FSB adds to power of business Alliance (From Daily Echo)

FSB adds to power of business Alliance

3:59pm Wednesday 18th July 2012 in Business

Jimmy Chestnutt

AN INFLUENTIAL support organisation for Hampshire companies has welcomed the Wessex branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) as a full member.

The Hampshire business Alliance was launched at the inaugural conference of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce in November last year to offer a “one-stop shop” of Business advice, representation, research, events and training.

The Alliance says having the FSB – one of the UK’s largest business membership bodies – on board will strengthen the collective voice of companies throughout the county.

Alliance members are committed to working together to cut the duplication and costs of business support for employers of all sizes.

Hampshire Chamber chief executive Jimmy Chestnutt, pictured, said: “Having the FSB as a partner in the Alliance will benefit all our members as we build on each other’s strengths and work towards providing an effective and influential single point of contact for the new Solent and Enterprise M3 local enterprise partnerships (LEPs).”

FSB Wessex regional chairman Ken Moon added: “The FSB and the Chamber both worked very hard behind the scenes before the creation of the LEPs and it makes perfect sense for us to join the Hampshire Business Alliance as a formal member so we can continue our close working relationship for the benefit of small businesses.”

The move has been welcomed by other Hampshire business leaders.

Solent LEP chairman Doug Morrison, the director of Southampton ’s port, said: “The Alliance will gain from having such a leading player as the FSB involved as an active member. The decision gives the Alliance scope to become the largest and most influential representative business support organisation in the region.

“With its formal links to the Chambers in Dorset and the Isle of Wight, the Alliance is also becoming the most obvious first point of contact for the LEP.”

The Hampshire Business Alliance, based at Wates House in Fareham , was charged with taking forward key elements of the work of the Hampshire Economic Partnership, which folded at the end of last year due to funding cuts after nearly two decades of supporting county businesses and promoting economic prosperity.

The Alliance now ecompasses three key organisations: the Hampshire Chamber, the FSB and the not-for-profit economic development company, the Southern Enterprise Alliance (SEA).