Chamber News

The Department of Business Innovation & Skills (BIS), together with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport are exploring the barriers facing businesses in accessing affordable superfast broadband. As part of that review they have put out a ‘Call for Evidence’ to learn more about the broadband needs of businesses both now and in the future.

They are looking for feedback on the following areas:

Current and future business needs:

What do you consider your business broadband requirements to be and why? It would be helpful if you could consider upload and download speeds, price, reliability and any other relevant issues in your answer. Do you anticipate your broadband requirements to change in the future? If so, why and in what way? Are you confident in determining what your current and future broadband needs are and deciding what products you should choose? If not, please explain why. What further information would help you in determining your current and future broadband requirements and which products may be suitable for your business?

Availability and effectiveness of current provision:

Who provides your current broadband, what product do you have and how much do you pay per month? Do you use a dedicated leased line service? If so, please indicate whether this was a business decision based on your requirements or whether no suitable alternatives were available. Are you satisfied with the speeds you receive, the amount you pay and the service you get from your provider? If not, please set out why. What do you consider to be the main challenges or barriers to accessing the broadband provision for your business needs? Do these challenges include insufficient choice of provider or technology, and knowledge of the market? What impact do these challenges have on your business? What changes do you consider Government could make that would assist you in overcoming these challenges?

They would like to receive your input by email to the following email address: businessbroadbandreview@culture.gov.uk.

All responses need to have been submitted by no later than Friday 03 June 2016.

Marking Norfolk Chamber’s 120th anniversary, nearly 200 guests gathered at the historical Norwich Castle Museum on Thursday 19th Mayfor an evening of celebrations.

The wine was flowing as Norfolk Chamber took the opportunity to thank members for their continued support, treating them to an evening of entertainment including a live singer and event raffle.

Held in the stunning Keep at Norwich Castle Museum, guests had the opportunity to explore the Keep’s Basement and Prison Displays, as well as view artefacts sourced from Norfolk Museum Service and Norfolk Chamber, relating to the history of the Chamber. Included in the displays, was the recently refurbished Presidents Board which lists 48 influential and high profile presidents over the course of 120 years.

Speaking at the event Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said: “For 120 years we have stood for Norfolk, championing its commerce, celebrating its achievements and creating a network of likeminded people who, by sharing their knowledge and experience have created one of the most outstanding business networks in the country.

“Our mission has always been to look to the future of business, through good times and bad, in war and peace, under governments of every hue, the Chamber has been a voice for business, and a voice for Norfolk. Here for our members, because we are our members.”

During the event, Norfolk Chamber launched their Anniversary Fund in conjunction with Norfolk Community Foundation as part of an ongoing campaign. The aim of the fund is to encourage the growth and advancement of Norfolk’s young people, by creating opportunities to help them flourish in employment. Norfolk Chamber will match pound-for-pound every donation made up to £10,000 with the goal being to meet this target within 12 months. Grants will be made to suitable community projects towards the end of 2016.

To kick start the fundraising process, a raffle was held at the event, with 25 members kindly donating prizes from an iPad and Coffee Machine, to gift vouchers, including a meal for four people. Guests gave generously to the cause and Norfolk Chamber raised over £1,000 including the raffle on the evening.

As part of the year long anniversary activities Norfolk Chamber have sponsored the Norwich City of Ale Festival 2016. As a final thank you to members, guests received a special branded pint glass from Norwich City of Ale, as well as a 120 year printed supplement to commemorate the evening.

There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the evening and Twitter was buzzing, with guests posting photos and tweeting their feedback using #Chamber120

NW Brown Group Ltd ‏@NWBrownGroup Great event last night to celebrate the #Chamber120 year anniversary, thank you for the invitation @norfolkchamber

James Elvin ‏@jimmyelvin Cheers to @norfolkchamber for a fantastic evening and also for another successful 120 years! #Chamber120

Lynsey Sweales ‏@LynseySweales Great @norfolkchamber event this evening to celebrate #Chamber120 what a great event! #Norwich #business

Today (Monday 23 May 2016) is the first day of the fieldwork period for the British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey (QES). It is the largest independent business survey in the UK and is used by the Bank of England and the Chancellor to plan the future of the UK economy. It is also closely watched by the International Monetary Fund.

Why should you complete the QES? – here’s why!

Norfolk Chamber needs your input to ensure that the Norfolk business community has a clear voice on our local and regional economy. You can have your say by completing the QES online NOW, it takes less than 3 minutes.

The completion deadline for this survey is midnight on Monday 13 June 2016.

Key findings in the Q1 2016 survey:

• Overall, the figures for both the services and manufacturing sectors indicated continued growth. However, this remained static across many indicators, and slackened in others.
• In the Norfolk manufacturing sector there continued to be a decline in both export sales and orders (-25) and (-33) respectively. Domestic sales moved out of negative territory from (-8) in Q4 2015 to (0) this quarter, however home orders fell further to (-9).
• However, more Norfolk manufacturing firms grew their workforce in the last three months (+2), but those expecting to recruit in the next 3 months declined to (+10) from (+18) in Q4 2015.
• The Norfolk service sector showed mixed results, with domestic sales falling (+21) and orders remaining static (+11); whilst export sales and orders increased (+9) and (+3) respectively.
• In both the Norfolk manufacturing and service sectors reported less difficulties in recruiting staff.
• Confidence in turnover and profitability for both services and manufacturing remains low by historical standards

More results from previous quarterly economic surveys can be seen by clicking here

Click here to complete the Q2 2016 QES now

Norfolk Chamber’s new King’s Lynn based Lite Nites Networking events kicked off with the inaugural event this week. Held at the Bank House Hotel, the informal free networking event was held from 6pm to 8pm with all local businesses being welcomed.

Heather Garrod, President of West Norfolk Chamber said: “It was a great way to end the working day. The event offered the opportunity for local business people to meet and network with like-minded peers.”

Hosting the event was Vice President of West Norfolk Chamber, Michael Baldwin, General Manager of the Bank House Hotel who said “The Bank House is very happy to support the local business community and the event was very well attended. The atmosphere was relaxed but with a great buzz and we are looking forward to hosting the next evening in a couple of weeks time.”

The events are open to all West Norfolk businesses and are free to attend. Places are limited, sobook your place now. The next event will be on Tuesday 7 June from 6pm – 8pm.

As the EU Referendum fast approaches and the assertions from both sides of the campaign escalate. Norfolk Chamber hopes to be able to help businesses in Norfolk make up their minds by sticking the just the facts. The ‘Europe: The Business Debate’ event on 10 June, hopes to be able to help local businesses make their final decisions.

In the meantime, the BBC has recently published its ‘Reality Check’ report. The report takes a critical view of claims made by both the Remain and Leave campaigners to see if they stand up to scrutiny.

Norfolk Chamber has highlighted just a few key areas that affect business in this article:

• Do we have a say over EU small business regulations?

The claim: Priti Patel says the UK has no say over the amount of regulation coming from the EU. She also says the UK is constantly being outvoted.

Reality Check verdict: The UK does have a say over regulations affecting small businesses, both through its MEPs and government ministers who vote at the Council, where they have been on the “winning side” 86.7% of the time in recent years. Read more detail here.

• Would staying in the EU reduce wages?

The Claim: The downward pressure on wages is a trend that will only get worse if we continue to have open borders with the EU.

Reality Check verdict: Migration does appear to have put pressure on wages, but there is some evidence that leaving the EU would reduce them even more. Read more detail here.

• Is £250bn of trade at risk from Brexit?

The claim: Leaving the EU would put £250bn of trade at risk, according to Britain Stronger in Europe.

Reality Check verdict: The group has taken a set of figures predicting the benefits of EU membership and used that to reach a figure for the risks of leaving. It would not necessarily work like that. Also, the figures include imports, a fall in which would not necessarily be a bad thing. Read more detail here.

• Are we giving £350m a week to Brussels?

The claim: “We are giving £20bn a year or £350m a week to Brussels.”

Reality Check verdict: We are not giving £20bn a year or £350m a week to Brussels – Britain pays £276m a week to the EU budget because of the rebate. Read more detail here.

• Do farmers outside the EU get more subsidies?

The claim: Farmers in certain non-EU countries get more money from government than their EU counterparts.

Reality check verdict: True – farmers in some non-EU countries do get higher subsidies, but no reason to think that would be matched in a post-Brexit UK.

To view the full BBC Reality Check and see all their verdicts, visit the BBC website.

Still have more questions? Then come and get your questions answered by local and national experts and join Norfolk Chamber for Europe: The Business Debate, on 10 June. Click here to book now.

Commenting on the 2016 Queen’s Speech, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber, said:

“Businesses will see the merit in many of the bills announced in the Queen’s Speech, particularly the commitment to high-speed broadband for all households and business premises. If implemented in full and at pace, this could go some way to improving the poor digital connectivity that far too many Norfolk firms face.

“Yet on most of the issues where the Norfolk business community is impatient for action, what’s needed are big decisions – not new legislation.

“Businesses want decisive action to boost aviation capacity, help companies plug skills gaps, and stop the steady drip of new taxes and costs piled on their bottom lines at a time of significant uncertainty.

“Firms want to see bold and decisive steps from government after the EU referendum – whatever the outcome – to help Britain get back to business.”

The British Chambers of Commerce, together with the accredited Chamber Network, including Norfolk Chamber, run Britain’s most influential private business survey – the BCC Quarterly Economic Survey (QES).

The next fieldwork period for the QES will start on Monday 23 May 2016 and will be open for 3 weeks. But why should your organisation take part? Below are just a few of the reasons why your organisation should take part in this important economic survey:

1. The QES is Britain’s biggest, and longest-running, private business survey.
2. It’s provided consistent data since 1989, and regularly receives over 7,500 business responses. Compare that to the average business survey, which garners a few hundred responses.
3. Norfolk responses represent over 33% of the responses from the East of England. (East of England includes: Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire).
4. It’s a leading indicator – often picking up big changes in the economy long before other surveys or official statistics.
5. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee uses the QES as one of its key benchmarks when setting interest rates.
6. HM Treasury and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility use the QES to put together their forecasts for the UK’s economic performance.
7. The European Commission uses the QES to assess the health of the UK economy when it makes policy recommendations for both Westminster and Brussels.
8. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) use the QES when comparing the UK to competitors worldwide.

The more businesses that take part – the louder the voice of the Norfolk business community will be.

Details of the QES results from Q1 2016 can be found on the Policy Section of the Chamber website. The historic QES results from previous quarters can also be found in this location.

So what can your business do to contribute to the QES? During the fieldwork period, the survey can be completed electronically. There are several ways to access this online survey either:

• Visit the Chamber website under the QES section
• Use the link within the Chamber Policy news article
• Use the link that the Chamber can send direct to you

To be added to the Chamber’s QES email list, please contact Nova Fairbank or Jack Edwards by no later than lunchtime on Friday 20 May 2016. Emails: nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk orjack.edwards@norfolkchamber.co.uk.

The online survey takes less than 3 minutes and your input is vital to help ensure that Norfolk business has a strong collective ‘voice’.

Norwich City Council have released their latest economic barometer. The report highlighted:

Nationally

• UK economic growth slowed in the first quarter, as highlighted in the latest Chamber Quarterly Economic Survey
• The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.5% in the year to March 2016. Rises in air fares and clothing prices were the main contributors to the increase.
• Retail sales volumes dropped 1.3%. However the ONS reported that volumes were 2.7% higher than the same period a year ago. This represents the 35th consecutive month of annual growth.
• Almost 770,000 new cars were registered in the first 3 months of 2016. The most popular cars were Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and the Ford Focus

Locally

• Demand on East of England commercial property from overseas has slowed , as international investment has ground to a halt ahead of the EU Referendum
• Spending on tourism in our region has continued to rise. Tourism is worth £2.9 billion in Norfolk.
• Norwich International Airport will launch a new route to Rhodes next summer.
• Persimmon Homes are relocating their head office to Broadland Business Park, Norwich
• Norse Group became the first company in Norfolk to gain the Investment in Young People Accreditation (IiYP). Norse currently employ 88 apprentices.

For full details of the latest economic barometer click here.

Great Yarmouth’s much needed Third River Crossing is set to take an important step next week as Norfolk County Councillors are asked to approve making a bid for £965,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT) to take the scheme forward.

Senior Norfolk County Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council members met this week and reconfirmed their support to push ahead with the new lifting bridge which will make a direct link into the town from the south providing a link between the trunk road network and the expanding port and South Denes Enterprise Zone sites.

On Friday 20 May councillors on Norfolk County Council’s Environment, Development and Transport Committee are set to approve submission of a £965,000 bid to the DfT seeking funding for scheme development work which will help take the project to the stage where government would be able to confirm if they are willing to support further funding for delivery. It is expected that final approval and further funding from the DfT could come in four years’ time with an estimated start date being in 2021.

Cllr Martin Wilby, the newly elected Chairman of the Environment, Development and Transport Committee, who met Cllr Graham Plant of the borough council this week, said: “This is an issue that unites councillors of all political parties as the Third River Crossing would be a huge benefit for Yarmouth, Norfolk and nationally bringing prosperity and reducing journey times and congestion in the town.

“It’s estimated the new bridge would cost approximately £140m to construct and the county council is keen to see the government support the scheme as a key continuation of infrastructure improvements to Great Yarmouth and the A47, and to provide the money to take this vital project forward.”

The project has strong support in Norfolk from bodies including Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Chamber, New Anglia LEP, Great Yarmouth Borough Council. County councillors meeting next week will hear that the county council has already undertaken extensive work identifying a strong case for the bridge. It has recently committed £60,000 towards developing the work so that the bid to DfT presents a compelling case to government.

Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said: “Connectivity is vitally important to businesses in Norfolk and in particular those in Great Yarmouth. A third river crossing will help to improve that connectivity and create thousands of new jobs, improve links across the town and to the rest of the region and reduce congestion. All of which will save businesses time and money, whilst allowing them to increase economic growth.”

Cllr Graham Plant, the Leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council said: “Great Yarmouth is world-renowned as England’s offshore energy sector capital, in line to share in billions of pounds of private investment over coming decades, including in offshore windfarms and gas platform decommissioning. Linking the Port, new deep-water Outer Harbour and Enterprise Zone to the trunk road network will further boost the UK’s prospects and prosperity, ensuring we are better placed to capture these jobs and investment for the nation.”

• Final BCC pre-referendum survey shows that, with less than 50 days to go, a majority of businesspeople surveyed in the East of England (46%) say they will vote for the UK to Remain in the European Union
• Voting intentions have tightened amongst the businesspeople surveyed – with Leave now polling seven points higher (41%) than in the BCC’s February survey
• Previous survey in February had Remain on 55%, Leave with 34%, and 12% don’t know
• The vast majority – over 93% – of those East of England businesspeople surveyed by the neutral business organization are now unlikely to change their vote

Over 93% of the East of England senior businesspeople polled in a major new British Chambers of Commerce survey say they are unlikely to change how they will vote before the June 23rd referendum.

The BCC’s detailed findings indicate that 46.10% of the East of England businesspeople polled would vote to Remain, down from 55% in February 2016, and 40.90% would vote to Leave – up from 34% on the BCC’s previous survey.

The East of England findings reflect the national findings which indicated that 54.1% of UK businesspeople polled would vote to Remain, down from 60% in February 2016, and 37% would vote to Leave – up from 30% on the BCC’s previous survey.

The data on voting intentions also shows some divisions based on size and export interests. Those trading with other EU markets express the strongest support for ‘Remain’, with the strongest levels of support for ‘Leave’ among those that do not. Businesspeople representing large firms are significantly more likely to vote ‘Remain’ than those in micro businesses.

The findings, from an April 2016 survey of over 2,200 leading businesspeople, also show that individuals are now strongly committed to their voting preferences. Just 6.1% of respondents said they could change their mind.

Commenting on the results, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:

“As the EU referendum campaign enters the final straight, the race for the business vote has clearly tightened.

“Although a majority of the East of England businesspeople surveyed continue to express a preference to remain in the European Union, the gap between Remain and Leave has narrowed significantly in recent weeks.

“While only a minority of businesspeople report that the referendum campaign has had a material impact on their firms to date, significant numbers say that they expect significant impacts in the aftermath of the vote – particularly if Leave carries the day.

“Whichever outcome prevails, Westminster must shift its attention back to the economy on June 24 without delay. Growth is softening, and Westminster’s referendum ‘tunnel vision’ over the past year has meant that far too many key economic issues have been given short shrift or delayed altogether.

To help the business community to understand the key issues, we will be holding an open business debate on Friday 10 June 2016.“

Key findings in the survey:

EAST OF ENGLAND BUSINESS IMPACTS

• The majority of business leaders report that the referendum has had no impact to date on various aspects of their business, from orders and sales (78.10%), recruitment (90.4%), and investment (84.2%), to total costs (78.9%)
• If the UK were to leave the EU, 33.6% currently expect this would have a negative impact on their overall growth strategy (down very slightly from 34% in February’s survey), 38% feel this would have no impact (unchanged from previous survey), while 16.8% believe it would have a positive impact (a drop from 23.5% in the previous survey)
• Asked for the first time about the impact of remaining a member of the EU, 14.8% currently expect this to have a negative impact on their overall growth strategy. Almost half (48.7%) feel it would have no impact, while nearly a third (28.7%) believe it would have a positive impact.

EAST OF ENGLAND VOTING INTENTIONS

• 46.10% of East of England business leaders would vote to stay in the European Union, should the vote take place tomorrow. 40.90% would vote to leave.
• This is a narrowing from the previous survey in February, which showed a 55-34-11 split in favour of Remain.
• 93.90% of those surveyed are committed and unlikely to change their mind – just 6.10% could change their mind.

…because we are looking for someone who wants the best job in Norfolk – CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce – to take up the position in early 2017.

The reason for the vacancy is that, after 17 years at the Chamber, I have decided to spend more time on my yoga teaching. I feel that I will be able to help members of the business community remain active and reduce their stress levels whilst giving myself a new challenge. The Norfolk Chamber is in good shape and therefore the timing is right for both the organisation and for me personally.

I wanted to write to you personally, rather than you read it first in the EDP on 11 May, as I truly believe that the Chamber is its members and that we could not have turned the Chamber around and made it the great organisation it is without you.

However I do have a number of actions to finish before I leave at the end of April 2017. Some of them have been in the ‘too hard to deal with’ pile for far too long and are now firmly marked as ‘must do’. To me April 2017 is a very long way off and so you can rest assured I will not be slowing down… in fact quite the opposite… as I have a long list of what I want to be achieved within the next 12 months!

The long lead in time for recruitment is that because this is a very special role and we want time to find a very special person.

The reason I feel that this is the best job in Norfolk? Because in any one week I can be helping to develop my talented young team; strategically planning the future of the Norfolk Chamber as an organisation; lobbying for what the our members feel is important to the local economy and their own businesses – often face to face with Ministers – and of course taking out the rubbish and emptying the dishwater! After all, although we’re a global brand we are still a small business.

All the details of the job and person specifications will be on our website from June with interviews happening in early September. If you think you know someone who is ready for what I believe is the best job in Norfolk, get them to check the details out.

Regards

Caroline Williams

On Friday 6 May over 60 Norfolk Chamber Members from across the region joined us at Duke’s Head Hotel King’s Lynn for an informative morning based on the Downham Market Centre for Advanced Knowledge Engineering.

Delegates arrived early to get started on making new connections. Host Heather Garrod, President of West Norfolk Chamber Council introduced our featured charity The Norfolk Hospice and our first networking ice breaker of the morning. Laughter filled the room as delegates had to pick a coin out of their pocket, look at the date on the coin and think of something that impacted their lives that year. Some even went through all the coins they had!

John Beer, CEO of Downham Market Development took to the stage afterwards to give an overview of the development progress, and how far it has come in the last 3 years. He explained to delegates the first phase objective of the development is to commence the construction of ‘The Hub’, a series of 5 core buildings: • The Institute of Data Science/UTC Academy • 2 x Business Accelerator buildings • A conference centre • A commercial training facility with adult student accommodation

Following John’s talk, delegates tucked into a delicious breakfast provided by Duke’s Head Hotel, continuing to discuss the development and all it’s set to achieve. Once finished we proceeded to mix our delegates up with our Safari Move, changing their tables around to enable them to make even more contacts in the room.

Mark Reavell, Executive Director Partnerships at The College of West Anglia spoke to our delegates next, informing them of the partnership between the Downham Market Development and The College of West Anglia. He expressed his hopes that the Centre would now encourage more students in West Norfolk to stay and develop in West Norfolk, rather than them leaving to follow up their education elsewhere.

This was followed by both our speakers joining Host Heather Garrod upfront for a Q&A Session. The highlight question for the morning being: how can businesses in the region help and get involved in the project? Both speakers expressed the desires of the project to use locally sourced businesses to help in all stages of the development. There will be a procurement process in which businesses in the region can apply to work on the development.

You can view John’s presentation here. Or view the development brochure.

Our next West Norfolk Breakfast will be taking place on Friday 30th Sept. For more details please click here.