A SURVEY by Black Country Chamber of Commerce shows that 61% of manufacturing businesses and 67% of service sector businesses view withdrawal from the European Union negatively.

The quarterly economic survey also revealed 54% of manufacturing businesses and 65% of service sector businesses view remaining in the European Union but with specific powers transferred from Brussels to Westminster positively, with only 11% of manufacturing and 14% of service sector companies seeing that option as being negative.

Further integration is perceived negatively by 28% of manufacturing and 48% of service sector companies who completed the survey.

Ninder Johal, vice-president of the Chamber, said: “Black Country businesses view ties with the European Union positively within the context of strengthened sovereignty.”

The results of the Black Country survey, together with those from the other Chambers of Commerce across the country, are compiled by the British Chambers of Commerce to form one of the largest independent economic surveys of businesses in the UK.