MEMBERS OF KILDARE’S two chambers are to vote on a merger that would create a new business association.

The vote on the proposal for a new County Kildare Chamber will take place as the members of North Kildare and Newbridge Chambers hold their concurrent EGMs tomorrow (Wednesday 6 November) in separate hotels.

Eilis Quinlan, President of North Kildare Chamber, said that they are urging members of both chambers to support the resolution “if you agree that this is the right proposition for the business community”.

One county chamber will help and support our local economy, provide strength in numbers and will be a powerful voice when liaising with both local and national government.

The resolution would allow for the creation of a brand new County Kildare Chamber, which is described as “not simply a merger of two chambers”, but instead a new business association that represents the entire County of Kildare.

If the members vote for County Kildare Chamber, it would become the third-largest chamber in the country with an expected membership of around 500.

At this year’s North Kildare Chamber Annual Conference, Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, said that a “County Kildare Chamber with one single voice best represents the varied business community within the county including SME’s, retailers and multinationals”.

David O’Reilly, President of Newbridge Chamber, said that a huge amount of research, preparation and consultation was undertaken to establish the need and viability of a county-wide chamber.

Read: Gas from a dump in Kildare to become electricity for 14,000 houses>