New Chamber chief rallies firms for first post-Budget survey

The new leader of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce is calling on businesses to share their views in a key survey that will give the first snapshot of the Black Country economy since the Budget.

Raj Kandola, who started his new role as chief executive this month, says the Chamber's Quarterly Economic Survey will capture how firms are performing, how confident they feel and what their plans are as the Chancellor's measures take shape.

Opening on November 9, the Q4 QES follows the first Budget delivered by Chancellor John Healey, and the first under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, giving businesses an early chance to tell policymakers what they need in the months ahead.

Raj said: "We need businesses in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton to be telling us what's happening in their sectors, in their companies, with their supply chain. 

"We need to understand the pinch points so we can see what interventions are needed to support them and unlock growth." 

The Chamber's Q3 2026 survey showed businesses under growing pressure. More than half of firms (55%) reported recruitment difficulties, up from 45% in the previous quarter, while the share expecting turnover to improve over the next 12 months slipped from 51% to 49%.

Inflation (26%) and taxation (23%) were among the biggest concerns for firms across all sectors, with rising labour costs and utility prices named as the main pressure points.

Raj added: "Businesses are telling us the same things time and again: energy bills, recruitment and the rising cost of employing people are holding them back. We need the data and the evidence behind what they're saying so we can build that picture across the region. 

"The Quarterly Economic Survey gives us that evidence. It is how we make the case to Government, the West Midlands Mayor and local councils for the support firms need to grow.

"The more businesses that take part, the harder that case is to ignore. A few minutes of your time really can make a difference. 

"The combination of National Insurance changes and the new Employment Rights Act has put real pressure on employers, and we've seen the impact on hiring. Energy costs aren't a short-term problem either. They have been weighing on businesses in our region for a long time and need a structural response.

"We have a Government talking about reindustrialisation and bringing manufacturing back to the fore, and the Black Country should be at the front of that queue. The survey helps us show what that would take: what support firms need, and what it would mean for jobs and growth here if they got it."

The survey, which has been running since 1989, is the largest independent business survey in the UK and is coordinated nationally by the British Chambers of Commerce. Its results are closely watched by the Treasury, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee and the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Businesses of all sizes and sectors are encouraged to take part. The survey takes around three minutes to complete and is open from November 9.

To take part visit https://www.blackcountrychamber.co.uk/policy-public-affairs/quarterly-economic-survey/