Chamber

The region’s premier business exhibition, B2B 2017 has once again sold out with more than 100 exhibitors! Returning to Norwich City Football club on Thursday 12th October, the exhibition will see two floors of the football club filled with leading Norfolk businesses, showcasing the latest products and services and sharing ideas that can help Norfolk businesses. This annual exhibition is a leading event in the region’s commercial calendar, attracting a diverse mix of exhibitors and hundreds of visitors keen to find new opportunities. This year is shaping up to be bigger than, with plenty of reasons to attend in 2017:

• Meet face to face with Norfolk’s leading businesses.
• We have a superb line-up of expert trainers delivering free 20 minute masterclasses on core areas that can help you and your business.
• There are lots of exclusive special offers, discounts and free giveaways
• Unique networking opportunities with business leaders, directors, entrepreneurs and decision makers

B2B 2017 is completely FREE and open to all businesses. Book your advance ticket here to beat the queues on the day and be entered into a prize draw to win one of 4 Jarrold Vouchers.

On the occasion of the visit of a high-level Finnish business delegation to London, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), and the Finnish Chambers of Commerce (Kauppakamari) on 14 September 2017 jointly called for UK and EU negotiators to minimise trade barriers – and prioritise shared economic ties beyond Brexit.

There are strong commercial links between the UK and Finland: the UK imports £2.6bn of goods and services from Finland, and exports £2.7bn of goods and services to the country.

Science and Innovation are areas of very active cooperation between the two countries, with the UK and Finland working closely together on life sciences, digital, and low carbon technologies. There are a number of partnerships between the two countries, many of which are facilitated by the EU Horizon 2020 strategy. 

The future of these projects, the long-term ease of trading between the UK and Finland, as well as the future status of Finnish nationals in Britain and British nationals in Finland, are all questions where British and Finnish businesses want negotiators to deliver clarity as soon as possible.

Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“As we welcome our Finnish colleagues to London, the vibrant trade links between our countries are yet another reminder of the importance of reducing any possible future trade barriers between the UK and the EU.

“Businesses want to minimise the risk to free-flowing trade with partners like Finland, and to avoid the creation of artificial new barriers that stop companies collaborating across boundaries. The on-going Brexit negotiations must seek to provide businesses with clear answers on practical issues including customs procedures, health and safety checks, and tax rules – and guarantee the status of nationals resident on either side.

“The links between innovative British and Finnish businesses are an important reminder that the Brexit negotiations must also deliver a framework for future collaboration between the UK and the EU on science and innovation.”

Dr Risto Penttilä, CEO of Finland Chamber of Commerce, said:

“The UK has been one of Finland’s strongest allies in promoting free trade and pragmatic reforms in the EU. The objective of the Brexit negotiations must be a European wide market that includes the UK, Switzerland and the EEA countries.

“Brexit must not lead to new obstacles or increased costs for companies from the UK, Finland or other EU countries. The UK is one of our most important trading partners, and a strong British economy will benefit both Europe and Finland.

“The Brexit process has reached a point where committed political leadership is needed both in the UK and the EU. Businesses, as well as citizens, need a clear roadmap for the years to come to ensure a smooth transition.”  

Since the beginning of the year Norfolk Chamber, together with other strategic partners has been working with New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership to draft the new economic strategy for Norfolk and Suffolk. The strategy is the culmination of collaborative process which has sought to enrich the understanding of the Norfolk and Suffolk economy, establish a shared vision of the kind of place and economy we want the area to be and set out the means by which it will be achieved.

Back in June and July, Norfolk Chamber held a series of events across Norfolk to gather feedback and opinions from local businesses at to what they wanted to see in the strategy and much of that feedback has been incorporated in the current draft.

The first draft is now out for endorsement from key strategic partners across Norfolk and Suffolk and will be ratified by the New Anglia LEP Board on 25 October.  In parallel to the endorsement process, the strategy together with the evidence report will be checked by a professional proof reader to iron out any remaining glitches.

Some of the key targets to 2036 include:

·         30,000 new successful businesses

·         88,000 new jobs

·         Grow the economy by £17.5 billion

·         66% of the population will have NVQ3+

·         140,000 new homes

Commenting on the draft Economic Strategy, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber said: 

“Chamber members of differing sizes and a diverse range of sectors from across Norfolk have contributed to the drafting of the new Economic Strategy.  The Strategy lays out the direction for the Norfolk and Suffolk economies through to 2036, highlighting where key strengths can be supported and where improvements are necessary and the Norfolk Chamber is happy to endorse the document.”

The finalised Economic Strategy and the Evidence Report to be published on New Anglia LEP’s website on 26 October – this will be an interactive online document, which will use linked page turning software to help direct readers to more information on specifics including programmes, initiatives, organisations and other relevant documents.

During the autumn, a range of events and opportunities will be held to raise awareness and publicise the new Economic Strategy.  Watch this website to find out more information as it becomes available.

Publishing the strategy is by no means the end – and over the next couple of months New Anglia LEP, working closely with Norfolk Chamber and other business representative groups, local authority partners and sector groups will be developing a plan of action to implement the new economic strategy.

If you have any feedback on the pre-endorsement document, or wish to add your endorsement to the Strategy, please email: Nova.fairbank@Norfolkchamber.co.uk

On Wednesday, we were joined by 200 guests at our seventh instalment of our half-day technology conference, Talking Tech 2017. The event proved to be our busiest yet, filling up the fantastic venue, The Space, with people keen to hear (and see) the latest technological innovations taking place on a national and local scale.

The vibrant and spacious venue was filled with 13 exhibitors, including sponsors of the event Barclays Eagle Labs and Computer Service Centre. We were also joined by PC World, 101 Ltd, Ashton Shaw to name a few, making it our most interactive and engaging exhibition yet! After mingling over tea and coffee, the guests were then introduced to our keynote speakers by the host for the morning, our very own CEO Chris Sargisson.

We first heard from Dom Davis, who spoke about the Rise of artificial intelligence, whose impassioned presentation was both informative but light-hearted. He was followed by Dean Withey who spoke about ubisend’s innovative use of Chatbots. John Carr from Facebook then took to the stage to inform the audience about Facebook’s influence on businesses, its focus on mobile use and the emphasis the company are putting on video. Prison Voicemail and Aviva then spoke about their respective use of technological advances to achieve their goals and make waves in their industries.

The guests then took part in the four workshops provided by local experts Immersive VR, The User Story, Integro and Innershed. Following on from these interactive workshops, it was back to the auditorium for the lightning talks.

This is when local tech pioneers took to the main stage to showcase their journeys and their influence on the tech scene in Norfolk. We heard from Stacey Harris (Foolproof), Claire Riseborough (Step into Tech), Tim Robinson (Tech East), James Horne (BlueSky UAV Drones) and Peter Green (CSS Cloud Ltd).

Following from the Q+A with the audience and our lightning talk speakers, Chris then wrapped up the stimulating and interesting event and welcomed guests to the Networking Lunch, complete with a fantastic spread of sandwiches and sweet treats. This gave the guests another opportunity to visit the engaging exhibition and catch up with their fellow members of the local business community. 

A new Transatlantic service made its first call at Britain’s largest container port, Felixstowe, earlier this month as part of a link between northern Europe, the UK, a selection of US East Coast ports and Panama.

Operated by The New World Alliance Lines, the Americas Europe Express (AEE) service is the Alliance’s third transatlantic route complementing the two existing weekly services that also call at Felixstowe.

The service offers shippers competitive Westbound transit times (of eight days) between Felixstowe and New York.

The AEE service rotation is: Manzanillo (Panama), Charleston (USA), New York (USA), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Bremerhaven (Germany), Felixstowe (UK), New York (USA), Charleston (USA) and Manzanillo (Panama).

The Alliance of APL, Mitsui OSK Lines and Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has deployed high-reefer-capacity ships on the weekly service with an average effective capacity of 3200 TEU (20-foot equivalent units, the standard measure of containers).

APL will supply three of the vessels deployed and HMM and MOL will contribute one each. As with the Alliance’s APX service that already calls at Felixstowe, Maersk Line will take slots.

The first Eastbound vessel is expected to arrive at the Suffolk port on 24 March.

Commenting on the announcement made by the government today on proposals to launch a consultation on no fault dismissal rules, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“Employers have long argued that rules around dismissal do not work for business, so a new no fault dismissal route would be an extremely positive step forward, and would send the message that the government is serious about de-regulation. If these proposals are given the go ahead, it would allow for the swift resolution of a dismissal, and some firms would be willing to pay a premium to achieve this.

“This is a big step in the right direction, but it should be part of a package of reforms, including reforming redundancy rules and introducing tribunal fees for claimants. A substantial overhaul of employment regulations will give businesses confidence to invest and grow, and in turn drive economic recovery.”

Norfolk County Council today (Monday 2 October) confirmed that the A1151 Wroxham Road – the busiest route into the heart of the Norfolk Broads – will close at 8pm on Friday, 6 October, and is likely to stay closed until 6am on Monday 16th.

The closure to all traffic – including cyclists and pedestrians – is unavoidable because a wide trench has to be cut across Wroxham Road to allow the installation of a deep drainage culvert as part of construction of Norwich Northern Distributor Road. Thrust-boring under the road without a closure is not possible in this environmentally sensitive location, which includes the nearby fishing lakes at The Springs. There will be no access to the fishing lakes during the closure.

Work will be continuing throughout the ten nights and nine days of the closure. As well as construction of the culvert, the closure will be used to complete as much as possible of the A1151 Wroxham Road roundabout on the NDR.

Diversions

Light traffic will (from Norwich direction) be diverted via Norwich Ring Road, Salhouse Road and Green Lane West. However, the 7.5 tonne weight limit on Green Lane West means that HGVs – including those serving Rackheath Industrial Estate – must continue on Salhouse Road to Salhouse and use to the B1140 to re-join the A1151 at Wroxham. The diversions will operate in reverse for traffic heading towards Norwich.

Legal Order backs up Horsford right turn ban

A right turn ban from Church Street on to the B1149 Holt Road in Horsford today (Monday) became mandatory after a Temporary Traffic Order came into force. When Holt Road south of Horsford closed in August, an advisory right turn ban was introduced to encourage Horsford-bound traffic to loop around the nearby New Drayton Lane roundabout, with the aim of reducing queues on Church Street. This has only been partially successful, so Norfolk County Council has obtained a Legal Order to make the right turn ban mandatory and enforceable by the police.

With some of them having avoided the worst of the economic crisis, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) hold considerable potential for UK exporters, according to UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).

Over the last 10 years, UK exports of goods and services to the region have more than doubled, from £6 billion in 2000 to £14 billion in 2010. The UK’s business with the region continues to hold up strongly, despite ongoing instability in the eurozone, with exports of goods to Eastern Europe up by 33% over 2011.

A busy programme of events over the year can be tracked by way of UKTI’s forward calendar, which offers opportunities to engage with expert sources of information and advice both in the UK and overseas.

On 29 March, for example, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry will host “Doing Business in the CEE – an overview of regional export opportunities” while, on the next day, British Water will present “Water and environment sector opportunities in the CEE”.

Ambassadors from across the CEE region will return to the UK at the beginning of May with a business briefing/networking event, to be announced shortly, and the Lord Mayor of London will be taking a City of London delegation to Croatia and Slovenia in June.

Six months after its introduction, businesses remain in the dark about how best to utilise the Apprenticeship Levy, according to a survey released today (Friday) by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), in conjunction with Middlesex University London.

The annual workforce survey of over 1,400 businesses, including those from Norfolk, found that nearly a quarter (23%) of levy-paying firms have no understanding of the Apprenticeship Levy or don’t know how their company will respond to it.

Businesses with a pay-bill of less than £3m fall under the levy threshold but can still apply for apprentice funding, yet the findings of the survey show 66% of these companies haven’t taken any direct action to use the funds or don’t know about it.

For over half of levy-paying businesses, it represents an added cost, with 56% not expecting to recover any or only a portion of their payment, compared to 36% who expect to recover all or more of their payment.

The findings reinforce the need for clearer guidance and support for businesses wanting to utilise the Apprenticeship Levy. Firms, both above and below the levy threshold, are uncertain about how to use the funds to find and train the skills they need, undermining the purpose of the system.

Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber said:

 “Apprenticeships are great way for businesses to develop the skills they need for the future, but they are not the only solution for developing people in the workplace. The current upheaval in the technical education and apprenticeship system will take time for firms to understand and adapt to. 

“The government must ensure that changes in the system do not lead to a slowdown in the overall number of apprentices recruited, or less investment in other forms of workplace training. Low awareness and understanding of the Levy has not been helped by uncertainty faced by training providers tasked with delivering apprentices to business.

“For many businesses who pay the Apprenticeship Levy, it can feel like an additional employment tax, much of which they are unable to recover, and one that is deflecting training budgets away from other important training needs.  Firms need greater flexibility on how they can use their levy monies and a system that is fully operational as quickly as possible, is simple and efficient, and that enables them to access good quality training.

“The BCC survey shows that many firms are still unaware of the Apprenticeship Levy and how it will impact on their business.  With many companies across the country facing critical skills shortages, more information and support is required to ensure businesses continue to invest in training.”

Ten nights and nine days of intensive 24-hour working begins on the A1151 Wroxham Road tomorrow evening (8pm Fri 6 Oct) as Norwich Northern Distributor Road teams set out to make the most of the longest A-road closure during construction of the A1270 NDR dual carriageway.

Wroxham Road will be closed to all traffic, including cyclists and pedestrians, from 8pm on Friday 6 October until 6am on Monday 16 October. Traffic will (from the Norwich direction) be diverted along Norwich Ring Road on to Salhouse Road, with separate light vehicle and HGV diversions* from Rackheath (see plan). The diversion routes are expected to become very congested, especially during peak hours, and traffic will also increase significantly on other routes in the area, including minor lanes.

The A1151 closure is to allow construction of a drainage culvert through Wroxham Road, and will also be used to complete as much work as possible on the NDR/Wroxham Road roundabout. Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for the unavoidable disruption and inconvenience that this A-road closure will cause.

Plumstead Road pavement work resumes

Work on extending the north-side pavement on Plumstead Road at Thorpe End will resume under temporary traffic lights on Monday 9 October. The scheme, which includes a mini-roundabout and drainage improvements at the junction with Broadland Drive, will take four weeks to complete.

A140 Cromer Road

After a short break following the re-routing of A140 Cromer Road traffic over the new bridge, temporary traffic lights will return on the A140 as needed. This is to allow as much work as possible to be carried out before a series of overnight closures (8pm to 6am) of the A140 to tie-in the existing road to the new junction, beginning on Monday 30 October. The number of nights needed will depend upon progress.

Marriott’s Way bridge in use

Marriott’s Way users are being allowed to cross the bridge during the final stages of construction and surfacing. However, further work is being carried out and diversion via the cycleway to Fir Covert Road may be necessary at times.

 * Wroxham Road diversions: Light traffic will (from Norwich direction) be diverted via Norwich Ring Road, Salhouse Road and Green Lane West. HGVs – including those serving Rackheath Industrial Estate – must continue on Salhouse Road to Salhouse and use to the B1140 to re-join the A1151 at Wroxham. The diversions will operate in reverse for traffic heading towards Norwich.

Ideas for persuading micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to do business across borders are being sought by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The “Small Business Champions” initiative seeks proposals from private sector businesses and representative bodies around the world for practical ideas designed to encourage MSMEs to engage in international trade.

The aim is to:

• raise awareness of the barriers that these firms face in doing business across borders
• highlight the experiences and success stories of those that are already trading
• facilitate access to critical information
• raise skills among the others to enable them to diversify export markets.

Proposals could be for such things as awareness-raising campaigns, competitions, capacity building, training or mentoring programmes.

Businesses putting forward successful proposals will be recognised as ICC-WTO Small Business Champions. No financial reward is being offered, but the ICC and the WTO will help support and promote successful proposals in an appropriate manner.

Announcing the initiative, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said: “The trading system is there for everyone, but MSMEs can often find it harder to reach overseas markets. The smaller the business, the bigger the barriers can seem. Spreading the benefits of trade further and wider means helping these companies to take part, particularly as MSMEs are such important job creators.”

For the ICC, Secretary General John Danilovich said that the scheme “will seek to harness the knowledge, creativity and networks of the global business community to inspire and support MSME growth”.

Proposals should be no longer than three pages and should detail the concept, aims, timelines and other relevant information. They should be sent in Microsoft Word or in PDF format, by 31 December 2017, to MSMEsubmissions@iccwbo.org.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the Secure Freight programme has gained further recognition from governments around the world.

It has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on expanding the Secure Freight pilot scheme, which began in 2010, with the Malaysia Civil Aviation Authority.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the Department for Transport (DfT) has also agreed to endorse the Secure Freight principles, which paves the way for further recognition of IATA’s efforts to build supply chain security capacity across the world.

The first authority to officially endorse Secure Freight principles was the Australian Office of Transport Security (AU OTS), last summer.

With Malaysia, Kenya, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Chile agreeing to be co-signing authorities on IATA’s Information Paper on Secure Freight, which will be presented later this month, the Association is hailing a major step forward in building shared global standards for cargo supply chain security programmes.

The Secure Freight programme works across the whole air cargo supply chain, helping to secure shipments upstream by ensuring that cargo has come from either a known consignor or regulated agent.

Secure Freight evaluates the strength of a nation’s aviation security infrastructure and works with the civil aviation authorities to ensure that cargo is kept sterile until it is loaded.

Not only does this ensure greater security, IATA explained, it also helps prevent bottlenecks at airports.

The MOU was signed on the opening morning of the World Cargo Symposium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nearly 1000 cargo professionals gathered to agree new solutions to deliver enhanced safety, security, quality and efficiency to the air freight sector.