Small firms suffer in wait for payment

AS President of the local Chamber Council for Oldham, I am committed to improving and enhancing the business environment for companies working in the area.

Part of my remit is to inform businesses about issues affecting them and see how the Chamber can help overcome any problems.

I am aware that some of the smaller construction companies from the Oldham area are experiencing problems with payment arrangements when working for larger contractors.

This is putting increased pressure on cashflow, and, because of the current banking conditions, there is a knock-on effect on the rest of the business. I have been approached by a number of organisations concerned about this situation and I would like to know about other companies who are having similar problems.

By understanding the scale of the problem we can look to lobby on behalf of our members and work on a solution.

::The Greater Manchester Chamber’s annual dinner is shaping up well this year. We have booked comedian Michael McIntyre to provide the entertainment while Lord Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport, will be our guest speaker.

Chamber President Dr Moneeb Awan will host the event on April 29 at Manchester Central.

::Another date for the diary is the Oldham Networking Lunch on April 28 at the Bower Hotel, Chadderton.

Starting at noon, this event is open to members and non-members and represents another superb opportunity to mingle with business people from a range of industries and possibly reacquaint yourself with some old contacts.

Pauline in our events team is taking bookings — call her on 0161-875 2357 for more information.

Visit the website at www.gmchamber.co.uk/events  for information of all of the Chamber’s activities.

::Oldham’s next Chamber Council meeting will take place next Tuesday and any members or anyone interested in joining can contact me at paul.roberts@arundelconsulting.com  for more information.