Norfolk County Council are proposing to improve Riverside Road for pedestrians by widening and extending the pavement that runs along the opposite side of the road to the water. The project starts at the junction of Riverside Road with Quay Road/Pier Walk and runs northwards towards Williamson’s Lookout. This section is about 1.2km long and plans include widening the footway to a minimum of around 1.5m throughout this length. Dropped kerbs will be installed where vehicle access is required. There are three main elements to the proposals:
Resurfacing and widening the existing footway and replacing the kerbs in the following sections:
95m between Riverside Road/Pier Walk/Quay Road junction and the RNLI parking triangle
130m between Kingfisher Amateur Boxing Club and Dock Tavern Lane
220m between 92 Riverside Road and the steps past South Icehouse Hill, which lead up to the High Street
Installing a new footway where no footway currently exists:
220m between the RNLI parking triangle and Kingfisher Amateur Boxing Club
Introducing two short lengths of double yellow lines to help traffic flow. The PDF plan showing the location is below.
How to comment
They would like to hear your views on these proposals. You can send your feedback either by emailing [email protected] or writing to: Riverside Road consultation Transport for Great Yarmouth, floor 2 Norfolk County Council County Hall Martineau Lane Norwich NR1 2DH The deadline for comments is 5pm on Friday 5 October 2018.
We were delighted to be joined by Jack Chappell for a weeks’ experience this week, before he returned back to Thorpe St Andrews School Sixth Form for his final year of A-levels. Here’s what he thought of the week he spent with us.
“My work experience at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce began on an early Monday morning in September when I was greeted by Philippa, the Head of Customer Experience at the Chamber. Philippa took the time to show me around the office and to introduce me to the team, as well as giving an insightful explanation of what the Chamber does and how it supports local businesses. This ranged from promotion to advice and support on a wide range of areas, and I was given the opportunity to witness and contribute to all of these myself.
“Over the course of the week, I not only discovered the extent of Norfolk business on a national and international tier, but also the potential for growth that lies in the county, all of this encouraged and augmented by the Chamber. As well as this, I noticed the Chamber demonstrate an accommodating approach to companies looking for membership by tailoring its offers to suit their needs rather than ‘hard-selling’. The sense of respect and support that I have seen expressed to other businesses are not only values that I will take away, but also values that have been reflected in the team’s treatment of me during my placement here at the Chamber.”
If you know anyone interested in work experience placements, please contact Philippa Bindley on 01603 729703 or email [email protected]
The first ever ‘Norfolk Day’ took place this year on Friday 27 July, and it was great to see the business community of the county supporting this campaign.
The campaign was supported by BBC Radio Norfolk, EDP/Archant, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored by Woodfordes Brewery and Richardson Hemsby Beach Holiday Park.
The day was an opportunity to shout about how great our county is, from our innovative business to the fantastic landscapes.
We were overwhelmed by the support and the number of Norfolk businesses who got involved from holding their own events, to creating a #15secbiz video as part of our Norfolk Day campaign. Read more about our activity here.
We are keen to hear businesses’ views and opinions on Norfolk Day. What are your thoughts on the day, and what do you think could be improved for next year? Please complete a short online survey below or here.
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Government have launched a series of consultations calling for views on the UK’s proposed future trading agreements, more detail can be found here: https://bit.ly/DIT-Consultations-East
We want to ensure relevant stakeholders have the opportunity to submit their views before the consultation closes on 26 October, so do please get involved and have your say here: https://bit.ly/DIT-Consultations-East
The UK is preparing for an independent trade policy to implement after EU Exit. This means the UK will have the opportunity to negotiate and enter into trade agreements with other countries.
These agreements can:
enable increased trade and investment
secure access for UK exporters to the key markets of today and the future
give consumers access to a greater range of products at lower prices
make the UK more innovative, competitive and prosperous
The Department for International Trade is preparing for possible negotiations with New Zealand, The US and Australia after the UK leaves the EU on the 29 March 2019. The UK government is consulting with members of the public, businesses, trade experts, and any other interested organisations to help inform this work.
The Norfolk Enterprise Festival has confirmed that there will be an investment prize of £10,000 for their Angel’s Den!
Proudly sponsored by Anglia Capital, Grant Thornton and Mills & Reeve the Angel’s Den provides you the opportunity to pitch your business idea, whether it be an idea you have always had, a start-up, expansion or desire to start exporting; you could be one of three finalists selected to receive specialist advice and coaching from Grant Thornton to pitch in the Angel’s Den to a panel of business Angel’s. First prize will be £10,000 of business support to help turn your idea into reality.
So if you’ve ever had a business idea and wondered if it would work, this is your chance to find out and give it a go!
Pitch to the ‘Angel’s’ at the Norfolk Enterprise Festival, on the 22nd of September at WestAcre.
You can apply with a 1-minute video and a 1-page document explaining your idea!
The deadline for submitting your application is Thursday 13 September 2018.
With the second quarter of 2018 behind us, and amid growing international uncertainty, from escalating trade disputes to oil price rises, the UK economy continued to grow at a sluggish rate. Brexit is a key factor – but long-standing structural issues also continue to hold companies’ growth back.
In the last quarter, the dominant service sector, consumer-facing industries, such as hospitality and retail, reported tougher trading conditions. Cashflow and investment intentions fell significantly for retailers as consumer spending continued to remain subdued. Meanwhile the UK manufacturing sector reported improved domestic sales orders and Norfolk manufacturers reported increases in their export sales and orders.
Is the uncertainty of Brexit impacting on your business?; have you seen an increase in sales and orders?; are you having recruit difficulties or facing supply chain challenges? – it’s more important than ever that as many Norfolk businesses as possible complete the survey.
Take part in the Q3 Quarterly Economic Survey (QES). It is the largest independent business survey in the UK and is used by both the Bank of England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to plan the future of the UK economy. It is also closely watched by the International Monetary Fund.
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 17 September 2018. The Q3 results will be published week commencing 08 October 2018
Key Norfolk findings from the previous Q2 2018 survey:
Norfolk Manufacturing sector:
The balance of firms reporting increased domestic sales rose from +16 to +35, while the balance reporting improved domestic orders also rose, from +23 to +35
The balance of firms reporting increased export sales rose from +31 to +44. The balance reporting improved export orders also rose, from +26 to +31
The balance of firms increasing investment in training fell, from +33 to +5, while the balance of those increasing investment in plant and machinery also fell from +33 to +30
The percentage of firms looking to recruit remained steady at +30 while the number of those struggling to recruit rose significantly from +67 t0 +82
Cashflow continues to be a concern within manufacturing, with just +10% reporting improved cashflow.
The balance of firms expecting turnover to increase remained static +45 (from +46)
67% of firms in the sector expect the cost of their raw materials to rise in the next three months
Confidence that profitability will improve over the next twelve months dipped from +35 to +30
Norfolk Services sector:
The balance of firms reporting increased domestic sales rose from +19 to +34, while the balance reporting improved domestic orders rose considerably from +13 to +28
The balance of firms reporting increased export sales also rose, from +8 to +35. The balance reporting improved export orders also rose substantially, to +22 from +6
The balance of firms increasing investment in training rose to +22 from +13
The percentage of firms looking to recruit rose from14% to 37%, but the number of those struggling to recruit also rose to 82% (from 63%)
Cashflow is a concern, with just 12% reporting improved cashflow.
The balance of firms expecting turnover to increase in the next year increased, from +24 to +59
Confidence that profitability will improve over the next twelve months increased from +15 to +36
The first Norfolk Enterprise Festival is set to take place this summer, providing a forum for entrepreneurs across the county to meet, mingle and celebrate our thriving business community.
Attendees will be able to hear from some of Norfolk’s most successful entrepreneurs at a series of talks, participate in workshops and receive feedback from their peers.
Our county is a hub for individuals with an ambitious, enterprising spirit and is home to over 8,000 fast growing small businesses across a wide variety of industries. However, many find themselves isolated from the wider business community and see their potential limited by a lack of support and communication networks.
This is something the Norfolk Enterprise Festival hopes to change. The brainchild of local businessman Mark Lapping, CEO of Aquapak Polymers, and George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk, the festival hopes to drive prosperity and growth for small businesses across the county.
“Norfolk is a powerhouse of high growth small businesses in all sectors, from technology to tourism, gin to genetics, finance to food, creating jobs and innovative products. But the micro and start-up sector needs a stronger voice and all of us in public office or private enterprise need to reach out to show our support. We’ve started this Festival to create a forum for the entrepreneurial community to come together and help make sure its voice is properly heard,” says Mark Lapping. “We believe that the Norfolk Enterprise Festival is the intervention the county needs to take its potential to the next level.”
Norfolk Chamber Chief Executive, Chris Sargisson is speaking at the Festival and will be giving his top five tips for success as an entrepreneur. Commenting on the first ever Norfolk Enterprise Festival he said: “This event is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate, champion, promote and support Norfolk’s growing entrepreneurial community”
Also speaking at the festival will be Chris Starkie, Chief Executive at New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, he added, “This event will help to turn great ideas into the successful businesses of tomorrow.”
The festival will take place on Saturday, September 22 at Westacre Theatre. Tickets are free, and registration available through the festival’s website https://norfolkenterprisefestival.co.uk/. For more enquiries, or to find out how to get involved, contact the Norfolk Enterprise Festival on [email protected].
The British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with DHL, today (Friday) publishes its latest Quarterly International Trade Outlook, based on survey and documentation data from UK exporters, including those in Norfolk. The Outlook indicates that many exporters are performing well but economic and political factors are weighing on them.
The survey, of over 2,600 exporters, found that confidence in future operations remains strong, but external economic and political factors are having an impact. The results show 60% of exporting manufacturers were more concerned about exchange rates in the second quarter of the year than in the previous three months. There was also increased concern among 43% of service exporters,
highlighting the broad impact of the weakness of the pound.
The findings indicate that price pressures eased slightly on exporters during the second quarter of the year. However, those manufacturers under pressure to raise prices report the cost of raw materials as the leading factor (81%). Service firms believe the cost of raw materials (39%) and other overheads (51%) are the leading sources of cost pressure.
The escalating labour shortage in the UK is also having a serious impact on exporters, with a staggering 69% of recruiting manufacturers struggling to find staff.
Elsewhere, the BCC/DHL Trade Confidence Index, which measures the volume of trade documents issued by accredited Chambers of Commerce for goods shipments, decreased slightly on the quarter (-1.34%), but still stands higher than at the same quarter in the previous year.
The Outlook indicates that many UK exporters are maintaining their competitiveness in foreign markets with healthy sales and order books, but the weakness of the pound is increasing the cost of raw materials imported from abroad. With growing tension around the nature of the future UK-EU trading relationship and escalating trade disputes with key partners such as the US, the government must do all it can to maintain confidence and take unilateral action to improve the domestic business environment wherever possible.
Key findings from the report:
39% of exporting manufacturers saw an increase in export orders over the last three months, 30% of exporting service firms report an increase
60% of manufacturing exporters are more concerned about exchange rates than three months ago (up from 56% in the previous quarter)
26% of manufacturing exporters and 25% of service firm exporters are more concerned about inflation than three months ago
35% of exporting manufacturers and 32% of exporting service firms expect the price of their goods/services to increase
For those manufacturing exporters under pressure to increase prices, 81% report the cost of raw materials as the leading source of pressure
77% of exporting manufacturers and 67% of services firms attempted to recruit in the last three months, however, of those, 69% and 60% respectively reported difficulties finding the right staff
The BCC/DHL Trade Confidence Index, a measure of the volume of trade documentation issued nationally, fell by 1.34% on the quarter. The Index now stands at 125.26 – the fifth highest level since records began in 2004.
Commenting on the findings, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs for Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“These are unusual times, and the escalating political and economic turbulence doesn’t go unnoticed by Norfolk businesses. It’s been a summer of trade tensions and endless Brexit bickering, and exporters are particularly exposed to the consequences of that turmoil.
“Companies in our region will always find a way to trade with each other, but messy negotiations and the threat of higher tariffs have implications, and can hit confidence and firms’ bottom lines. While many Norfolk exporters are making the most of their competitive advantage in foreign markets, the fall of sterling also puts considerable pressure on the cost of imports and the volatility can make it difficult to plan.
“The UK government can’t control currency or the actions of trading partners, but it can take steps to mitigate the level of uncertainty at home. Reaching a pragmatic and business-focused Brexit deal with the EU this autumn would go a long way to reassure markets and business communities. Addressing issues in the domestic environment – most importantly the shortage of skills in the UK – should also be top of the agenda when parliament returns next week.”
Ian Wilson, CEO DHL Express UK and Ireland, said:
“The resilience of UK exporters is highlighted with this quarter’s Trade Confidence Index. Despite being a slight decline on the previous quarter, the index remains up year on year and it is encouraging to see it stands at the fifth highest level on record. This strong performance also reflects what I hear from our customers and, at DHL Express, we continue to support an abundance of energetic, internationally-focussed UK entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the world.
The uncertain climate exporters are operating in and the challenges faced cannot be overlooked, but with all uncertainty comes opportunity – and continuing to trade internationally and expanding your portfolio of markets (and market segments) still provides the best way to spread business risk and ensure long-term revenue and profitability growth.
The growing labour shortage continues to be a very real hurdle that is impacting a vast number of sectors. Amidst challenging and unpredictable times, industry and government must work closely to ensure that we identify and develop UK talent in order to future-proof our businesses for what lies ahead.”
For the first time this year the Norfolk Chamber team entered the Break Charity Grand Norwich Duck Race. After much deliberation, voting and duck puns around the office, we finally came together and decided on Harry Quacker and the Chamber of Commerce. Transformed over the weekend by our very own staff member Sam, Harry was ready for his big reveal, and the race itself! He went on plenty of trips since his reveal including cocktail making, networking and Norfolk Day celebrations. On race day, Break Charity had plenty of activities including a duck parade and food stlls lined up outside the Ribs of Beef Public House. The smaller duck race began at 1:45pm whilst the large, painted ducks were prepared for the main event. At 2:15pm the large ducks were set loose down the river Wensum, one headed for victory. In the end the Inspired DuckaRoo by Inspired Youth was crowned the winner. Harry Quacker didn’t have the best of starts, getting stuck in the willow with many other ducks. After getting a quick lift on a paddle board he zoomed ahead to third place and held the position most of the way. Sadly, about two meters from the finish line Harry got stuck at the edge of the river and his third place victory was lost. The Chamber team had a fantastic day supporting such a great event.
With the second quarter of 2018 behind us, and amid growing international uncertainty, from escalating trade disputes to oil price rises, the UK economy continued to grow at a sluggish rate. Brexit was a key factor – but long-standing structural issues also continued to hold companies’ growth back.
The dominant service sector, consumer-facing industries, such as hospitality and retail, reported tougher trading conditions. Cashflow and investment intentions fell significantly for retailers as consumer spending continued to remain subdued. Meanwhile the UK manufacturing sector reported improved domestic sales orders and Norfolk manufacturers reported increases in their export sales and orders.
Is the uncertainty of Br3exit impacting on your business; have you seen an increase in sales and orders; are you having recruit difficulties or facing supply chain challenges, it’s more important than ever that as many Norfolk businesses as possible complete the survey.
Now we are in the third quarter – how are Norfolk businesses reacting to the current economic climate? Today (Tuesday 28 August 2018) is the first day of the fieldwork period for the Q3 Quarterly Economic Survey (QES).
The QES is the largest independent business survey in the UK and is used by both the Bank of England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to plan the future of the UK economy. It is also closely watched by the International Monetary Fund.
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 17 September 2018. The Q3 results will be published week commencing 08 October 2018
Key Norfolk findings in the Q2 2018 survey:
Norfolk Manufacturing sector:
The balance of firms reporting increased domestic sales rose from +16 to +35, while the balance reporting improved domestic orders also rose, from +23 to +35
The balance of firms reporting increased export sales rose from +31 to +44. The balance reporting improved export orders also rose, from +26 to +31
The balance of firms increasing investment in training fell, from +33 to +5, while the balance of those increasing investment in plant and machinery also fell from +33 to +30
The percentage of firms looking to recruit remained steady at +30 while the number of those struggling to recruit rose significantly from +67 t0 +82
Cashflow continues to be a concern within manufacturing, with just +10% reporting improved cashflow.
The balance of firms expecting turnover to increase remained static +45 (from +46)
67% of firms in the sector expect the cost of their raw materials to rise in the next three months
Confidence that profitability will improve over the next twelve months dipped from +35 to +30
Norfolk Services sector:
The balance of firms reporting increased domestic sales rose from +19 to +34, while the balance reporting improved domestic orders rose considerably from +13 to +28
The balance of firms reporting increased export sales also rose, from +8 to +35. The balance reporting improved export orders also rose substantially, to +22 from +6
The balance of firms increasing investment in training rose to +22 from +13
The percentage of firms looking to recruit rose from14% to 37%, but the number of those struggling to recruit also rose to 82% (from 63%)
Cashflow is a concern, with just 12% reporting improved cashflow.
The balance of firms expecting turnover to increase in the next year increased, from +24 to +59
Confidence that profitability will improve over the next twelve months increased from +15 to +36
Notice is hereby given that the 122nd Annual General Meeting of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce & Industry will be held at The Open, 20 Bank Plain, Norwich on Tuesday 02 October 2018. Registration will be at 9.45am, for meeting commencement at 10am. Please see attached for all papers relevant to the meeting.
Commenting ahead of the publication of technical notices from the government relating to the possibility of ‘no deal’ in the Brexit negotiations, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“Businesses have waited too long for answers to some basic questions around Brexit – and have been particularly frustrated by the lack of clear guidance on some of the issues that are within the UK government’s own control. ‘No deal’ preparations should have happened far earlier, and the onus is on government to move quickly and give businesses as much detailed technical information as possible to avoid significant disruption in any scenario.
“Our test for the Government’s ‘no deal’ notices is straightforward: do firms now have the clarity they need so that they can continue to conduct business both here at home and across borders on March 30th 2019?
“Companies need to know how the UK government will handle customs and VAT procedures at the border on day one after Brexit. Companies need to know what the immigration rules will be on day one, both to reassure existing staff and to recruit successfully. Firms need to know what they need to do to ensure that their contracts are valid, their transactions processed, and their rights protected.
“We will be assessing the content of these notices with businesses around the UK – and we will not hesitate to tell ministers if we find the content unclear or unhelpful to business decision-making.”