A shake-up to Bingley's business support services has been welcomed by a leading entrepreneur.

Chamber Management Ser-vices (CMS) - which provides aid to firms which are members of the Chamber of Commerce - is set to expand its role in the light of a Government-led shake-up.

From April 2001, Business Links and Training and Enterprise Councils will be replaced by the Small Business Service and Learning and Skills Councils.

The chamber believes this will allow it to expand its local role and deliver a wider range of business services.

The three chambers which jointly own CMS - Bradford, Leeds and York - want to invest in new teams and premises to improve service.

Bradford entrepreneur Judith Donovan CBE, who is also chairman of Chamber Management Services Ltd, said: "CMS has operated very successfully, developing skills and services that the individual chambers could not have delivered on their own.

"But now it is time to invest in each of our three cities to meet local needs. We will be giving first class business support and will work with partners to help create a local infrastructure in which companies can flourish."