Report on the last year - Melksham Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Melksham Without Parish Council
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2013-03-11 17:51:06 - Graham Ellis
The last 12 months have seen the Chambers of Commerce in Wessex undergo a radical restructure, with the Melksham Chamber's reliance on the central services of the Wessex Association in Trowbridge much reduced, with our admin and secretarial services returned to Melksham. The Chamber works closely with other organisations such as the Community Area Partnership and the TransWilts Community Rail Partnerships, and we believe that the sharing of administration and minuting services with them not only keeps us in better touch with what is happening locally, but also allows us to spend more of our member's subscriptions in the area.
It's much easier to set a strategy for the development of the future than to allow other to set the strategy, and then get involved with local tactics at a later date when something crops up that should have been covered by the strategy, ut wasn't. However, it's also very difficult to interest people and gain publicity for such stratgey work. Over the last year, the Chamber has looked at strategic issues such as neighbourhood plans and the core strategy and makes inputs where appropriate.
In the shorter term future, the Chamber has a member on the SCOB (Shadow Community Operatiosn Board) which is pilotimg local inputs to the design process of the new Campus for Melksham, and has joined the Wiltshire Swindon & Oxfordshire Canal Partnership. In both cases, we're helping to plan for the future of the town - to bring people and prosperity, and to support the businesses who are our members, the businesses in the Melksham area, and the Melksham area as a whole.
The Chamber encourages new business opportunities to be taken up - by existing business in the town, or by new businesses coming in to the town. Some of those opportuninties are brough to our attention by the enterpreneur following them up, and others come to our attention and are then passed on to our members and contacts. Present opportunities within Melksham include various activities to be released by changes at Melksham House, and the associated changes at Christie Miller and with Rugby and Football clubs.
The Chamber welcomes the changes to the retiming of the 16:55 bus / route 272 so that the service can provide commuter services for people finishing work on Bowerhill at 17:00, and has brought this opportunity to the attention of First, through one of our members is on the Bath Bus Customer panel.
The Chamber of Commerce's work is largely hidden - but it's very much around. We welcome membership from businesses with an interest in the area, and encourage members and other businesses to be in contact with us for networking, training and other information - we should be a first port of call, and not a last resort. Running a business in an increasingly complex world takes a lot of time, and we canand do filter information so that we're able to infrom our members about what's going on effectively.
Melksham Chamber membership costs from 45 pounds (single employee) up to 185 pounds (over 200 employees) per annum; alternative wider membership starts at 199 pounds for up to 10 employees, includes access to all 17 member Chambers, HR, Tax and Legal Helplines, Tax Fee protection insurance and more.
Melksham Town supports the Chamber of Commerce by way of a membership, and we would like to encourage Melksham Without to join us too. Major employer on the Bowerhill Industrial Area are in the Melksham Without Parish and the additional co-ordiantion would be to the mutual benefit of the businesses and to the residents of the area.
Chair - Colin Harrison
Secretary - Phil McMullen
President - Graham Ellis
Members include representatives of Melksham Town Council
Next meeting - 19th March, 18:30, Well House Manor. Then 23rd April and AGM on 21st May. All Welcome.
Report prepared by Graham Ellis on behalf of Melksham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 11th March 2013.