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Royal visit marks opening of SMART Centre

On Thursday 15 January, Southampton Solent University welcomed Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to campus for the opening of the SMART Centre – a cutting-edge facility home to the South Coast Institute of Technology (IoT). A major investment which encompasses the latest equipment used

Deliver on growth, Hampshire Chamber urges Chancellor

Ahead of the government’s Spring Statement on Tuesday 3 March 2026, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce is demanding Rachel Reeves takes practical steps to ease pressure and reduce the costs of doing business. Ross McNally, Hampshire Chamber’s Chief Executive and Executive Chairman, highlighted six issues the

Growth Elusive As Labour Market Loosens

Reacting to the latest labour market data from the ONS, Patrick Milnes, Head of People and Work Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “There are strong signs that the labour market is continuing to loosen as wage growth including bonuses has eased to

All Our Talents – Alternative Recruitment Solutions

Free online event: Thursday 12 March 2026, 1:30–2:30pm As part of our commitment to promoting inclusive employment and skills development, we are delighted to share details of an upcoming online event designed to help employers access untapped talent and strengthen their workforce. Hampshire County Council

Apprenticeship System Reform Must Go Further

A new report from the British Chambers of Commerce is calling for the government to reform the apprenticeship system to make it fit for the 21st Century. As the UK celebrates National Apprenticeships Week, it finds that the current framework is too rigid, lacks clarity,

Planning System Putting the Brakes on Growth

Economic growth is still being constrained by a planning system in England that is ‘too slow, under resourced and unpredictable’, according to a new British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) report. The report, Planning for Business and Growth, says that while recent government reforms signal the

Costs Pressures Hit Jobs Market Further

Less than a quarter of surveyed firms (23%) expect to increase the size of their workforce in the next three months, compared with 63% expecting no change, and 14% a decrease. Just over half of surveyed businesses (52%) attempted to hire staff in the last
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