A merger between Bradford's two main business groups has taken a step nearer.

Bradford Chamber of Commerce discussed the issue in private yesterday after its monthly meeting at the city's Midland Hotel.

And today the board of Bradford & District Training & Enterprise Council has the merger on its agenda.

A joint statement on the decision is expected to be made tomorrow and it is widely expected the two key organisations will merge. There has been talk about the merger since the item first appeared on the Chamber's agenda last summer.

The same discussion is taking place between Leeds Chamber of Commerce and Leeds Training & Enterprise Council which are also expected to merge.

Bradford and Leeds chambers are both currently backed by Chamber Management Services which also runs the York and North Yorkshire Chamber from its headquarters in Phoenix House, Thornbury.

If the merger goes ahead an application will have to made to the Region's Government Office by May which could allow the new organisation to be up and running by September.

David Wilkinson, chief executive of Bradford TEC, and former director of the Bradford Chamber confirmed that both organisations were discussing a paper on the issue and have agreed to say nothing until tomorrow.

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