LAST week we heard the very sad and somewhat surprising news that Sunseeker are about to make up to 300 Poole-based staff redundant, clearly a major blow for the local economy, writes Ian Girling, DCCI chief executive.

Sunseeker state the jobs that will go are essentially in back-line roles, and say they remain committed to boat building in Poole.

However only last year, after purchasing a 92 per cent stake in Sunseeker, the Chinese property conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group stated they remained committed to Poole and would be investing in the town, hence the shock waves these redundancies have caused.

Sunseeker says these job cuts will arise as the result of a strategic review of the business in an increasingly-competitive marketplace and these changes are needed to support their future growth.

Clearly businesses do need to adapt in an ever-changing world but none the less this is very bad news for Poole and has raised questions around Sunseeker’s future plans for the town.

This is a major blow for the local economy and we wish all those affected the very best in finding new employment.

This is a timely reminder that we still face challenging times and whilst there is no doubt the economy is in recovery, we still have some way to go.

The latest results from the British Chambers of Commerce quarterly economic survey, the largest business survey in the UK, show that whilst growth continues, the rate has slowed with the most noticeable reduction being in manufacturing.

A walk down any high street is a startling reminder of how severe this recession has been and this is nowhere more evident than in the number of empty shop units we still see.

The banks maintain they are lending at higher levels than ever but access to finance still remains a challenge for many businesses.

Banks seem keen to support growth but financing working capital is not necessarily an attractive proposition. We need to be aware there is now an election looming so we can expect political spin and local authorities are still under significant pressure to make considerable cuts to their budgets.

We’ve also seen a real slow-down in growth in European economies as well as a turbulent week on the stock market So whilst it is important we maintain a positive approach and move forward as the economy recovers, and things are improving, we are coming out of a major global recession and it will take time before the economy returns to its former strength. We will certainly be doing all we can to help our members continue to grow their businesses as they look to the future.