Businesses taking Brexit ‘in their stride’

Most Lancashire businesses are taking the challenge of Brexit in their stride, according to outgoing East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce chief executive Mike Damms.

However Mike, who is retiring from his role next month after 23 years in the hot-seat, said that that there were concerns in the county’s aerospace sector over the impact leaving the EU could have.

Speaking at a Lancashire Business View networking event at Samlesbury Hotel, he also praised the efforts of the county’s LEP and its chairman Edwin Booth.

He said he was “optimistic” about the Northern Powerhouse project, but pointed out there had been similar initiatives before.

And looking back at his time at the chamber he said that it had continually refused to accept the decline of the area and its manufacturing base as inevitable.

The event also heard from Elliot Paynter, head of digital at Lancashire based full service design, digital and marketing agency Ignition CBS. He warned of the challenge of new data legislation facing all businesses in the county.

He said they had to be ready for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into force next May and which has large fines for those who ignore or break the new law.

The event, for the launch of the March/April edition of Lancashire Business View, attracted delegates from across the county. It was sponsored by Samlesbury Hotel. The magazine launch events will be a regular in Lancashire Business View’s events calendar throughout 2017.