Hundreds of businesses better prepared for Brexit thanks to campaign

"I know how busy people are but I am not talking about taking a couple of weeks out to build a whole new business plan. Just half-an-hour spent going through our Brexit checklist would do the trick."

A campaign to stress the urgency of businesses preparing for life after Brexit has met with great success with more than 400 businesses advancing their plans in the last two weeks.

An ongoing telemarketing campaign targeted 800 businesses in its first two weeks and over half of those responded by seeking further information and support.

The campaign, delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub and the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and backed by Warwickshire County Council, is part of a multi-agency effort to urge businesses to become as informed as possible about potential issues.

With so much uncertainty around and 'Brexit Fatigue' also a factor, local partners are taking a co-ordinated approach to streamline and clarify the support they offer.

The County Council, Growth Hub, Chamber of Commerce, Coventry City Council and the Federation of Small Businesses are working together to deliver a range of advice, supported by an £85,000 grant from the Government's Brexit Preparation Fund.

It could not be easier for businesses to learn about factors that could affect them after Brexit by consulting a simple but comprehensive check-list on line.

A series of 'meet the experts' workshops, tailored to cover different aspects of Brexit, has been arranged while an extensive social media campaign, as well as the telemarketing, is also ongoing.

Warwickshire County Council's assistant director for communities David Ayton-Hill said: "It is very encouraging that more than 400 businesses started to seriously consider life after Brexit in direct response to the campaign.

"The uncertainty surrounding Brexit has been and remains difficult for the business world. Like everybody else, we, as a council, and our partner organisations, can only wait and see what the future holds, so we cannot give definitive advice. But we are doing everything we can to make businesses aware of the issues they may face.

"It appears that some businesses have decided to just wait and see what happens. I would strongly advise not to do that, but to instead become as well-informed as possible about the potential ramifications of Brexit.

"I know how busy people are but I am not talking about taking a couple of weeks out to build a whole new business plan. Just half-an-hour spent going through our Brexit checklist would do the trick. It will help identify the key issues that are pertinent to their company, thereby enabling them to focus their thinking and access information and support that is most relevant to them, for example which workshop or event will be most of use."

"It is surely worthwhile to invest that small amount of time in looking at information which could save a lot of time, effort and money in the longer term."

For comprehensive advice around Brexit please visit: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/brexit

To go directly to the Brexit check-list please visit: https://www.cwgrowthhub.co.uk/sites/default/files/Brexit%20checklist%202019%20from%20CWCC.pdf