About the Chamber 

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• How the Chamber is Managed and run
• The History of the Chamber  

The Aims of the Chamber and the Area it Serves

The Chamber exists to advance the economic prosperity of the area and to support and promote the success of its Member companies. It is an independent company with over 600 members, making it one of the largest town-based Chambers in Sussex.

The county of East Sussex has a population of just over half a million and covers an area of 1,725 square kilometres, 64% falling within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The landscape is predominantly rural in character, making quality of life second to none. The major urban centres are located on the coast, of which Eastbourne and Hastings are the largest and most populated. Nestling under heritage coastline Eastbourne itself has a distinctive character with beautiful Victorian and Edwardian buildings which are protected, as are the wide open acres of town parkland. The town’s modern marina (offering 24 hour access to the sea) at Sovereign Harbour offers a superb base from which to reach many of the world’s best cruising grounds.

There are known to be over 22,000 businesses in East Sussex (employing more than 160,000 people) with around a further 35,000 self-employed individuals. The sector profile of East Sussex’s businesses differs from the South East as a whole, with fewer businesses in business & financial services and more in the retail, wholesale & distribution and public administration, education and health. Around 88% of the county’s businesses are micro-businesses, employing fewer than 10 staff.

The South East Plan sets out a vision for the future of the South East region to 2026. It aims to ensure that the South East remains economically successful and an attractive place to live for future generations and it sets out the responses required to face the region’s challenges such as housing, the economy, transport and environmental protection. It identifies a number of sub-regions where a special approach is needed to tackle key issues that cross local authority boundaries – one of those areas identified is what has become known as “The Eastbourne / Hailsham Triangle”, an area stretching from East Dean in the west to Pevensey in the east, encompassing Eastbourne Borough and Stone Cross to Willingdon and Polegate right up to Hailsham in the north.

The economic performance of the “Triangle” will depend primarily on its businesses and workforce. The Chamber of Commerce recognises that there is an opportunity to realise the untapped economic potential of the area and knows that the identified “Diamond for Growth” at Gatwick is also likely to have a significant impact on East Sussex. It will therefore continue to work for and with the business community to deliver sustainable economic growth while protecting and enhancing the environment and quality of life for residents.

Much work is already taking place to preserve and protect the area’s magnificent heritage whilst making the most of its privileged geographical location. The Chamber strongly believes that Eastbourne and its surrounding environs is an environmentally friendly business location with a positive approach to sustainable growth.

How the Chamber is Managed and Run

Daily management and administration is undertaken by the core Chamber Team:

It has a Board of Directors (operating as the Council of Management) consisting of local business leaders elected by the Membership to serve.

The Officers for 2009/10 are:

• President - Christina Ewbank
• Vice President - Ashley Pugh 
• Immediate Past President - Steve Clark
• Treasurer - Neville Beckhurst (Plummer Parsons)

All directors are active in their support of the Chamber, the Membership and the area. Current directors are:

Senior level representatives from Eastbourne Hospitality Association and Eastbourne Borough Council are also invited to attend Council of Management meetings to ensure clear linkages and close collaboration between key organisations.

The Council of Management has set up a number of thematic working groups to focus on areas of interest (eg retail, the environment) as well as “task and finish” groups for specific pieces of work. Each of these groups is linked to at least one of the directors who provide expertise and guidance.

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The History of the Chamber

The Eastbourne and East Sussex Trade Protection Society was formed in December 1892 to represent and support the business community. Main services at that time included carrying out searches on business creditworthiness and collecting debts on behalf of members. During the 1920’s and 30’s the annual amount of bad debt collected by the Chamber was around £8,000, a huge amount at today’s values! This activity continued over the years, only ceasing in 1974.

The Eastbourne and District Chamber of Commerce Ltd came into existence in 1923 when the Society became incorporated. Some 58 Presidents have guided the Chamber throughout the decades, supported by hard-working and long-serving Secretaries. Two of the early Secretaries served no fewer than 82 years between them, covering the period 1892 to 1974!

1939-45 saw many businesses closing for the duration of the war but the Chamber continued to be active, playing an important part in civic affairs and becoming involved in many activities on the home front to assist the war effort. The post-war years brought many changes to the country, and fierce arguments took place within the Chamber about the eligibility of nationalised companies being allowed into membership !

The 1960’s and 70’s brought further change to the area’s business base with the development of many of the Industrial Estates still seen in Eastbourne today as well as the opening of the Arndale Centre in the town. A separate Industrial Association was formed to look after the interests of industrialists and The Hotels’ Association, which had shared the Chamber secretariat for nearly sixty years, took the decision to set up its own office and administration in order to focus on supporting the hospitality industry. The two organisations, however, continued to work closely together, as they do today. The very successful Business Directory and Diary is testament to the close collaboration between the Chamber and the Eastbourne Hospitality Association as it is now known.

The Chamber continued to flourish over the years. Having always enjoyed excellent financial stewardship it had acquired premises at 6 Hyde Gardens in 1962 (the first office being in Station Parade) and it continued to operate from there until the early 1990’s when it co-located with other members of the Eastbourne and District Business Partnership (EDBP) in Minster House in York Road. In 1997 the Chamber and the Industrial Association merged, further strengthening the support available to businesses in the area.

Over the years substantial income was generated from renting the Hyde Gardens property for office use. In 2004 the Chamber moved back to Hyde Gardens, taking a timely opportunity to strengthen its original investment by purchasing the adjoining property, 7 Hyde Gardens, from where it operates today.

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