Norwich Chamber Council heard an update from Neil Garner of Whitespace this week on the TechEast initiative. Norfolk Chamber supports Techeast andNeil is the Norfolkmember of TechEast’s Leadership Team.
The Chamber Council’s meeting was held in Whitespace’s offices at St James Mill and members heard how between 2010 and 2014 digi-tech industries grew faster than the rest of the economy and in 2014 they had an overall turnover of £161m. The aim of TechEast is to create ‘one voice’ for technology firms in the East and will link Norwich, Ipswich and Cambridge. It hopes that in succeeding with its manifesto they will create a further 5,000 jobs, generate an extra £650m GVA of economic growth in the East and be one of the UK’s Top 5 tech clusters by 2020.
The September meeting of Norwich Chamber Council will be held at NUA and will look at the incubation centre and what the building can offer and how it is supporting businesses in the digital sector.
Norfolk Chamber has joined politicians and business leaders in reiterating the call for improved journey times between Norwich and London. A joint letter was sent to the Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport reminding him of the delivery promises made by the Chancellor and the Prime Minister ahead of last year’s election.
The main signatures on the letter were Chloe Smith MP and Mark Pendlington, who head up the Great Eastern Mainline Taskforce. Both Norfolk Chamber and Suffolk Chamber were party to the letter and key Norfolk Chamber members who also signed the letter were Bernard Matthews, Aviva, Howes Percival and Anglia Farmers.
Commenting on the much needed rail improvements, Jonathan Cage, President of the Norfolk Chamber said:
“Our region has suffered for far too long with the adverse effect of an inadequate rail service and our priority is to make sure that passengers begin to see the improvements they need, as soon as possible. Norfolk Chamber wants to see the delivery of a comprehensive package of infrastructure improvements by Network Rail; improved rolling stock from the new rail franchisee; and overall journey time improvements, which would see Norwich to London in 90 minutes.”
We have been informed by the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq that with immediate effect the new requirements and regulations for exporting Red Meats to Iraq in any form must comply with the following:
1. All processed fresh red meat should be exported from countries free of Cow Disease
2. All exported red meat should be accompanied with an authorised Health Certificate and legalised by the Iraqi Embassy (Consular Section)
3. Health Certificate of the products includes:
Suitable for human consumption
Consumed by domestic population
Free of cow disease and any other pollution
Non Genetically Modified (GM) and free of added hormones
Free of any radiation effects
Labels to show clearly the production date and validity with a reference
Before the county head to their polling stations, Norfolk Chamber tackled the question on everyone’s minds – whether to stay in the EU or to leave? Europe: The Business Debate saw over 70 delegates attend an interactive panel debate at the Norwich City Football Club on June 10.
Norfolk Chamber’s President Jonathan Cage, Create Engineering, welcomed guests and explained the Chamber’s neutral position on the referendum. The event was hosted by BBC Radio Norfolk’s Nick Conrad who conducted a smooth flowing debate and also brought an element of wit to an otherwise heavy subject.
The event kicked off with a live poll in order to gauge the audience’s initial voting preferences. In contrast to other regional polls, the event poll showed a clear preference with 65% of the audience voting for remaining in the EU. Attendees were then able to hear from both sides of the EU debate with each of the guest speakers providing an opening speech, sharing their views on the vote and how it could affect business.
The expert panel consisted of Stephen Booth co-director of Open Europe, Hussein Kassim Professor in Politics UEA, Chloe Smith Norwich North MP, Stuart Agnew MEP, Derek Wood former Lord Mayor of Norwich and Luke Morris deputy chair for Business for Britain East of England. With so much knowledge and insight present on one panel it enabled the audience to directly get valid opinions on the referendum.
Before the panel Q+A began, delegates were given a short break to allow discussion in order to ready them to face the panel with their all important questions. Panellists then tackled the topics which arose, these include; priorities for change and reform, business regulations, political instability, housing crisis, immigration, TTIP, the economy and the long term implications of the vote.
Numerous key messages came from the panel, Luke Morris campaigning for Britain to leave the EU advised that ‘voters are stepping into uncertainty in whichever box they cross, but unfortunately uncertainty is a fact of life’ whilst stressing the importance of Britain’s ability to make trade deals with countries outside of the EU, advising ‘Getting out of the EU is not going to be the silver bullet to all of our problems but I think it will be a big improvement to where we are.’
The remain panel highlighted the importance of access to a free market, and reminded delegates that the EU supports tackling climate change and provides common security intelligence. Chloe Smith advised ‘To leave the EU would make Britain poorer in GDP terms and poorer in terms of the jobs that are available and to the next generation’, ‘we face a sever shock if we leave which is not worth taking’.
Neutral experts were on hand to either support or deny any allegations made by either side of the debate, Hussein Kassim summarised that ultimately the vote is all about trade-offs, whilst Stephen Booth advised ‘there are challenges on both sides’ noting that the EU still needs reform if we vote to remain in.
After the fast paced Q+A with the panel, the event finished off with another live audience poll. The results showed a 7% increase in votes to the leave campaign, totalling at 42%, however the majority of the audience still voted to remain in the EU.
From local standout to national champion: BCC Chamber Awards will put best of British business on the map.
Businesses from across the country are invited to take part and showcase their talents and achievements through a series of regional heats, culminating in the national final, which takes place in London on 24 November 2016.
Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“Norfolk companies can boast many areas of business excellence. The Chamber Awards allow us the opportunity to highlight some of our county’s many business achievements and I would encourage any business to showcase their achievements by entering these awards.”
Companies can enter seven categories, covering people development; customer care; business/education; export; and technology.
The Awards will be demonstrating the very best business, highlighting the positive contribution that businesses make to the UK economy and to society as a whole. The categories are:
The deadline for entries is Friday 24 June 2016, the regional winners will be announced on 19 September 2016, with the national winners being announced on 27 November 2016 at a glittering awards ceremony in London. To enter online click here
NatWest has announced plans to help at least 15,000 UK businesses export their goods or enter overseas markets by 2020.
Working with UK Export Finance (UKEF), the bank aims to provide export finance to help companies secure £2.5 billion of overseas contracts within the next four years.
Alison Rose, CEO of Commercial and Private Banking at NatWest, said: “When companies are ready, doing business overseas can have huge benefits. Businesses only trading in Britain limit their revenue potential to the UK, but each new overseas market represents a new possible source of income.”
She said that the bank will make it easier to trade overseas by developing online tools and more simplified products through digital transformation programme.
It will also work with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and other partners to drive UK exports, delivering regional workshops for businesses across the UK and showing firms the specific growth opportunities available to them.
NatWest will also work closely with UKTI and UKEF to make it easier for businesses to apply for schemes and to secure funding for exporting.
Lord Price, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, welcomed the news saying: “The Government and the banking sector share a joint aim – to help budding exporters realise their dreams of building a global business. By teaming up in this way, I hope we can inspire more British companies to take advantage of the world of opportunity out there and to make the most of the worldwide demand for their products, skills and expertise.”
Talks have started to establish a new trade and investment regime between the EU and Mexico, aiming not only to modernise the existing deal, but also to broaden its scope, to reflect similar agreements that both sides have since negotiated with other partners.
Trade relations between the EU and Mexico are currently subject to the provisions of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) adopted under a wide-ranging Economic Partnership, Political Co-ordination and Co-operation Agreement signed in 1997.
Mexico was one of the first countries with which the European Communities established diplomatic relations over 50 years ago.
The EU is now Mexico’s second biggest export market after the USA, with the main goods exported from the Central American country to the Union being mineral products, machinery and electric equipment, transport equipment, and optic photo precision instruments.
The main services exported by Mexico are in the travel, sea transport, air transport and construction sectors.
Exports going in the other direction include machinery and electric equipment, chemical products, transport equipment and mineral products; services exported to Mexico are mainly in the travel, sea transport, air transport and computer and information services sectors.
The EU is Mexico’s third largest source of imports (8% of foreign trade) after the USA (67%) and China (9%).
It is anticipated that a new deal will further reduce customs tariffs and provide EU businesses with more opportunities to provide services, participate in public procurement and invest in Mexico.
Speaking at the launch of the negotiations, Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström described them as a new page in the history of EU-Mexico relations. For more information about EU-Mexico trade, see theEC Tradewebsite.
Plumstead Road will close to all traffic, including cyclists and pedestrians, in the early hours of Monday, 6 June, for two weeks to allow piling work to be carried out for the bridge that will carry Norwich Northern Distributor Road over Plumstead Road.
Altogether 15 piles are needed each side of Plumstead Road to carry the bridge abutments, and the piling rig has to work too close to the road to allow it to remain open. Single lane working under temporary traffic lights is not possible because of the nearby railway level crossing.
Plumstead Road will therefore be closed between Thorpe End and Little Plumstead, as it was earlier this year for utility service diversions and other preparatory works. It will reopen for the weekend of 11th and 12th June, but will close again for the next week. It will reopen as soon as possible at the end of that week, and by Monday 20th June at the latest. (An update will be provided if work is likely to continue beyond the evening of Friday 17th June.)
The signed diversion will be via Broad Lane, Salhouse Road and Woodside Road. Middle Road is also being reopened to provide an alternative route, closing again once the piling work has finished and Plumstead Road has reopened.
Speed Limits
Temporary speed limits in use at NDR crossing points have been kept under review and a stretch of the B1149 Holt Road between Horsford and Holly Lane will be raised to 40mph. This will cover a short stretch of road between the Drayton Lane area of work, and the main work area around the Holly Lane junction. This change is subject to legal procedures, so the existing 30mph limit will remain in force until the signs have been changed.
The temporary speed limits are to protect the workforce and all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians as they pass through work sites which may feature traffic light controlled plant crossings, narrowed lanes (such as on the A140) and a variety of changes, distractions and hazards that were not in place a few hours earlier.
We’re looking for businesses to donate their time in helping students at Wymondham College with CV and Interview Skills.
Wymondham College are holding their ‘Get Set for Success’ Employability Day for Year 10 students during Enrichment Week and are looking for business mentors to work with small groups.
It takes place on Wednesday 29th June, with two sessions running, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, duration of session is two hours. Business mentors can choose to help out at one or both of these sessions, with groups of 6-8 students which are supervised at all times by school staff.
Printed booklets for both mentors and students, and mentors guide their group through the activities and discussions, covering skills and qualities, the basics of CV writing and interview skills, and ending with a mock interview.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact:
Many schools across Norfolk have already benefited from free Careers Events organised by Norfolk Chamber that inspire, enthuse and motivate students to consider employment options available to them and think about their future career progression.
We are looking for more state schools who want to take advantage of free careers events organised on their behalf for the next academic year (September 2016-July 2017).
We can tailor the event for each school and are flexible on duration, format and can provide marketing material to assist with promotion and we will liaise directly with a range of businesses to attend.
Participating schools would need to have a minimum of 250 students in Year 8 and above attend over the duration of the event.
If this sounds like something your school would like to be involved with, please contact:
Norwich City Council have released their latest economic barometer. The report highlighted:
Nationally
UK’s trade deficit is at its biggest since 2008 – mire evidence of the weight of global economic weakness
Consumer spending fuelled UK growth in the first 3 months of the year
The ONS highlighted that UK industry fell back into recession – as it shrank for the second quarter in a row
The number of workers on temporary contracts has risen at its strongest rate in over a year and wages growth remains likely to be stuck in the slow lane.
The number of UK properties sold fell by 45% between March and April
Locally
The East of England attracted more foreign investment projects last year than since any stage since the recession. This was helped by increasing overseas interest in Cambridge
A new £7m, 595 space car park at Rose Lane has now opened.
Kettle Foods, who employs 450 people reported a 5.4% reduction in sales for the year ending 31 July 2015
The Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey is now underway. Deadline for responses is 13 June 2016 – complete the survey now
Work has begun on the £12m Norwich based aviation academy, which will train the next generation of aircraft engineers.