Bradford’s main business body is looking at the possibility of merging with its counterpart covering Leeds and York.

Bradford Chamber of Commerce, which represents around 1,100 businesses, and the Leeds, York & North Yorkshire Chamber have confirmed they are exploring the possibility of forming a joint company – which would represent more than 2,500 companies.

Both organisations, which stress they are financially strong, already share some activities such as international services through Bradford-based trade body Chamber International, joint construction and property events and lobbying on issues such as transport, which affects all three cities.

Any decision about a merger would have to be agreed by the chambers’ membership The chambers, which represent businesses of all sizes and sectors, feel they can do more to offer networking opportunities and access to a wider range of services if they share activities.

Both organisations also deliver publicly-funded business support, which are increasingly being planned across local authority boundaries.

Bradford president Paul Mackie said: “Besides being the voice of business, we want to do more to help make running a business easier and to enable companies to be more competitive, including through exporting.

“We’re already doing that through Chamber International, working with the Leeds City Region We Are International campaign. That campaign has demonstrated that through working together we facilitate members to help each other, provide connections that don’t happen naturally and really make a difference.”

Leeds president Nigel Foster added: “We think that we could provide more for members if we join forces.

“At a local level, we already do a good job, but if we’re speaking on behalf of more than 2,500 members across Leeds, Bradford, York and North Yorkshire, then we will carry more weight with decision-makers in the region and nationally. There is a high concentration of businesses, particularly in the three cities and we can do more to work with them. We know that many companies work across the current boundaries.”

The area covered by the two current organisations has a population of 1.4 million, approximately 47,000 businesses in an area with an economy worth nearly £30 billion.