A CHAMBERS of Commerce shake-up is set to create a "Super Chamber" for Bolton, Bury, Rochdale and Oldham.

The new body will start up this summer if it is approved at meetings on Thursday, March 27.

It would have 2,600 member companies and be the second largest in the North-west, behind Manchester, with a top-five ranking nationally.

The proposed merger involves three existing Chambers -- Bolton and Bury, Rochdale and Oldham -- together with Business Link North Manchester, which delivers Government-funded business support services.

Talks are also taking place to set up an additional association with the Wigan Chamber.

The Bolton and District Incorporated Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1887. It merged with the Bolton Chamber of Trade and Bury Chamber in the early 1990s.

And it became a Government-funded body when it joined Bolton and Bury Training and Enterprise Council to form an organisation with 140 employees and a multi-million pound annual budget.

But Government funding changes forced the Chamber to become a membership organisation again, and it has struggled financially over the last two years.

It now has nine staff, and 1,300 members which employ about 40,000 people.

If the merger went ahead, there would continue to be separate offices in Bolton, Bury, Oldham and Rochdale overseen by local advisory boards.

The administrative centre would probably in The Valley, Bolton, current base of Business Link North Manchester.

Bolton's Chamber services would operate from Commerce House, in Bridgeman Place.

Andrew Dickson, president of Bolton and Bury Chamber, said: "Our main priority is to improve and enhance services for local Chamber members and fellow members across North Manchester."

Bolton and Bury board member Paul Norris, who runs Bolton business consultancy PNC, has been engaged to oversee the merger. He can be contacted on 01204 374608 or pnorris@ chamberhelp.co.uk

"The merger would achieve the best of both worlds in establishing a powerful and effective regional organisation while boosting the Chamber's strong local operation and identity."

He said it was a natural progression in the development of business services across North Manchester and pointed out that there was already close collaboration.

"Bolton and Bury Chamber's £1 million Business Advantage initiative which promotes effective supply chain management across North Manchester and its successful health and safety consultancy are good examples of this," Mr Dickson said.