West Berkshire Chamber of Commerce

West Berkshire is a primarily rural, comparatively prosperous area. Its population currently stands at just under 145,000 and is projected to grow by seven per cent by 2028. This will mean that an additional 10,000 people will live in the district within the next 20 years.

West Berkshire is in a good location, with easy access to and from the district via road and rail networks. There has been a shift in emphasis in West Berkshire towards a more knowledge and service based economy, which has significantly contributed to the economic prosperity in the district. However, the sustainability of this position (nationally as well as locally) comes under scrutiny with increased competition from other countries with cheaper labour resources. This is an increasingly important issue, not only for the low skilled sector, but across the board as many countries are already adding to their stock of high-skilled workers at a much faster rate than the UK.

The district has excellent communication links to London and to the West via trunk roads, the M4 motorway and mainline railways. West Berkshire is home to a number of well known national and international companies such as Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), Bayer, Nextra, Quantel and Vodafone. A strong industrial base, characterised by new technology industries with a strong service sector and several manufacturing and distribution firms, combine to give West Berkshire one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The West Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, or as it was then called Newbury & District Chamber of Trade, was formed in 1919.

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If you wish to contact anyone at the West Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, please call 01753 870500 or email westberks@thamesvalleychamber.co.uk

For any press enquiries please call our head office in Slough on 01753 870500.