Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has drawn up a 15-point list of demands for the county ahead of the general election - including rail upgrades and fixing A14 pinch points.

The business group is calling for the Treasury to sign off on Ely-Haughley rail junction improvements as a priority - and for A14 road upgrades including the Orwell Bridge and the Junction 55 Copdock Interchange in 2025-30.

Business rates should be replaced by a sales or turnover tax for companies, it said.

It wants to see fairer revenue funding for Suffolk and infrastructure upgrades to unlock private sector activity and investment as part of its plan for sustainable economic growth for the county.

Chamber chief executive John Dugmore pointed out that its most recent Quarterly Economic Surveys showed many key business indicators such as sales, orders, investment, cash flow, turnover and profitability are generally lower than at any time since the start of the pandemic.

“That is why Suffolk’s business owners and management teams need clarity as to what to expect from their local Parliamentary representatives over the next four or five years,” he said.

But the county's business community was "incredibly resilient", he added.

"As proven over the years since the last General Election, companies across the county have weathered the storms of Covid19 lockdowns, labour and skills shortages, inflation, excessive business taxation and low growth," he said.

Among the chamber's manifesto asks are "lower and smarter taxes, reliefs and legislation that incentivise and don’t penalise risk-taking and innovation".

It also wants businesses to be empowered to be at the centre of positive economic and social changes. It calls for public debt to be cut and bureaucracy and supply-side blockages to be streamlined.

Devolution of central government functions should be "deepened"  to maximise an "agile partnership working between Suffolk Chamber and the public sector", it said.

Other key asks include equal per capita national funding across all key departments for Suffolk - including for adult education, special educational needs and police.

Employers should remain at the centre of skills pipeline planning after the end of the Norfolk & Suffolk Norfolk & Suffolk Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), it said.

The chamber's head of public affairs Paul Simon said the election would be pivotal for the county.

Ipswich Star:

“Let’s be crystal clear - without a strong and consistent pro-business voice in Westminster in the next Parliament, Suffolk will never be able to boost household incomes, attract investment and maximise its contributions to national prosperity.

“This is a county with a strong concentration in key twenty first century sectors such as renewable energy, ports and logistics and the land-based economy that has been hobbled for far too long with out-of-date rail, road and communications infrastructure and a corporate tax and state funding system that penalises rather than encourages growth and investment.

Suffolk Chamber will be conducting a survey of all Parliamentary candidates standing in the county to find out the extent to which they are in agreement with its 15-point programme.

The research results will be shared with its members initially and then the whole of the county’s business community to help them make informed electoral decisions, it said.

It is also hoping to host a number of hustings bringing together candidates with local business leaders - including one in Ipswich in partnership with the University of Suffolk.