Here at the Chambers we are definitely feeling the Christmas spirit: the tree is up and decorated and our desks are adorned with tinsel. We also held our very first Christmas Carol evening in partnership with the wonderful Blickling Hall on Monday 2nd December to get everyone in the festive mood.
Held in Blickling parish church guests walked up the candlelit pathway to the church which was beautifully decorated with candles, a Christmas tree, and garlands. With a cup of mulled wine (or spiced apple) and a mince pie in hand guests took their seats ready to hear all about Christmas at Blickling from the Jacobean period up to the 1930s. The costumed speakers gave great accounts on Christmas in their periods, including the creation of the tradition of decorated trees and card-giving in the Victorian period. During the Edwardian period a key and coin were hidden in the pudding with whoever got the key acting as master for a day, this could end up with a servant in charge and the master acting as servant! After hearing from the volunteers we were then treated to some carols courtesy of Vocalights Choir who encouraged everyone to join in!
At the end of the evening guests walked back to their cars past the spectacular Blickling Hall with its tree-lined drive and brightly coloured lights illuminating the hall. It was a great way to bring the business community together to kick off the festive season at a beautiful venue, even if it was very cold! If you’d like to explore the hall’s 400 years of history for yourself you can take a look round their festive house and garden of lights until December 20th as part of their Home for Christmas celebrations.
Following the success of the Norfolk Business Awards 2019 on Thursday 21 November, it was time for Norfolk Chambers of Commerce members to be represented in London for the national Chamber Business Awards 2019, hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce.
Chris Sargisson, CEO of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce accompanied Chambers members Indigo Swan and Gnaw Chocolate to Tobacco Dock, London on Thrusday 28 November.
Indigo Swan and Gnaw Chocolate were crowned as regional winners back in September for the Workplace Wellbeing Award and the Export Business of The Year Award respectively.
Following a glamourous night of drinks and celebration, Indigo Swan were announced as the runners up for the national Workplace Wellbeing Award – a brilliant achievement!
Chris Sargisson had this to say: “It’s great to see Norfolk businesses being recognised on a national scale – it is something we’ve advocated for a number of years now; Norfolk businesses are brilliant, we just need to shout about it!
“An enormous congratulations both Gnaw Chocolate and Indigo Swan.”
On a cold grey morning the wonderful Jill Watkinson from Soul Church, a charity based in the north of Norwich, warmly greeted me in their beautifully decorated Christmassy foyer. Soul Church have been members of the Norfolk Chambers since April, so meeting a couple of times a year is the perfect way to find out how things are going and what support they need. They always manage to surprise me with their initiatives so I was very excited to find out what they’ve been up to recently.
Soul Church strongly believe in a brighter future for those in need across Norwich and wow are they showing it! From providing the homeless with food, shelter, and a warm place to shower; to bringing the community together by delivering a free Christmas Show in their auditorium! One of the things that really blew me away was their ‘Wonder Tree’ which stands in their foyer of the church.
The idea behind ‘Wonder Tree’ is to provide gifts for every child at Mile Cross Primary School as many of them unfortunately wouldn’t have anything to open come Christmas morning. Hanging from the tree are gift tags with information about the potential recipient, such as “unisex gift for 5-8 year old”, the giver then comes back with a suitable unwrapped gift to leave under the tree. Before sending the gifts, volunteers from Soul Church, YMCA, and Norwich City Football Club will be doing a mass-wrap. With over 200 of the 400 students already able to open something the ‘Wonder Tree’ is really living up to its name!
If you’re in the area it’s the perfect place to warm up with a delicious coffee or cake and feel part of the community. Why not pop in to find out more? For more information on the wonder tree leaflet, click below!
This piece is written by Nicole Risby, Customer Experience Team.
Ahead of the general election on Thursday 12 December 2019, Norfolk Chambers and our members are calling on the future government to deliver a bold and clear strategy to support economic growth across all regions and nations of the UK.
Health, immigration and crime, as well as avoiding a messy disorderly No Deal Brexit, are all important and relevant issues for business. However, the Norfolk business community is clear that action is needed on a range of domestic fronts, including improving the competitiveness of the UK’s business environment, upgrading physical and digital infrastructure across the country, and supporting business growth, whilst balancing the need to be sustainable.
The Norfolk Chambers’ business community is sending a strong message that this election cannot, and must not, be about Brexit alone.
We will judge the next government against five key criteria:
Infrastructure – revolutionise Norfolk’s physical and digital infrastructure. Ensure that the whole of Norfolk has access to super-fast broadband, better mobile connectivity, and delivering of investment in the strategic schemes such as delivering A47 improvements, the Norwich Western Link and the Great Yarmouth Third River Crossing, as well as the replacement of the Trowse Swing Bridge – all of which will unlock the economic potential of the region.
Multi-Skilled Future Workforce – to ensure the best business environment possible, there needs to be a relentless drive to improve the skills set of tomorrow’s workforce – without hitting Norfolk firms with ever-higher upfront costs.
Trade – support Norfolk exporters to drive economic growth, through overseas trade. Seek to ensure that local businesses continue to benefit from existing EU Free Trade Agreements and target trade deals with new global partners.
Sustainability – Norfolk businesses need an energy infrastructure to keep production lines and technology running without interruption of supply. One of the greatest long term challenges facing the UK is to ensure that our businesses have access to reliable and, more importantly, sustainable sources of power.
Brexit – the scenario of a messy and disorderly No Deal Brexit must be avoided. Firms across our region need tariff-free trade with continental Europe and minimal friction at borders, along with a stable regulatory framework and equivalence with standards in the EU. Protect the status of EU nationals in the UK, develop future customs procedures in partnership with business, create a future UK immigration system that is responsive to economic needs and skills shortages at all levels.
Attached is the Norfolk Chambers manifesto – outlining what our members think on the key issues.
Business satisfaction rates fall, underlining need for parties to make good on infrastructure promises
UK businesses are even less satisfied with UK infrastructure than they were a year ago, according to research published today by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Stagecoach.
The survey of 1,200 business leaders, including those in Norfolk, finds that only one third (33%) of East of England businesses feel that the UK road network is meeting their needs when reaching customers, suppliers, and employees. This is a reduction from 47% in 2018. 53 per cent had experienced delays resulting in increased travel costs, loss of business or client dissatisfaction across a one-month period.
Satisfaction with the UK rail network is even lower. Just over one quarter (27%) agree that it is meeting their needs. In 2018, the figure stood at 34%.
The BCC is calling on the next UK government to deliver promised investment in road and rail schemes, and to give businesses a greater voice for businesses in local decision making. According to today’s research, the majority of businesses do not feel that their views are taken into account when decisions are made about infrastructure. Only one in seven feel their views are either somewhat or very much taken into account in national decisions. One third (33%) feel their views are considered at the local level.
Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy for Norfolk Chambers said:
“This election has generated a barrage of promises on infrastructure spending, but unless we see real action in the early months of the new parliament, our hard-pressed firms will struggle to deliver the economic resurgence we desperately need. Improving our roads capacity, particularly the A47; and enabling our rail franchise to deliver further service improvements by upgrading track infrastructure, would send a vital signal that businesses are finally being heard, would kick-start business investment across the country and will pay dividends long into the future.
“Alongside an immediate commitment to revitalise our ageing roads, the next administration should waste no time in delivering HS2 and promised investment in Northern Powerhouse Rail as part of a UK-wide high-speed rail network.”
Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said:
“Britain’s congestion crisis is getting worse, directly impacting businesses and their employees, as well as causing further damage to air quality in our towns and cities. This research underlines a growing frustration that, despite transport authorities having powers right now to improve our road infrastructure, there is a lack of radical action to address the problem.
“If we are serious about supporting jobs and our regional economies, as well delivering cleaner air and healthier communities, we need urgent measures to prioritise public transport and incentivise a large-scale switch from cars to more sustainable bus and active travel.”
In 2020 and beyond, business priorities for the next UK government, the BCC is calling for public investment in infrastructure to rise to at least 1.4 per cent of GDP per year – exceeding the funding guideline of 1.2 per cent recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission.
Norfolk Chambers of Commerce are once again pleased to be supporting the Norfolk Skills & Careers Festival. Returning on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 March 2020 at Norfolk Showground, this interactive event is aimed at 14-24 year olds to help inspire them for their future career and to demonstrate the various options available. The event spearheaded by Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association provides an opportunity for your business to connect with Norfolk’s young people, support the future workforce and demonstrate and talk about the key skills involved in your industry. The Festival will be structured around thirteen sectors covering Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, ICT – Digital and Creative, Financial and Business Services, Leisure, Tourism and Culture, Food and Farming, Science and Innovation, Health and Social Care, Construction and Logistics, Education and Training, Public Services, Retail and Enterprise and Careers advice. The Festival is run on a not for profit basis and the organising partners include: Norfolk County Council, Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, Archant, City College Norwich, Easton and Otley College, Beacon East, Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and Norwich School. For 2020 the Festival is looking for exciting new businesses to get involved to put on an interactive and engaging display of the career opportunities Norfolk has to offer. Both exhibition and sponsorship opportunities are available with prices starting at £350+VAT. If you book before the 31 December you’ll receive an early bird rate on your booking too! To find out more about supporting the Norfolk Skills and Careers Festival 2020, take a look at the documents below or get in touch with Cheryl Watson: E: norfolkskills@rnaa.org.uk T: 01603 731971
Norfolk businesses are thriving, and the Norfolk Business Awards 2019 were a gleaming example of that last week at the Norfolk Showground Arena.
We were delighted to see two Norfolk Chambers of Commerce members amongst those being celebrated at the awards ceremony last Thursday.
Indigo Swan were once again, for the second year in a row, crowned Small & Medium Business of the year.
MHA Larking Gowen picked up the Best Employer Award, an excellent achievement following on from their BCC Regional Winners Award for Workplace Wellbeing in 2018.
A huge congratulations must go out to all of the excepitonal winners on the night:
Angling Direct – Outstanding Achievement Award
Holkham – Customer Care Award
Solder – Tech Innovator Award
East Anglian Air Ambulance – Large Business Award
Cornwall Insight – Knowledge Pioneer Award
Leaf Expression Systems – Breaking Boundaries Award
Richardsons Leisure – Investing in Future Growth Award
Carole Osborne, borne – Director of the Year Award
The percentage of UK firms facing recruitment difficulties has returned to previous highs, while one in four businesses expect to increase headcount according to the UK’s largest survey of employers.
Over half (54%) of British businesses recruited in the last three months, with nearly three quarters reporting recruitment difficulties, as skills shortages persist.
One in four (27%) British businesses plan to increase their headcount in the next quarter (Q4 2019), with two thirds believing their workforce will remain constant.
The latest Quarterly Recruitment Outlook from the British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with Totaljobs, reveals that almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of businesses who attempted to recruit faced recruitment difficulties in Q3 2019, compared with 64 per cent in Q2.
Skills shortages were predominantly felt across skilled manual roles and professional roles, with 80 per cent of construction firms and 71 per cent of transport and distribution businesses facing difficulties recruiting the right staff. In the run up to Christmas, 70,000 transport and distribution roles were advertised on Totaljobs in Q3, receiving an average of 23 applications per vacancy.
Despite concerns over Brexit deadlock, labour market performance and expectations are holding up fairly well. Only 11 per cent of businesses have decreased their workforce in Q3, with one in four businesses increasing their total headcount. Headcount remained consistent at 62 per cent of responding businesses.
Looking forward, one in four businesses plan to increase their headcount in Q4 2019, and two in three expect to keep their workforce consistent. Just 8 per cent of UK firms expect to decrease their headcount in Q4 2019. Supporting signs of a buoyant recruitment market, over 740,000 job vacancies advertised on Totaljobs in Q3 2019, with over 13 million applications made on the platform.
Although over half (54 per cent) of UK businesses tried to recruit in Q3 2019, just one in four (28%) micro- businesses attempted to recruit. In contrast, 75% of small and mid-sized businesses (250+ employees) and 90% of large businesses (250+ employees) recruited in the same period.
BCC Director General Adam Marshall said:
“Jobseekers will welcome the fact that many businesses are continuing to hire staff, but policymakers should be alarmed that skills shortages continue to bedevil firms – particularly in the skilled roles that will be needed to drive healthy manufacturing and export performance following Brexit.
“The next government must swiftly translate election promises into action and deliver more generous investment in high-quality technical and vocational education at all levels, alongside a flexible, fast and affordable immigration system that provides access to a broad range of skills. It must radically reduce upfront business costs so firms have the confidence and cashflow to back this up with on-the-job training and apprenticeships.”
Patrick Wehrmann, CEO of Totaljobs said:
“The labour market remains one of the strongest pillars of the UK economy, and in the previous quarter, there were almost 750,000 vacancies advertised on Totaljobs, driving over 13 million applications from the UK workforce.
“Despite economic uncertainty, our latest research indicates that the labour market is buoyant, and with over a quarter of businesses looking to expand their workforce with an increased headcount in Q4, this looks set to continue.
“However, it’s notable that skills shortages continue to affect businesses UK-wide, and as such, regardless of wider economic concerns, employers should be mindful that they are doing what’s necessary to attract and retain the best talent on offer.
“Totaljobs research shows that workers are particularly driven by professional development and training, clear progression paths, and a healthy work-life balance. It’s vital that employers put these things front of mind and continue to drive investment in their people in order to keep staff engaged, and drive business output during a dip in the economy.”
A majority of UK manufacturing exporters are reporting a stark worsening in sales and orders, with indicators showing a substantial drop compared to 2017 and 2018 levels.
The Quarterly International Trade Outlook for Q3 2019, released by British Chambers of Commerce and DHL today, reveals that indicators for exporting manufacturers in Q3 2019 have undergone large declines, with several key indicators for orders and cashflow now in negative territory.
The percentage balance of exporting manufacturers reporting an increase in export orders fell to -1 per cent, down from +9 in the previous quarter. The balance of those reporting increased domestic orders fell to -4 per cent in Q3, down from +8 per cent in Q2.
The balance of exporting manufacturers reporting improved cash flow stood at -5 per cent in Q3, down from +6 per cent in Q2. In Q3 2018, one year ago, the balance stood at +13.
While exporting manufacturers saw large declines across the QITO indicators, the exporting services sector also saw indicators well below historical levels. In Q3 +8 per cent of exporting service sector firms reported an increase in domestic orders, down from +12 per cent in Q2. A balance of zero per cent reported an increase in export orders, down from +5.
BCC Director General Adam Marshall said:
“A strong and balanced economy needs healthy exporters at its core. But while there are some companies bucking the trend, future sales and orders are now well into negative territory, after a steady downward trend in export performance this year.
“On top of Brexit uncertainty and global trade tensions, election turbulence won’t be helping. The next administration will need to most fast to restore confidence, with action to upgrade infrastructure, boost skills and cut business costs.
“Without urgent clarity around our future trading relationship with the EU, firms across the UK will increasingly struggle to fill order books, and jobs and prosperity in many of our communities could be at risk.”
Vice President of Marketing at DHL Express, Shannon Diett said:
“This quarter’s report shows clearly that it continues to be a challenging environment for UK exporters.
“Whether expanding to new markets within the EU or elsewhere in the world, diversifying the portfolio of countries in which you operate will help stabilise your business in the coming months and provide a future engine for growth. In this regard a number of non-traditional markets present a significant opportunity for UK exporters.
“Working with logistics providers to ensure the transition to any new trade arrangement is as smooth as possible will be vital for exporters looking to mitigate the uncertainty and thrive into the future.
“Along with broadening exposure to more markets, taking simple actions like ensuring you are electronically transmitting your customs documentation or sharing your EORI number with your shipper is advisable regardless the ultimate outcome.”
67 per cent of exporting manufacturers cite exchange rates as a factor of concern to their business, up from 63 per cent in Q2. This remains the top factor of concern for exporting manufacturers.
Walking up to the doors of The Boathouse delegates were treated to the sight of not only a motorbike from Norfolk Blood Bikes but also their car, both of which are used to quickly get blood products, samples, and other super important supplies from one hospital to another. The beautiful setting outweighed the drizzly weather and there was a lovely buzz as delegates got to know one another before the main event.
Once seated delegates networked on their tables, coming up with ideas of their business plans for 2020 ahead of Rachel Blackburn from US2U Consulting‘s presentation on building a robust business plan. The breakfast was absolutely delicious and so generous that some were even defeated by it! After breakfast Rachel was up, skilfully trimming her 2 hour presentation into 15 minutes to give delegates the key areas to consider when building their business plans. The main areas she encouraged delegates to consider were: identify clear goals; understand your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (and not to be afraid of the threats), compile competitor analysis so you can really understand what they do and how you can be different and better, and practice saying your elevator pitch out loud so you sound confident.
Delegates left full and feeling confident with their business plans and how to make 2020 their year!
Big thanks to the lovely guys from Norfolk Blood Bikes for being our featured charity, bringing their fabulous bike and car, and talking to delegates about the super important work they do across the county. Massive thanks to Rachel Blackburn from US2U Consulting for being our presenter and to The Boathouse for being our excellent venue as always.
If you’d like to get some of Rachel’s tips you can find all her slides here.
Shared Asset Model unveiled at 20th annual CoMoUK Collaborative Mobility Conference
Enterprise Car Club and sharing economy pioneers, Liftshare, have today announced a partnership that will see the two collaborate on a new mobility model that will dramatically improve access to shared vehicles for both Car Club members and business users. The ground-breaking partnership was unveiled at the CoMoUK conference in Birmingham. The partnership will be the first real-world application of an innovative concept dubbed the “Shared Asset Model” (SAM) that means people can share a low emission Enterprise Car Club vehicle, reducing dependency on older, often higher polluting vehicles, and making better use of the 36 million ’empty’ car seats on the daily commute. Liftshare and Enterprise are already speaking to a number of private and public sector organisations about introducing the Shared Asset Model. SAM works on the principle that a car club vehicle is driven to work, shared with a colleague (or colleagues). During the day the car is then available for use either by employees for company travel, removing the need for them to use their own vehicle, or by the general public. To further increase utilisation, the vehicle is available as an Enterprise Car Club vehicle on a simple pay as you go tariff at weekends and evenings. The introduction of a supplementary commuter mode (in this instance a brand-new car club vehicle) is a benefit to staff and communities alike where public transport is unable to fill the gaps identified by Liftshare and their Scoping Smart Mobility technology. This means that vehicles which would have spent the majority of each day parked-up are replaced by fewer, more intensively used alternatives, delivering greater value for clients who use the scheme. A further client incentive is the option of a revenue share derived from commuter journeys in addition to the gains associated with taking single occupancy vehicles off an already congested road network. The partnership will utilise Liftshare’s Trip Authentication and Smart Parking technologies to ensure the people parking in allocated sharing bays are genuine sharers, allowing easy management of the car park by an organisation’s facilities team. Speaking at the CoMoUK Conference Oz Choudhri, Head of MaaS, Enterprise Rent-A-Car UK Ltd said: “Enabling people to share vehicles for their daily commute will play a big role in improving air quality and reducing congestion. By combining the strength of our growing national Car Club fleet with the exciting technology of Liftshare and working with progressive organisations, we can make this ambition a reality.” CEO and Founder of Liftshare, Ali Clabburn, said “We’re delighted to be working with fellow forward-thinking global mobility leaders, Enterprise. Their Car Club offering aims to make it the best use of resources, and our collaboration makes it much easier for those assets to be shared, thus increasing the efficiency further. Our focus on improving the commute and reducing the amount of single occupancy vehicles can be accelerated when we work with partners like Enterprise and the milestone of saving one billion miles becomes even more achievable.”
Enterprise Car Club and sharing economy pioneers, Liftshare, have today announced a partnership that will see the two collaborate on a new mobility model that will dramatically improve access to shared vehicles for both Car Club members and business users. The ground-breaking partnership was unveiled at the CoMoUK conference in Birmingham. The partnership will be the first real-world application of an innovative concept dubbed the “Shared Asset Model” (SAM) that means people can share a low emission Enterprise Car Club vehicle, reducing dependency on older, often higher polluting vehicles, and making better use of the 36 million ’empty’ car seats on the daily commute. Liftshare and Enterprise are already speaking to a number of private and public sector organisations about introducing the Shared Asset Model. SAM works on the principle that a car club vehicle is driven to work, shared with a colleague (or colleagues). During the day the car is then available for use either by employees for company travel, removing the need for them to use their own vehicle, or by the general public. To further increase utilisation, the vehicle is available as an Enterprise Car Club vehicle on a simple pay as you go tariff at weekends and evenings. The introduction of a supplementary commuter mode (in this instance a brand-new car club vehicle) is a benefit to staff and communities alike where public transport is unable to fill the gaps identified by Liftshare and their Scoping Smart Mobility technology. This means that vehicles which would have spent the majority of each day parked-up are replaced by fewer, more intensively used alternatives, delivering greater value for clients who use the scheme. A further client incentive is the option of a revenue share derived from commuter journeys in addition to the gains associated with taking single occupancy vehicles off an already congested road network. The partnership will utilise Liftshare’s Trip Authentication and Smart Parking technologies to ensure the people parking in allocated sharing bays are genuine sharers, allowing easy management of the car park by an organisation’s facilities team. Speaking at the CoMoUK Conference Oz Choudhri, Head of MaaS, Enterprise Rent-A-Car UK Ltd said: “Enabling people to share vehicles for their daily commute will play a big role in improving air quality and reducing congestion. By combining the strength of our growing national Car Club fleet with the exciting technology of Liftshare and working with progressive organisations, we can make this ambition a reality.” CEO and Founder of Liftshare, Ali Clabburn, said “We’re delighted to be working with fellow forward-thinking global mobility leaders, Enterprise. Their Car Club offering aims to make it the best use of resources, and our collaboration makes it much easier for those assets to be shared, thus increasing the efficiency further. Our focus on improving the commute and reducing the amount of single occupancy vehicles can be accelerated when we work with partners like Enterprise and the milestone of saving one billion miles becomes even more achievable.”