The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has delayed its wide-ranging poll on the euro to the spring but denied the move was due to lack of interest.

A spokesman confirmed it had delayed plans scheduled for this autumn to poll its 135,000 members but said it was a strategic decision.

He said: "The BCC has not shelved the plans. We have strategically defer-red the survey until the spring as we feel that would be more influential to the debate.

"That is the time when the euro debate and the economic assessments will be hotting up.

"The decision to postpone has nothing to do with lack of interest. We have a great deal of interest shown by members and we feel to justify their views and efforts, a survey in the spring would be more influential to the debate."

He denied the decision was because of problems gaining sponsorship for the survey, understood to cost about £30,000.

It was reported that firms were unwilling to be publicly associated with the polling exercise.

"Positioning the survey in the spring would be much more influential than in September and is categorically nothing to do with sponsorship," the spokesman said.

The BCC, however, is understood to have other priorities at present.

Last week, it emerged the organisation had axed eight jobs from the national body, 20 per cent of the total, following a review of the chamber network, which found more professional and effective lobbying was needed.

Stronger links bet-ween the BCC and the network of 61 affiliated chambers was also identified as an issue.

The BCC has faced problems for months following the sacking of its director general, David Lennan, in April.