The battle to give business a voice in Gloucestershire has begun

When the voice of business for Gloucestershire, GFirst LEP, ceased at the end of March some wondered ‘who would speak up now?’. Some, like Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce, decided to act.

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the second edition of The Raikes Journal of the week. We deliberated over making this a members’ only edition, afterall - it is our members who are key to making what we do possible, but have decided to keep the paywall off.

Why? We think the main story is worth sharing. We hope it speaks a little about where Gloucestershire is on its post GFirst LEP journey - that is after the powerful, widely respected and successful business-led group was silenced by Government.

The ripples of the local enterprise partnership’s work impacted almost every sector in the county - from construction to cyber, from education to agriculture, tourism to food. The point being now the LEP as we all knew it is gone, if we lose that unity, a seat at the big tables inside and outside the county, how difficult will it be to get it back?

We hope the article provides some interesting food for thought, as well as shows you how a certain chamber of commerce is leading the way.

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