provision and work more closely with our local educational establishments. www.sccci.co.uk

I hope you find this magazine informative and if your company has news to share or you would like to take advantage of the advertising opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact Jon at the Chamber.

May I take this opportunity to wish your business every success in the forthcoming months.

Paul Colman Chief Executive madeleine.abbey@sccci.co.uk

Jon Barnes Chamber Manager Jon.barnes@sccci.co.uk

Jake Kennerley Digital Marketing Manager Jake.kennerley@sccci.co.uk

Madeleine Abbey PA to Chief Executive Madeleine.abbey@sccci.co.uk

Angela Wilkinson Membership Co-ordinator Angela.wilkinson@sccci.co.uk

Dominic Hibbert Events & Marketing Co-ordinator Dominic.hibbert@sccci.co.uk

Jane Booth Export Document Administrator Jane.booth@sccci.co.uk

Richard Weilding Business Advisor Richard.weilding@sccci.co.uk

Anne Xiourouppa Accounts Anne.xiourouppa@sccci.co.uk

Dianne Parrish Business Connector Cheshire Connect

Tricia Francis Export Partnerships Manager Paul Colman Chief Executive @SCCCI_CEO