AT an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Wellingborough Chamber of Commerce on 29 October, it was unanimously voted to ‘promote and protect’ businesses in East Northamptonshire and the surrounding villages as well as the Borough of Wellingborough.
The resolution means that businesses throughout East Northants, including Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Thrapston, Kingscliffe and Oundle, can now join the combined Chamber of Commerce and benefit from the services offered through membership.
These include working with other local businesses, lobbying local or central government, championing links between the business and education sectors and helping to ensure that business voices are heard.
The decision was taken in a bid to further improve the close links between Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire businesses ahead of plans to create the unitary authority proposed to combine councils in Wellingborough, East Northants, Kettering and Corby.
President of the Wellingborough Chamber of Commerce, Simon Toseland, said: “With the close links between Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire businesses and the prospect the local authorities forming a unitary authority in 2021, the Chamber wants to provide a more collaborative framework for those businesses.
“As local government evolves into a larger hegemony, the Chamber wants to try to ensure that the brilliantly successful businesses within the region have a platform from which to challenge and influence the renewed political landscape. However Brexit and local authority unification unfolds, it’s inevitable that change will come and the new Wellingborough & East Northants Chamber of Commerce will work to ensure that business interests are not overlooked or under-represented.
For more information about the Wellingborough Chamber of Commerce visit www.wellingboroughchamber.co.uk