Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce will not be taking sides in the EU referendum – but Spalding Chamber’s president definitely will.
The business network’s members pay to benefit from support and opportunities. However, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce says it will not be making a recommendation to them ahead of the poll on June 23 to determine the UK’s membership of the European Union. Instead, it is promising to help members make an informed decision.
The county chamber told The Voice it would not be campaigning for either Remain or Leave “given the very real divisions that exist in business communities across the UK”.
It added: “In the months leading up to the referendum, we will actively survey business opinion and inform the debate without fear or favour. Additionally, we will be demanding clear information and facts from both the Remain and Leave campaigns so that businesspeople can make an informed choice at the ballot box.”
Meanwhile, the president of Spalding and District Area Chamber is clear that he will be voting “Leave”. That is Phil Scarlett’s personal view and is not surprising considering that he is a member of the UK Independence Party.
He is unhappy with Brussels’ “influence and meddling” and does not expect trade to suffer if the UK left the EU.
Lincolnshire is predicted to see heavy support for the UK ceding its membership.
John Hayes, the Conservative MP for South Holland and the Deepings, will be voting to leave and a motion put before Tory-controlled Lincolnshire county councillors that the UK would be better off outside the EU received majority backing.
South Holland district councillors are due to discuss a similar motion tonight (Wednesday).
Mr Scarlett’s stance in full: My personal views are that I’m deeply disappointed that David Cameron wasn’t able to get a meaningful “deal” that has satisfied the UK public.
This will result in a lack of confidence and the UK will leave the EU.
If we cannot rely on our Prime Minster to obtain a decent agreement when we as a nation are considering our options to stay or get out, what chance do we have in the future with a Brussels bureaucracy increasing and increasing?
Whilst we don’t know the impact of what will actually happen should we leave, we will have two years to adjust.
I have no doubt that European businesses we currently trade with, will still want to do business with us and jointly we will find solutions to continuing to trade. With regard to trade agreements with other countries outside the EU, the UK has been used by Brussels to broker many of these and we will not have any problem having our own.
I’m not comfortable with Brussels’ influence and meddling in our day to day life and eroding our laws and I would prefer that we were the masters of our own destinies. Our politicians and civil servants will need to step up and make things happen.
