The meeting was held just days after Sir Keir Starmer stood down as Prime Minister and the gathered businesses said it was time for stability.
Keely Hancox, head of operations at the Chamber, said: “The message was loud and clear from members – with rising costs and legislation changes, they are feeling squeezed.
“On top of that, they just want certainty and stability. Everyone understands that there have been global events over the past few years that are out of the hands of decision-makers in the UK.
“But, with yet more political upheaval this week, the simply want to see a new Prime Minister who comes in with a plan to getting the economy growing and sticks to it.”
The meeting also heard from Simon Reeve, of The Fold, who explained how the Grade-II listed former church was part of a £5.5 million restoration.
The building is the centre-piece of the Creative Quarter initiative in Leamington and includes more than 20,000 sq ft of flexible workspace including coworking, resident desks, private offices, meeting rooms, a video podcasting studio, a sound studio, a shoot studio and a members-only bar/coffee shop.
It has almost 200 members and has seen significant growth over the past 12 months. It is now also promoting itself as an events space for private functions, comedy nights and live music.
Simon said: "Our vision wasn't simply to restore an old church. It was to create somewhere where
Leamington’s creative and business community could come together. Community is very much at the heart of what we do.”
Michael Stokes, of HCR Law, updated the meeting on the Employment Rights Act and also described the first few months since the purchase of Wright Hassall in 2025.
He said: “Wright Hassall was embedded in the fabric of the town. It had tremendous clients, a fantastic reputation and was joined up with the area, so it has been important to bring stability and continuity for clients and colleagues.
“We’ve just moved to a new Leamington headquarters – only a couple of hundred yards down the road and the office is absolutely buzzing!
“We’re speaking to lots of business about ERA because it’s the single biggest change to employment regulation we’ve seen for decades and firms are having to make sure they stay up to date.”
