BUSINESS organisations in Wirral have joined forces to boost commerce and industry growth in the peninsula.

Wirral Business Partnership has merged its services and resources with the Wirral Chamber of Commerce – to create a strong representative organisation offering a powerful lobbying voice on issues affecting businesses in Wirral.

It will also enable the Wirral Chamber of Commerce to offer greater business support, including the development of export services, crime alert programme, together with a full calendar of business events throughout 2014.

It will include participation in supporting the International Festival for Business and The Open Golf Championship.

Membership Wirral Business Partnership and the Wirral Chamber of Commerce comprises a large cross section of leading companies and organisations across Wirral’s high growth industries and commercial sectors, including Unilever UK, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Finsa UK, Wirral Met College, University of Liverpool, Sovex, The Contact Company, Cammell Laird, Faiveley Transport, Peel Group and Magenta Living.

A new board and executive structure will be headed up by Wirral Business Partnership’s Asif Hamid as chairman, and Paula Basnett as chief executive officer.

Paula Basnett said: "By working in partnership with other support organisations, we will identify those resources which will add value to our membership in supporting the creation of employment opportunities and growth of Wirral’s economic prosperity.

"We will be able to offer benefits to support their growth, including a much larger networking base which can help in developing the local supply chain, enhanced technology for web and social media communications and business profiling and educational programmes.

"Staff will combine in co-ordinating even stronger events."

Among the benefits the merger will provide is the ability for the Wirral Chamber of Commerce to focus on resourcing funding opportunities which can be used for economic development.

Community and educational initiatives will be implemented, and through the co-ordination of business strategies, it will work with strategic business partners in moving the region forward.