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Brexit is happening - so ask for help if you need it, regional firms told

‘Brexit is happening and firms in Coventry and Warwickshire must seek help if they still feel unprepared’ – that was the message from a business event in the region.

Around 50 companies attended the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Brexit Hub event at the Holiday Inn Kenilworth to hear from expert speakers in trade, immigration and the service sector.

It was the latest in a series of events put on by the Chamber since the EU referendum but was the first to take place since the UK officially left the European Union at the end of January this year.

David Hooper, who runs international trade consultancy Hooper & Co, told firms that they have just a few months to get their house in order but that there was help – and money – available to prepare.

He said: “There is a lot we do know but, of course, the Government can change its mind on some of the detail as negotiations progress.

“However, we know Brexit is happening and we know we are leaving the customs union and the single market. It looks very unlikely that the transition period will be extended beyond January 2021.

“Michael Gove told businesses recently that there will be checks at the border and customs declarations at Dover and Calais.

“There might be tariffs, depending on what deal is struck, but we have to plan for trade with the EU as if we were trading with any other nation around the world.

“Businesses will, therefore, need to have knowledge and proof of origin of its products – that is going to be critical information.

“My advice, at this stage, is to seek help now and the Chamber is a very good starting point because there is training available on a range of aspects and, further to that, there is also a pot of Government money available for training, which, again, the Chamber can help businesses to access.”

Matthew Davies, partner and head of business immigration at Midlands law firm Wright Hassall, said the Government was taking a hard line with businesses who say they may be short of labour after Brexit – but that this stance might ease.

He said: “The Government appears to be saying to business that they have had long enough to get ready and that they should either invest in automation or pay people more. That’s quite a tough message.

“You can question whether this stance is sustainable and I would suggest that the Government will have to listen.

“On the whole, the much-heralded new points system for skilled workers isn’t actually new. It follows broadly the same rules that have applied to non-EEA citizens since 2008/09 and re-works the points-based system we already have. To a certain degree, it actually liberalises the rules because salary thresholds will be lowered, and caps and quotas are being scrapped.”

Ian McKinney, a senior account executive at Gallagher Insurance, said more focus was needed on the effect Brexit will have on the service sector.

He said: “There has been more focus on chlorinated chicken in the national media than there has on what effect this is going to have on the service industry yet a huge proportion of UK plc is services.

“Therefore, it is vital that we are not forgotten as we strike a deal with the EU.” David Burton, the chair of the Chamber’s Brexit Hub, said there was still much in the air but that firms should heed the advice of seeking support.

He said: “This is the first meeting we have had on Brexit since the deed was done at the end of January and it would appear that the Government values a political solution over the needs of business.

“There are major concerns still around all aspects of Brexit – from immigration through to tariffs – so it’s vital the companies seek advice and support on how they can prepare now. They cannot afford to leave it any later.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .