As a Chamber member, we would like to invite you to complete the British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), which is the most extensive and regular measure of business trends at local, regional and national levels.

This survey will only take 3 minutes of your time, and the information you provide will provide us with an accurate measure of how the local economy is performing. It is extremely important in giving our Chamber a voice, as well as providing us with an opportunity to influence policy decisions which may have an impact on business.

You can complete this survey online by visiting www.britishchambers.org.uk/qes. The password is economy and your Chamber code is 47 if you are a Leeds based member and 48 if you are a York and North Yorkshire based member.

We urge you to spare just 3 minutes to complete this survey by Monday 15^th March, which is extremely important as it is considered by a number of senior decision-makers inside and outside the region.

If you would prefer a hard copy please contact your Chamber Membership Executive.

Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber is working together with its members and City of York Council’s (CYC) Head of Procurement  in improving the Council’s procurement policy after concerns were raised within the business community that the current policy is prohibitive to local SMEs.

CYC is currently revising its procurement policy and is involving the local business community in the process. At the recent York Chamber Business Forum, a quarterly meeting organised by the Chamber, the Council’s Head of Procurement met with local businesses to hear their views on the existing framework and their recommendations for the future developments. The business community put forward the view that future policy needs to be more local business friendly by simplifying the application process and improving the promotion of upcoming tendering and business opportunities.

THE pulling power of Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague is obvious.

People have clamoured for tickets for the next York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce annual dinner at York’s National Railway Museum on March 18, when the Yorkshire-born MP for Richmond and former Conservative Party leader will be top speaker.

Susie Cawood, boss of the regional chamber, said: “The event is a sell-out and we even have a growing waiting list of people wanting to take advantage of last-minute cancellations.”

It means about 640 business people will attend the dinner to hear what Mr Hague has to say as a general election approaches.