The Business Council is where the Chamber's policy priorities get decided. Senior people from member companies sit on it, drawn from across sectors and business sizes, and they give their time unpaid.
If you are a member, this is the group that carries your concerns into what the Chamber argues for.
What the Council does
The Council steers the Chamber's policy priorities and tests positions before they are published. It is the forum where the evidence from the annual Business Environment and Economic Outlook Survey gets turned into the arguments we make to government and to Fingal County Council.
It is also where genuinely conflicting member interests get examined. On an issue where a retail member and a multinational want different things, the Council's breadth across sectors and sizes is what qualifies it to weigh the question properly.
The Council is advisory. It steers and tests, and approval of a position sits with the Chief Executive for routine matters and the Board for anything material or contested.
How it works
The President and Vice President sit on the Council by virtue of their office. Every other representative is proposed and seconded by the existing Council, then elected by the membership at the AGM.
That election matters. It means the Council answers to members rather than to the Chamber, and it is the safeguard that keeps the group broad enough to test a position affecting smaller members as rigorously as one affecting larger ones.
Council decisions and the reasoning behind them are minuted and available to members. The deliberation itself stays internal, so people can speak candidly in the room.
Council size and term length are set by the Board.
Getting your issue onto the agenda
You do not need a seat on the Council to shape what the Chamber argues for. The annual Business Environment and Economic Outlook Survey is the main route, and it is what the Council reads when it sets priorities. Responding to it is the most direct thing a member can do.
If something affecting your business is not being picked up, tell us. Email info@fingalchamber.ie and we will make sure it reaches the right person.
Join the Chamber
Council members are elected from the membership, so membership is the first step to a seat.
Become a member or see what membership involves.
