A new third river crossing will provide much needed connections between the strategic road network and the fast growing energy related Enterprise Zone and is crucial in providing linkages across the River Yare to the economic growth hub in the South Denes peninsula.
The river crossing would join Harfreys Roundabout in Great Yarmouth and over the river to South Denes Road. There has been extensive technical work carried out, including a best route alignment and cost benefit analysis. This route was adopted by Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet in 2010.
If our region is successful in securing funding, construction could start as early as 2021 and be completed by 2023.
A third river crossing would deliver numerous benefits to the area and solve a number of existing problems, including the current lack of connectivity, which severely restricts movement in Great Yarmouth. This results in congestion and ultimately limits the economic potential of the Enterprise Zone, Energy Park, South Denes Business Park and the deep water outer harbour.
Commenting on the release of the new prospectus, Neil Orford, President of Great Yarmouth Chamber Council said:
“The prospectus is another step forward in realising the potential of Great Yarmouth. A new crossing would not only reduce congestion and provide connections between the strategic road network and the fast growing energy related Enterprise Zone. It will also support regeneration in the town and help the visitor and retail economy by making shopping and tourism much more accessible.
Russian import duties on paper, refrigerators and palm oil exceeded those agreed when Russia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2012, the world trade body agreed last year in a case brought by the EU.
It argued that the illegal measures were severely hampering trade in important sectors. EU exports of the products concerned to Russia were worth some €600 million a year before the dispute was launched.
This week, Russia announced that it had lowered its import tariffs on the products concerned in a move described by the European Commission as a victory for multilateral trade rules.
Details of the Russian statement can be found at www.wto.org.
In response, the European Commission said: “This is only one of many successful cases brought by the EU to the WTO dispute settlement in the last years. EU legal action in the WTO also allowed it to improve the access of EU firms to raw materials sources in China and to remove Chinese extra duties on European steel tubes and X-ray scanners.”
Noting that effective enforcement of existing trade rules is one of the key points of the EU’s 2015 trade policy strategy Trade for All, the Commission said that it will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that WTO commitments are fully respected.
What a great week it was as the country celebrated NAW2025. So many events going on up and down the country for the purpose of helping more employers to understand what is on offer for them and how their business can benefit. We celebrated apprentice successes (see our LinkedIn page) which in turn celebrated the successes of those businesses and their bottom line.
We offered events to focus on the key areas of interest which we know employers find challenging around team building and development. If you didn’t have chance to come to the events on the day, we have recordings so you can watch as soon as you are ready.
Solving the Challenge of Recruitment and Retention
Our Head of Recruitment at Swarm Recruitment, Paul Riddock, along with Sophie Duffy, our Recruitment Consultant, and our friend Andy Lochtie from Lumos Digital Marketing, talked about how to overcome the typical complications and challenges of recruitment and retention. Andy, as an employer of apprentices, spoke about how it works for him and particularly gave some great practical guidance and insight.
On Tuesday of National Apprenticeships Week we held a forum for employer’s wanting to learn about how an apprentice can really make a difference to their business bottom line as well as how the system works to be able to access it for your business.
This is for businesses of all sizes! It is not saved only for big corporations but works for small businesses with a handful of employees. On the panel was Chris Perry talking about the funding and format of apprenticeships, Martin Morrell representing Anglian Home Improvements as an experienced apprentice employer, two of our recent apprentices, all supported by Suzanne Hodnett as Chair offering extra insight from her experience as an apprenticeship trainer.
Worth watching to understand exactly how everything works… Take a look at the opening screen showing 3 examples of real ROI achieved by apprentices for their businesses:
This was a really interesting online session which we ran for secondary schools across the country to help their soon-to-be school leavers learn about a career in Market Research, as they assess their options. We welcomed parents with their Year 10s/11s to hear about what Market Research is, and the Apprenticeship roles being recruited for this March at Ipsos, the well-known Market Research business in London, ready for a September start. We don’t have a recording of this session as it wouldn’t have been appropriate with young people on the call but if you are interested to know more and how your local school can partner with us to hear about these opportunities for students, please get in touch with us at enquiries@swarmgroup.org.uk
We were also guest speakers on the LinkedIn Live Ranksuite webinar for Marketing Apprenticeships (60 mins):
Digital Marketing Apprenticeships: Careers, Capabilities, and Impact
Our Recruitment Consultant, Sophie Duffy, and our Head of Marketing and Marketing Apprenticeship Lead, Suzanne Hodnett, were invited to be on the panel for our friends at Ranksuite, who champion Marketing Apprenticeships.
It was a very informative session to help you tap into the benefits of a Marketing apprentice for your business. Also on the panel were Tom Sangers, Director of Metric Hub who talked about employing marketing apprentices and Karim Adib from FatJoe and Bradley Webster from Herd who both started their careers as Marketing Apprentices.
If you are still on the fence and we haven’t convinced you yet how much you can benefit from having an apprentice in your business… read some key takeaways on our summary of the week:
Reacting to news of a proposed agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said:
“The BCC has long been calling for a negotiated solution to the trading difficulties caused by the initial version of the protocol.
“Businesses in both Northern Ireland and Great Britain have been calling for a considerable reduction in checks and documentary requirements to move everyday goods across the Irish Sea. We will be closely considering the legal texts and their full implications, but this appears to be a positive step toward achieving this goal.
“The Green Lane proposalshould offer a green light to future prosperity in Northern Ireland.
“But more broadly businesses in the UK will welcome the potential for stabilising relations with the EU.
“There is now the potential to move to a new phase of co-operation on trade, regulation, climate, migration and supply chain issues.
“With the UK economy teetering on the cusp of a recession this could help drive growth for both Northern Ireland and the UK more widely.
“We hope the UK Government, EU member state governments, and the EU institutions will seize this opportunity to improve our relationships, cut costs and remove red tape for exporting businesses.”
Commenting on the Office for National Statistics inflation figures for November 2022, BCC Head of Research, David Bharier, said:
“Today’s inflation rate of 10.7% may indicate we have passed the peak, but prices are now at a much higher level which will be felt for months to come.
“Our research shows that inflation remains by far and away the number one concern for businesses. Even if the rate of increase starts to slow, the damage to business confidence has been significant.
“With their margins left razor-thin, very few SMEs are planning to increase investment as they deal with a wall of higher energy bills, input costs, interest rates and taxation.
“Over half of SMEs tell us they will struggle to pay their electricity and gas bills after April. They will be nervously awaiting the Government’s expected announcement on the future shape and extent of any energy costs support, which will also impact inflation.
“Firms also need to see concrete action on infrastructure, skills, trade, and green tech to create the right environment to invest.”
Today, some of the Chambers team were invited alongside business leaders to a tour of Westcotec’s recently renovated office and factory in Dereham.
The event kicked off at Barnham Broom at 10am with bacon rolls and a welcome from Managing Director, Chris Spinks.
Who are Westcotec and what do they do?
Westcotec has been at the forefront of the vehicle-activated sign industry since 2001. They have grown to become one of the biggest suppliers of quality vehicle-activated signs in the UK. At the heart of their growth, is a commitment to customer service.
In 2018, Westcotec became one of the first companies in East Anglia to become an employee-owned business, in which a trust oversees the business operation of the company, and the day-to-day operations are managed by the board of directors in place.
Following Chris’ welcome, a coach collected the attendees and they took a short ride to the Westcotec premises in Dereham. Splitting into two groups, short presentations from Olly Samways, Director of Sales, and Chris Spinks, MD was given before they had the chance to look around the factory and office, and network with the staff.
Amy Patterson, Marketing and Communications Manager at Norfolk Chambers said “It was fascinating to hear all the statistics of how these signs are savings people’s lives on the roads every single day. The evidence is clear that using educational signs to give drivers more knowledge is making a difference. The factory and office not only look great, but it is evident that a lot of thought has gone into every tiny detail, and always to benefit the staff. The culture at Westcotec is one that every business strives towards.”
Following the tour, the attendees returned to Barnham Broom via coach to finish the day with lunch and networking.
A big thanks to the whole Westcotec team for the event. We look forward to working with the team again to bring back the Bikers Breakfast on 12th May 2023.
Impact of industrial action on 1 February 2023 at UK ports and airports
You may have seen reports that up to 100,000 civil service members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union will be going on strike on Wednesday 1 February 2023. HMRC members will not be taking part, but the industrial action will include UK-based Home Office members, including Border Force staff.
The industrial action is likely to impact the movement of goods through UK ports and airports on 1 February 2023, as well as those travelling to the UK from UK Border controls in Calais, Dunkirk and Coquelles in Northern France. There may also be some disruption on the morning of 2 February 2023 as business returns to normal.
What you can do
If you are able to move goods outside of this period, then we would advise that you do so.
If you cannot delay your movements then please be aware that the industrial action could lead to disruption and delays at ports and Inland Border Facilities (IBF). You should be prepared for these delays and check with your operator before starting your movement.
You can also check IBF site availability online.
If you are planning to carry merchandise in baggage or more than £10,000 in cash and need to make a declaration
For merchandise in baggage under £1,500/1,000kg which does not contain licensed items, the simplest way to declare your goods is though the simplified online declaration form.
The simplest way to declare large amounts of cash is also online, following this guidance. If you cannot use the online service, the red point service at the port or airport will be operational during this period but it is possible you will experience some delays.
The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) as the authorising body in the UK for Certificates of Origin has decided that plain paper United Kingdom Certificates of Origin will be issued from the 1st of April 2023 in the UK.
Over 40% of Certificates of Origin issued worldwide are now printed on plain paper. As we move into a digital future the BCC wants the Chambers to be in the vanguard working with the Government to achieve its digital ambition for a paperless border by 2025. The move to plain paper Certificates of Origin is the first step in this journey.
From this date, all applications will have to be made via the online platform/s.
Certificates of Origin printed via the online platform have additional security features such as the QR code allowing anyone with the Certificate of Origin to scan the QR code and see an online version of the Certificate of Origin so they can check the version they have has not been amended or falsified. Anyone with the Certificate of Origin will also be able to verify the authenticity of the Certificate of Origin via the ICC verification website (https://certificates.iccwbo.org). Increasingly Customs authorities worldwide are looking to be able to verify Certificates of Origin online.
This will also simplify the printing of Certificates of Origin by exporters as they will no longer need to insert a blank Certificate of Origin correctly into the printer before printing.
If you require any further information, please contact the International Team on 01603 729706 or 01603 729707 or email export@norfolkchambers.co.uk
The Norfolk Strategic Framework covers the whole of the County and aims to provide high level strategic guidance to inform the next round of Local Plans and is now out for consultation.
The document is prepared jointly by Breckland Council, Broadland District Council, Broads Authority, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, North Norfolk District Council, Norwich City Council, Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council. It sets out their shared objectives on housing, employment and infrastructure.
They are now looking for feedback from individuals and businesses on the Norfolk Strategic Framework document. The deadline for submitting your comments is: Friday 22 Sept 2017.
The document explains the main demographic, household and employment forecasts and how these affect the future development needs of the County, outlines national planning policy requirements, and includes high level visions relating to the economy, climate change, housing, quality of life and the environment.
Comments are invited on any aspect of the document but please make it clear which section/paragraph number(s) your comments relate to.
Responding to the launch of the UK-Switzerland trade negotiations in Bern, BCC Head of Trade Policy, William Bain, said:
“Business has been seeking a swift start to these important negotiations with Switzerland. Itis the UK’s sixth largest export destination for services, worth £15bn per year, and our seventh largest export location for goods. Overall, 4.1% of total UK exports go to Switzerland.
“The 2021 post-Brexit continuity agreement only rolled over terms on trade in goods but not services, so there has been a major gap to fill, affecting just under half of our trade.
“As well as securing market access for our financial, legal, accounting, auditing, architecture and design service firms with the large Swiss market, we also need to make permanent the temporary services labour mobility and business travel rules agreed last year.
“With scope to expand digital trade and bilateral data and investment flows with Switzerland, this is one of the most important sets of negotiations for business the UK Government has launched in the post-Brexit era.”
More detail from the Dept of Business and Trade on the negotiations can be found here.
The Chambers Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), is the UK’s largest independent business survey and it is NOW OPEN for responses from local Norfolk businesses for Quarter Two 2023.
The previous quarter’s QES showed that despite the uptick in business confidence, most firms see no improvement to sales.
The BCC’s Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) for Q1 2023 shows that while business confidence has improved from a very weak base, most firms see no improvement to business conditions.
Over half (52%) of UK firms believe their business turnover will increase over the next 12 months, up from 44% in Q3 2022.
However, only one in three (34%) firms experienced an increase in sales over the past three months.
Almost half (47%) of hospitality businesses reported a drop in cashflow in the last quarter.
Reacting to the latest ONS inflation data for March, Nova Fairbank, CEO of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, said:
“Today’s CPI rate of 10.1% means that prices continue to rise at an alarming rate. Driven largely by housing and food costs, this is on top of an already high growth rate from this time last year.
“More positively, today’s figures show that the Producer Price Index has eased to 7.6% from 12.8%, indicating the peak may have passed for input price growth.
“Our research shows that inflation is still by far and away the top concern for UK SMEs. This has been driven by three years of global lockdowns, supply chain crises, energy shocks, and new trade barriers with the EU.
“Small businesses, particularly those in the retail and hospitality sector, have been the least able to absorb cost rises, and we see that most have not invested or grown.
“Businesses need to see a reduction in the cost and burden of exporting and importing, particularly with the EU, as well as increased support to deal with the unprecedented energy price shock.”