Chamber News

Ahead of next week’s Autumn Budget, Chamber members had the opportunity to highlight and discuss the challenges facing the local business community with Andrew Jones MP, Exchequer Secretary to HM Treasury today (Friday 17 November).  The meeting was hosted at the premises of Norfolk Chamber’s Gold Patron, MIGSOLV.

Amongst the topics discussed were business rates; the need for better broadband and mobile coverage; road and rail improvements; and the skills and enterprise agenda.

On skills, the business community highlighted the challenge in recruiting and retaining skilled staff, particularly in the construction and hi-tech sectors.  The businesses also outlined the need to improve the profile of Norfolk to help attract skills from outside of the county.

Mobile and broadband coverage was again raised as a considerable challenge to those businesses wanting to be able to take advantage of new technology developments and compete with the rest of the UK.  They noted that unreliable connections act as barriers to growth, which put those companies most in need of support at a competitive disadvantage.

Road and rail infrastructure was debated. Businesses highlighted the need to see improvements happen as quickly as possible and the capacity on the rail lines, including freight, were discussed. 

Commenting on the meeting, Chris Sargisson, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:

“We are really pleased to welcome Andrew Jones MP to the Norfolk and give him the opportunity to hear from the local business community.  It is important that Government Ministers understand the needs of Norfolk businesses and the Chamber will continue to ensure our members views are hear loud and clear in Westminster.”

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Jones MP said:

“Thank you to the Chamber for arranging and to MigSolv for hosting this event, and to all those who participated. It’s important to hear first hand the views of local businesses. We discussed infrastructure and skills and the top message is Norfolk is open for business and has a positive vision”

OpenTrial is an Ethical Enterprise. We make money so that we can sustainably achieve a cause; and that cause is the just treatment of citizens by legal systems worldwide.

Most criminal justice systems in developing countries are dysfunctional because of corruption, violence and political influence. This blights the lives of individuals and families, and even blights entire societies. It should come as no surprise, then, that so many people want to escape this curse in order to achieve a better life in countries where the rule of law prevails.

But today this root cause of so much suffering, instability and conflict can be tackled. Criminal justice systems have criminal elements within them because they are not transparent and, therefore, not accountable.  The good news is that the internet, even in the developing world, offers antidotes.

The old rule-of-law industry’s top-down approach is not effective such that, worldwide, the rule of law is in decline. OpenTrial’s approach, however, is bottom-up. We work to legally empower societies by informing, monitoring, reporting, identifying and correcting flaws in legal systems, and we harness modern technology to do this.

We are very much aware that judges, prosecutors and police cannot be held accountable where people in society are unaware of what they have a right to expect from these officials. So we start by informing people about their fair trial and pre-trial detention rights, as well as their right to competent police protection, free of corruption. These rights are often enshrined in a country’s constitution and/or its legislation. Unfortunately, because of legalese, an official language that is not native and even illiteracy, the ordinary citizen will have no comprehension or even awareness of these. Conventional, analogue methods can go some way in correcting this; but smartphone apps, websites, social media and even video games can go much further.

Interactive smartphone apps and websites are particularly powerful because they allow for abuse in criminal justice systems to be reported. An aggregation of reports, once the incoming data is analysed, can be used to identify flaws, such as a police officer who uses violence to extract bribes, so that the ‘problem’ can be corrected, and without endangering any one person doing the reporting. Online databases, which not only make this data public, but also detail the codes of conduct, salaries, wealth audits, education/training of legal system officials, as well as their institutional budgets, performance indicators, independent international reports, etc., can also play a big role in advancing accountability.

Norfolk, with its daily, scheduled flights to Schiphol, Amsterdam and its strong digital community, is as good a place as any to locate and develop this global business.

You can find more about us online by visiting: www.opentrial.org

Great Yarmouth Chamber Council members heard from Scottish Power’s Stakeholder Manager, Joanna Young, this week, who provided a progress report on their East Anglia Offshore wind projects.

East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm will provide 714 MW of new cleaner capacity and is currently under construction.  Landfall is expected in early 2018 and the turbines completed by 2019.  First power generation is also expected in 2019 and the windfarm will be fully operational by 2020. 

It is estimated that the project will support 3,000 direct construction jobs and the onshore work will support over 1,000 jobs.  Long term, it is expected to deliver 100+ O&M jobs for Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

Joanna also outlined Scottish Power’s plans for their future projects, East Anglia THREE, East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North:

East Anglia THREE

• 1,200 MW powering up to 1 million homes
• 172 turbines
• Using cable ducts laid by EA ONE
• 2022: Construction planned to commence
• 2025: Expected to be fully operational

East Anglia TWO

• 900 MW powering up to 740,000 homes
• Up to 75 turbines
• 2024: Construction planned to commence

East Anglia ONE North

• 800 MW powering up to 740,000 homes
• Up to 67 turbines
• 2025: Construction planned to commence

All the East Anglia offshore wind projects are required to use percentage of local supply contractors, and whilst East Anglia ONE is already under construction and has appointed the Tier 1 suppliers, there are still more opportunities for a wide range of local businesses.

Joanna outlined that the forthcoming projects: THREE, TWO and ONE North still need a diverse range of local suppliers from land agents and lawyers, to marine services, construction, engineering, programmers and designers.

To find out more information on how your business can access the Scottish Power supply chain, click here.

All over Norfolk, women are changing lives and many of them are running highly successful businesses. 

The EDP have today launched their ‘Norfolk and Suffolk Inspired’ campaign which will showcase the 30 most influential and inspiring women across both counties.  They need to hear from you about the women you think deserve to receive acknowledgement for their achievements.

This could be a woman, who has done something amazing in the world of business, or something as simple as a job promotion, a charitable deed, a kind word or action that made all the difference.  It could be your boss or a colleague, a friend or relative, your sports instructor or your hairdresser – the EDP want to hear about how the women in our region are helping to keep it ticking.”

Nominate your choice of inspirational woman now

Commenting on the inflation statistics for October 2017, published today by the ONS, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said:

“Inflation was surprisingly unchanged in October, as falling fuel and furniture prices helped to a keep a lid on overall UK price growth.

“It remains probable that even if inflation drifts above 3% in the coming months, it will only remain in letter-writing territory for a limited period, with slowing price growth at the factory gate suggesting that supply chain price pressures are easing. The impact of the decline in the value of sterling following the EU referendum will slip out of the calculation by the end of the year, easing the increase in UK price growth.

“With UK economic conditions expected to remain subdued for a prolonged period, it is vital that the Autumn Budget pulls out all the stops to support business growth, at a time of significant uncertainty and change, including cutting up-front business costs.”

We have been informed by the Egyptian-British Chamber of COmmerce that Egypt’s Minister of Supply has issued a decree obliging all food companies to print a price label on all their products in clear.

Here are the highlights, in brief:

–       The decision, which was published in the state’s official gazette on Tuesday 24th of October 2017, includes companies that produce food products locally as well as those that package imported products. –       The decree also prohibits dealing with un-priced products anywhere down the line; whether in retail, packing or distribution. –       The supply ministry has given a deadline of 31 December for dealers to sell any unlabelled products, which should also have set prices prior to the end of the deadline. –       The decree also imposes penalties on those who violate the law with one to five years in prison and a fine between EGP 300 and EGP 1,000, in accordance with Article 9 of the compulsory pricing and profit regulation law. However, updates or amendments of the decree may come out soon, we will keep you up to date.

On Thursday 9th November, over 60 delegates joined us for a business breakfast at the Great Yarmouth Racecourse. Delegates enjoyed coffee on arrival and time to network before the morning was started off by Chris Sargisson Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. Chris highlighted that the Norfolk Chamber are fully supporting the dualling of the A47.

Once breakfast was served David Powles, Editor for the EDP, facilitated the presentations and discussions from the A47 Alliance campaign.  David advised that the EDP would be fully supporting the A47 Alliance’s campaign and said: “For too long Norfolk has been held up by poor transport. Unreliable roads means the county doesn’t function as the gateway to growth that it should be.”

Outlining the A47 Alliance’s plans for the future, Cllr Martin Wilby, Chair of the A47 Alliance and David Cumming, Principal Infrastructure Growth Planner for Norfolk County Council, highlighted how improvements to the A47 would impact Norfolk businesses in the years to come.  Cllr Martin Wilby, said:  “We’re desperate for investment along the A47 to support business and tourism.”

The morning was concluded with Q&A session with a panel including Cllr Martin Wilby, David Cumming and Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager at Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.  Questions included: ‘How can the businesses support the campaign to dual the A47?’

Commenting on the need to fully dual the A47, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber said: 

“Norfolk’s infrastructure has lagged behind the rest of the UK and we should be unapologetic in voicing our infrastructure needs.  Norfolk Chamber will continue to rally its members and lobby hard to achieve the goal of fully dualling the A47.  It is already evident that poor infrastructure is restricting business growth in Norfolk.  Improvements along the A47 will help the local business community deliver greater economic growth and jobs for our region.

“The Norfolk business community can show their support for A47 improvements by signing up to the online campaign by the Norfolk Chamber, which will help build the business case for further funding to deliver more improvements to the A47.  Sign up now.

The UK has been named “Country of Honour” at the forthcoming Chinese International Industry Fair, the flagship event for advanced manufacturing in China with more than 2500 exhibitors and 160,000 visitors.

Although the UK Government has not made clear what advantages this title carries with it, the event is clearly being viewed as important with the Minister for Trade and Export Promotion and the Northern Powerhouse Minister leading a 100-strong business delegation.

They will no doubt be encouraged by statements made by President Xi at the recent 19th Communist Party Congress.

“China will only become more and more open,” he said, before going on to promise that “all businesses registered in China will be treated equally.”

More autonomy will be given to Free Trade Zones (FTZs) and more effort will be made to explore the establishment of Free Trade Ports, the President announced. He also called for the further opening up of services given that the proportion of China’s trade in services accounts for about 18% of total foreign trade, lower than the global average.

A more detailed look at what the future holds for trade between the UK and China can be found in a report produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

China’s New Leadership Rolls Out New Blueprint for Future Development: Business Review of China’s 19th Party Congress can be found here.

For more information on trading with China, please contact us on 01603 729712 or email [email protected]

Musical Keys is a Norfolk charity which provides inclusive music and arts based projects for people living with disability and additional needs. 

The charity was established in 1990 by a small group of parents of children with complex disability and additional needs. At the time, there was little provision for families in their situation and so with the gut feeling that music and movement could make a difference to their child’s development and wellbeing, Musical Keys was formed. And we haven’t looked back! From those early days, a comprehensive programme of music, movement and arts based activities has grown. Our sessions are inclusive of all disability and our workshop leaders are trained to be able to adapt to the needs of the participants.  We reach people of all ages and our portfolio of work includes:

• Regular music and movement groups for early years and families. A number of age appropriate sessions which focus on the early years, through to adults in their thirties with complex needs. Offering participants the opportunity to express themselves in a safe and non-judgemental environment, the sessions aid their development. Our sessions provide a vital support network for families and carers.

• Hospitals and Hospice. In addition to our regular groups, our workshop leaders attend the children’s wards of the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn. Providing a fun and inclusive environment which breaks up the monotony and stress of long and often complex medical care. We also attend the EACH at Quidenham where sessions are relaxed and utilise sensory provision.

• Short Breaks programme for young people (aged 6 – 25).  Our ‘Discover Experience Arts’ project, or DXA for short, offers day sessions for young people with disability and complex additional needs. The sessions are tailored to the participants and include a range of art forms and ways of exploring music. Participants are supported to express themselves, learn new skills and build confidence. Most notably, the experienced workshop leaders are able to involve the participants in such a way that every individual is able to contribute on an equal level, regardless of their level of ability.

• One to One sessions. A number of one-to-one sessions have been developed in response to need for children, young people and adults with complex needs to develop skills with a musical instrument.

• Older people with dementia. Regular group sessions to support adults living with dementia take place in care homes in Norwich. 

• Drug and Alcohol Support. Weekly two-hour sessions focusing on music making and production workshop for adults who are coping with drug and alcohol related issues. 

Musical Keys is administered by four part-time staff who ensure that the work we do is relevant to the needs of the participants and families who we support. Our freelance workshop leaders are trained and experienced in working with disability; delivering our work with the support of valued volunteers. The difference our work makes to the participants and their families, cannot be understated, as recent feedback shows: “The support I received from staff and parents was a life line, you often feel very alone and isolated, but they gave me a sense of worth and I felt I belonged” (parent)

“[Musical Keys] is a really important part of my son’s routine. He has been attending for years and I’m convinced it’s contributed significantly to aspects of his development” (parent)

As a small charity, we rely on the financial support of donations from Trusts and Foundations, Individuals and Corporates, in order to continue to make a difference to the lives of those with disability and complex needs. “Our decision to join Norfolk Chamber of Commerce was not a difficult one to make” says Alison Cooper, Fundraiser for Musical Keys – “we welcome the opportunity to network with the business community in Norfolk with the view to raising our profile as well as much needed funds to continue our work.  Existing as a charity is challenging in the financial climate we are faced with – in order to progress and develop, we have to be seen to be engaging with local businesses and forging meaningful professional relationships, if we are to get ahead and continue to make a difference. I’m not going to achieve that for the organisation by sitting behind my desk!”.

If you are interested in supporting our work you can contact Alison Cooper, Fundraiser.

[email protected]

Further information on our services can be found on our website:

• www.musicalkeys.co.uk

• https://www.facebook.com/musicalkeys1/

• https://twitter.com/musical_keys  

In a further effort to strengthen its global bilateral trade and investment relationships in a post-Brexit world, the UK has opened discussions with three countries in South America.

Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are the focus of what the Department for International Trade (DIT) is calling a new “trade dialogue”.

Speaking in Lima, Peru, Trade Policy Minister Greg Hands said that the UK is activating new trade dialogues to provide continuity with emerging markets in Latin America.

“We want continuing access for export opportunities for British businesses,” he explained.

Mr Hands also took the opportunity to announce that UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency, will double financial support for UK-Peru trade. UKEF will now provide up to £4 billion of financing to UK exporters and buyers of UK goods and services in Peru.

On behalf of Peru, Eduardo Ferreyros, Minister for Trade and Tourism, stressed the importance of the UK as a partner in Europe, saying that he looked forward to boosting trade and investment ties as new opportunities arise for businesses.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the UK’s Minister for Investment, Mark Garnier.

Following a meeting with Ecuador’s Minister for External Trade, Pablo Campana, Mr Garnier said: “The economies of Latin America have already seen steady growth. We want UK companies to take advantage of the opportunities.”

In 2015, total trade in goods and services between the UK and all South American countries totalled £12.4 billion. The UK’s biggest exports to the region include spirits, cars and medical equipment; among the most significant imports are coffee, nuts and fruit.

If you wish to link with the British Chambers in the above countries please contact us and we will introduce you to them.  

Over 40 delegates attended the latest HR Forum on Wednesday 8th November.

This afternoon session, delivered by expert speakers, Tom Sharpe and Lorna Townsend from Birketts, sparked interesting debates around the right way to carry out effective employee investigations.

Tackling this sensitive area of HR management, delegates reviewed a thought provoking case study, investigating an incident of harassment in the workplace. There was also an opportunity to practice questioning techniques, for delegates to hone their skills in carrying out their own investigations.

Norfolk Chamber’s HR Forums cover a range of core areas of interest to HR professionals, business owners and managers. The next HR Forum will take place Wednesday 7th March 2018.

We are pleased to say that we are now certified with Cyber Essentials.

Cyber Essentials aims to help organisations implement basic levels of protection against cyber-attacks. By being certified, this demonstrates our commitment to cyber security.

To ensure we are compliant we took a number of actions on our journey to achieving Cyber Essentials Accreditation.

• Engaged with Paul Maskall, former Cyber Security Advisor, Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies to conduct a Cyber Health Check with our IT providers, Computer Service Centre
• Educated staff on the implications of Cyber Security and engaged with the board
• Added Cyber Security as a risk to our internal risk register which is reviewed at a quarterly basis at our board meetings
• Implemented a Bring Your Own Device Policy for staff to use their own devices safely for work purposes. 
• Introduced a password management system 

However our journey doesn’t stop there, we will be constantly assessing what else we need to do to protect ourselves from being vulnerable to a cyber crime and to protect our customers data. 

What is Cyber Essentials?

Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme to help organisations get a clear picture of how they can protect their business from common cyber threats.  It also allows organisations to demonstrate to customers that they have taken essential precautions, through obtaining the Cyber Essentials badge.

Business benefits

• A cost effective process to check your business has taken basic cyber security precautions
• Reduce the risk to your business from common cyber threats by ensuring good cyber practice
• Differentiate your business from you competitors by demonstrating that you take cyber security seriously
• Meet the conditions of contracts and customers that request Cyber Essentials as a mandatory requirement

Why Chamber Cyber Essentials?

Chamber Cyber Essentials offers the standard level and is awarded after completion of a verified self-assessment via APMG’s online Platform.  Certificates have been issued in as little as two hours.

The unique Chamber Cyber Essentials platform will enable you to:

• Complete your application at your own pace
• Only pay when you are ready to submit your application
• Share your application with your team so they can contribute their expertise
• Upload evidence to the encrypted database to support your application
• Instantly receive your certificate

Chamber Members can access a £25 discount on the certification fee of £300 + VAT.

How to Access Chamber Cyber Essentials

To find out more visit the Chamber Cyber Essentials website https://apmg-cyber.com/products/cyber-essentials/BCC . Please contact the Membership team on 01603 625977 or email [email protected] for your exclusive Member discount code.