Owen Paterson launches the Shropshire Business Partnership

The VIP breakfast meeting at the Greenhous Meadow in Shrewsbury was attended by ninety business leaders and guests representing the professional and business services sector ranging from accountants to website designers.

The Shropshire Business Partnership is the brainchild of local businessman Roy Broad, who has seen the success of similar networking groups in the West Midlands and has gained support from Shropshire Council to launch this initiative.

Owen Paterson said: “This kind of meeting is incredibly helpful and just the sort of networking initiative that we need here in Shropshire to support business and gain valuable feedback on a range of issues affecting local businesses.”

The guest speaker at the inaugural meeting was Chris Tollady from the department for Business Innovation and Skills who presented a new report prepared for ministers on the opportunities for the professional and business services sector.

The government wants to encourage collaborative working between non-competing firms who can share resources and bid for larger projects.

This is part of the government’s growth strategy for the sector, which it sees as part of a UK hub for World Class business services.

The Shropshire Business Partnership is an independent networking group, run by its members for its members and is free to join for eligible businesses. The next meeting will take place on 28 September.

Membership information is available at www.shropshirebusiness.org.