Chamber News

Holly Lane, a well-used route connecting the B1149 Holt Road and Reepham Road, will be closed for two nights next week for gas main diversion work on the route of Norwich Northern Distributor Road.

The closures will be from 8pm to 6am at the latest on the nights of Monday 30 January and Tuesday 31 January.

Over the next two weeks temporary signals – traffic lights or stop/go boards – will be in use as needed on a number of routes crossed by the NDR, including Fir Covert Road, Reepham Road, the B1149 Holt Road, A140 Cromer Road, B1150 North Walsham Road, A1151 Wroxham Road, Salhouse Road and Plumstead Road. Where possible they will only be used outside peak hours.

Early warning of Salhouse Road closure

Salhouse Road will be closed between the Blue Boar Lane/Woodside Road junction, Sprowston, and the Sole & Heel roundabout at Rackheath for three days from Monday 27 February to Wednesday 1 March.

The closure is to allow deep drainage trenches to be dug across the road as part of construction of Norwich Northern Distributor Road. Salhouse Road is not wide enough to allow this work to be carried out under any other form of traffic management. Traffic will be diverted via Woodside Road, Plumstead Road and Broad Lane/Green Lane East.

Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for any inconvenience caused by road closures and other traffic management measures during the construction of Norwich Northern Distributor Road.

This week, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched a consultation on their Industrial Strategy Green Paper. BEIS wants to build an industrial strategy that addresses long-term challenges to the UK economy. Their aim is to improve living standards and economic growth by increasing productivity and driving growth across the whole country, including Norfolk.

Norfolk Chamber is working with the British Chambers of Commerce, who have been directly engaged on the development of the Industrial Strategy Green paper with Secretary of State Greg Clark, and continues to facilitate direct engagement between government and local Chamber business communities across the United Kingdom. Chamber leaders across the UK are committed to engaging on industrial strategy and ensuring that the growth opportunities in their areas are maximised.

Commenting on the Industrial Strategy Green Paper and the importance of a place-focused approach to it – helping each area achieve its business potential, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said:

“Norfolk has a diverse and innovative business community, who continue to help drive our growing economy. As well as our historic insurance, financial and professional services, Norfolk is increasingly strong in areas such as ICT and digital creative, with Norwich being a recognised Tech Cluster. It is important that the Industrial Strategy reflects and supports the dynamism in places such as Norfolk across the country.”

To see the Chamber network response to the Industrial Strategy click here.

The BEIS Green Paper sets out their approach and some early actions that they have committed to take. It is not intended to be the last word, but instead to start a consultation with the business community. BEIS wants to hear from Norfolk, from every sector of industry and businesses of every size – and from the people who work in them and use them.

Complete the online survey now

The response deadline for the Industrial Strategy consultation is Monday 17 April 2017 by 11.45pm

If you would prefer to not to respond online, you can respond by email to: [email protected], or to the following postal address:

Industrial Strategy Team Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 1 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET

Commenting on the publication of the Industrial Strategy Green paper, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“The developing Industrial Strategy represents a crucial first milestone in a renewed partnership between business and government, working together to create the conditions for future growth.

“Business communities across the UK will be pleased to see that harnessing the potential of our cities, towns and counties lies at the heart of the government’s approach to Industrial Strategy. There are dynamic business communities in every corner of the UK – and it is their future success that will make our country more competitive and more prosperous.

“Given the significant skills gaps that so many firms continue to face, the Industrial Strategy’s strong emphasis on boosting technical and further education will be cheered by companies and business communities alike, whatever their location or sector.

“We look forward to engaging with government to develop these proposals further, and ensure that the specific needs and interests of the UK’s diverse business communities are at its heart. A deliberate and steady approach that leads to long-term change is the right way to go.”

The British Chambers of Commerce has been directly engaged on the development of the Industrial Strategy Green paper with Secretary of State Greg Clark, and continues to facilitate direct engagement between government and local Chamber business communities across the United Kingdom.

Chamber leaders across the UK are committed to engaging on industrial strategy and ensuring that the growth opportunities in their areas are maximised. The further comments below reflect the importance of a place-focused approach to Industrial Strategy – helping each area achieve its business potential:

Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said:

“Norfolk has a diverse and innovative business community, who continue to help drive our growing economy. As well as our historic insurance, financial and professional services, Norfolk is increasingly strong in areas such as ICT and digital creative, with Norwich being a recognised Tech Cluster. It is important that the Industrial Strategy reflects and supports the dynamism in places such as Norfolk across the country.”

John Dugmore, Chief Executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, said:

“Suffolk plays a central role in powering, feeding and keeping Britain moving. Our strengths in the nuclear and renewable energy, agriculture, food and drink and container port and logistics sectors are vital to the country’s current and future competitiveness and productivity.

“Being geographically close to London, other parts of the country and to the rest of Europe, Suffolk is also attracting talent and inward investment from other sectors as well, including high-tech, agri-tech and business innovation and research.”

Corin Crane, Chief Executive of Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said:

“A robust and innovative Industrial Strategy will be an essential component for a successful post Brexit UK, but it will need to be built on the growth needs of the world class clusters of businesses at a regional level and deal with the eccentricities of local economies. The Black Country Chamber welcomes this Green Paper and looks forward to the collaborative approach ahead.”

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said:

“We welcome the strategy and the focus on productivity and competitiveness – but this has to be followed by real action. This is even more important in light of Brexit.

“This is an opportunity to provide real support for businesses to make us the most competitive in the world so if we are faced with trade tariffs, we are equipped to offset that with lower taxes for businesses, less regulation and better infrastructure.

“With regards to ‘place’ this region does feel, at times, that it gets forgotten. It really is time for the Midlands to punch its weight in terms of investment and profile that is afforded to other parts of the UK.”

George Cowcher, Chief Executive of Devon Chamber of Commerce, said:

“Devon suffers as a low wage economy area despite high levels of employment. Businesses’ priorities for the Industrial Strategy are to improve productivity and connectivity.”

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive at East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said:

“Implemented correctly, the new Industrial Strategy has the potential to provide the strong foundation that will underline the development of a successful UK outside of the EU. With a plethora of OEMs, well-developed supply chains, world-leading academic institutions and a location in the centre of the country, our area is a key place for delivering this.

“Recognising the opportunities that Brexit will bring, our businesses are already on the front foot in terms of improving their competitiveness, developing new markets and investing in the new technologies and ways of working that will put them at the head of the pack for growth.

“Government backing for these businesses – that have time and again demonstrated their appetite for growth, regardless of events -will demonstrate to both wider UK plc and the rest of the world that the UK backs winners and continues to be a place for those wanting excellence in reliability and quality.”

Clive Memmott, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said:

“As devolution in our major cities gathers momentum, a place-based approach is pivotal to the future success of an Industrial Strategy. Sectors need a blend of nationaland local support and activity to deliver effective solutions.”

Stewart Dunn, Chief Executive of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, said:

“We campaign strongly for the government to play its part in supporting our business community. That means continual investment and action on the ground so that regional success can do its bit to bolster the economy nationally.

“We are right at the heart of innovation in aerospace, marine, life sciences, low carbon energy, digital services and the creative economy. Innovation is the driving force in Hampshire and start-ups, small firms, blue chip companies and multi-nationals are all critical to growth and future prosperity, both in our county and nationally.”

James Ramsbotham, Chief Executive of North East England Chamber of Commerce, said:

“North East England is an under-utilised asset for the UK as a whole. We are ideally placed to support export growth, possess a wealth of natural resources and are home to world leading companies in sectors such as automotive and digital technology. An Industrial Strategy that recognises strengths and needs of the UK’s diverse places is vital if we are to achieve national aims. Government must now be true to its word and support regions such as ours to be the best they can be.”

Louise Punter, Chief Executive of Surrey Chamber of Commerce, said:

“In a global economy where 96% of customers are based outside of the UK it is crucial to enable businesses to compete on a global platform, and anything which improves the business environment internally can only enhance our productivity. As far as focusing on place, it is important that the Industrial Strategy considers investment and support for areas like Surrey that are already delivering world-leading technology and innovation to ensure that their success can benefit the rest of the country.”

On Thursday 19th January, over 70 members joined us for a Business Breakfast at the Great Yarmouth Town Hall. The Assembly Room provided a grand and spacious setting where delegates could network over coffee upon arrival.

Neil Orford, president of the Great Yarmouth Chamber Council kicked off proceedings by welcoming guests and congratulating Caroline on her much deserved MBE. Guests then went straight into some Speed Networking which is designed to get guests talking to as many other people as possible. The Speed Networking meant that guests were able to meet up to 32 different people in the room.

When guests wrapped up their networking sessions, they were treated to a full English breakfast courtesy of T&K Banqueting Ltd.

Presentations then came from our event Sponsors, Norfolk County Council, supported by Great Yarmouth Borough Council. Tig Armstrong, Infrastructure and Economic Growth Manager, David Allfrey, Major Projects Manager, both from Norfolk County Council gave updates on infrastructure across Norfolk, looking at both the dualling of the A47 and the Third River Crossing project. Both government spending and timelines were discussed, Norfolk County Council advised that building work could begin on bridge as early as 2020.

David Glason, Group Manager for Growth, Great Yarmouth Borough Council then updated guests on investment within the Town Centre explaining that £2m is being put into regenerating Great Yarmouth.

If you missed it and want to know more, a copy of the slides can be found here

The event was rounded off with a Q+A session with our speakers where delegates asked for more information on the Town Centre – which can be found displayed in the Town Hall, or here. Businesses were also interested to see how they could support the projects, to which Tig explained that every ounce of vocal support helps them build a case for the infrastructure. To give feedback and help the Third River Crossing project, click here

To learn about any upcoming events, please visit: norfolkchamber.co.uk/events

Norfolk County Council will receive an additional £5.1 million from central government to spend on road and transport improvements in the 2017/18 financial year, it has been announced.

The money comes from the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund, which was announced in the Autumn Statement, however the detail of how the fund will be allocated has only been announced in the last week.

This is new funding for local highway and other local transport improvements which is designed to support local economic growth and improve access to employment and housing. This could include schemes that reduce congestion at key locations and upgrading or improving the maintenance of local routes.

Jonathan Cage, President of Norfolk Chamber said: “The state of Norfolk’s road infrastructure impacts on all members of the Norfolk business community and we welcome any improvements that will help reduce journey times and congestion.”

Martin Wilby, Chairman of the Environment, Development and Transport Committee, said: “We know good transport networks are vital to business growth and job creation, as well as simply making everyday life easier for everyone. Reducing journey times and congestion on our road network and continuing to improve safety for all on our roads is a priority for this council, so this is additional funding is very welcome.”

Members of the council’s Environment, Development and Transport Committee will receive a verbal update about this additional new funding at a meeting next Friday (27 January) as part of an agenda item about the council’s proposed highways capital programme, which is spent on major works such as structural road repairs and major surfacing schemes. Next year’s highways capital programme is anticipated to stand at £38.83m, with the £5.1m from the National Productivity Investment fund being additional to this figure.

Young Chamber and Santander joined forces to deliver an excellent programme called MoneyWise to help students at Cliff Park Junior School develop their financial capabilities and understand the banking industry and career opportunities.

Stephen Hart, Local Business Manager with Santander, gave an overview of what his role was, what Santander’s products are, and an introduction to MoneyWise. Pupils were asked to say what they understood about money and how to get it – their answers were very wide-ranging from: ‘the Bank of Mum & Dad, to ‘get a job’, to ‘trade goods until you get what you want’. There were definitely some future entrepreneurs in the classroom!

Young Chamber is designed to help bridge the gap between young people and business. We would encourage students to think about what jobs they might want to do, or to find out more about businesses and industries they do not know much about, so we can help them better understand these opportunities. They will have decisions to make about their academic choices sooner than ever, so the more they can understand what skills they need for the future, the more prepared they are to make that decision.

Santander will be delivering more Moneywise workshops to students at Cliff Park Junior School throughout January.

Commenting on the labour market statistics for January 2017 published this week by the Office for National Statistics, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber said:

“With UK employment levels still close to record levels and unemployment continuing to fall, the latest indicators confirm that the UK jobs market remains a major bright spot for the UK economy. “The rise in employment levels could be seen in the latest Quarterly Economic Survey results for Q4, which showed the Norfolk manufacturing and service sectors both reporting increases in their staff recruitment.”

“Overall, the Norfolk unemployment trend followed that of the rest of the UK, however, the number of Norfolk Job Seeker Allowance (JSA) claimants rose from 6,985 in November to 7,265 claimants in December. This difference could be accounted for in two ways: firstly, there is always a seasonal swing in the unemployment figures during the winter, which will pick up again once the tourism season gets underway again in Spring. And secondly, Great Yarmouth was one of the first areas in the UK to roll out ‘full service’ Universal Credit, which has had some impact on how the ONS processes the statistics.”

Also commenting on the UK labour market statistics, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce said:

“Whilst the labour market conditions could soften over the next year as economic growth slows, the high degree of flexibility in the jobs market will help limit the extent of any uptick in unemployment. Although there was a welcome pick-up in average earnings growth, the gap between wage and price growth is narrowing. If this continues as we expect, real household incomes will be squeezed further, stifling consumer spending, which is a key driver of UK economic growth.

“More must be done to safeguard the long-term health of the UK jobs market by supporting firms looking to recruit and invest in their workforce, and ensuring companies have access to the workers they need.”

It is a key mission for Norfolk Chamberto provide a voice for our local business communities.Together with the British Chambers of Commerce we are working to understand business priorities and concerns around digital infrastructure and skills.

We are undertaking a survey which is designed to understand the reliability of your business’s broadband connectivity and how this impacts on your growth and productivity; whether your business has access to the digital skills it requires; and how cyber security impacts on your business and industry.

The results of this survey will be used in Chamber engagement with stakeholders at the highest levels of Government, as well as with parliamentarians and regulators. Your input will help us to ensure that Norfolk business concerns and priorities are reflected in government policy.

The survey closes at midnight on 3 February 2017. It is open to all businesses and should take around 5 minutes to complete. All data collected is anonymised.

(Please note that some of the questions in this survey relate to the set-up of your business’s broadband connection).

Complete the online survey now

Thank you in advance for your support.

Ward Trade Marks, one of the UK’s leading trade mark lawyers or attorneys is proud to announce that it has joined Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

Built on founder Rachael Ward’s quarter century of trade mark expertise, since 2014 Ward Trade Marks has established itself as a market-leading specialist law firm among both major corporates and small and medium sized enterprises, based in both UK and overseas.

The company was jointly founded by Rachael and her husband Bill, who has decades of senior executive experience – including in the highly competitive airline market.

Ward Trade Marks represents dozens of businesses across many sectors, including property, animation, soft drinks and leisure.

Trade marks comprise logos, strap lines, words and other visual ways of representing a brand. They are a key part of a company’s identity, a symbol of their relationship with customers and a key asset on their balance sheets.

Failure to register trade marks correctly in different countries may mean they can be used by competitor companies.

Rachael explained that “Ward Trade Marks is centred both on our expertise – we are one of only a tiny handful of specialist trade mark attorneys – and our values. These values have been shaped by both our beliefs that hardworking company owners deserve a return for their risk-taking and that could be endangered by competitors ‘owning’ your trade marks and picking up business that is rightfully yours.”

To provide this service, Ward Trade Marks has expanded and now employs five staff. We operate across every time zone and will meet all reasonable deadlines to protect your brand and ensure that your trade marks are registered and protected.

In addition to our UK and international trade mark registration service, we also ensure that our clients’ brand is protected by monitoring and reviewing efforts by other companies to acquire this part of your intellectual property portfolio.

Client comment:

TukTuk Creative Marketing brings together some of the best copywriters, photographers, developers and marketing brains to offer clients a full creative service.

Vicky Stanaway for TukTuk Creative Marketing explained why they opted for Ward Trade Marks:

“I love our company name, and it brings to life what I wanted to do when I started the company – taking brands on an inspiring journey, and what better way than on a TukTuk. To lose the name now or in the future would be crushing.

Bill and Rachael have been amazing from the start, and I whole heartily trust them to set up the Trademark and follow up with any issues that occur along the way.”

Bill explained the company’s reasons for joining Norfolk Chamber of Commerce: “as a specialist but growing trade mark practice with a strong presence in East Anglia and with both a local and an international client base and credentials, joining this Chamber was a logical and necessary next step.

“In becoming members of Norfolk Chamber, Ward Trade Marks can access the organisation’s great networking events and be part of its high-profiled lobbying campaigns.”

We are Ward. We are a brand emergency and protection service.

For further information about Ward Trade Marks, please go to:https://www.wardtrademarks.com/or call Bill Ward on 01223 421779.

Abellio has sold a 40% share in Greater Anglia to Mitsui. The Japanese company was identified as the best partner to support Abellio in delivering ambitious programme of improvements.

Abellio UK (“Abellio”) has signed an agreement to sell 40% of the Greater Anglia rail franchise to Mitsui & Co., Ltd. pending final regulatory approvals. This fulfils Abellio’s long-standing objective of finding a suitable partner to run Greater Anglia in a 60:40 joint venture.

Abellio and Mitsui have a proven track record of working together, having first entered into a joint venture to bid for the West Midlands rail franchise in 2016. Following this process, Abellio felt that Mitsui would be the best partner to help it deliver its ambitious programme to transform the Greater Anglia franchise.

Mitsui is a global conglomerate with business interests in numerous different sectors, including infrastructure, integrated transportation systems, energy, and IT and communications. The deal is also notable for marking the first time a Japanese company has become a shareholder of a British train operating company.

Abellio re-won the Greater Anglia franchise in August 2016, having first operated it from February 2012. It will continue to have a majority stake in the business and be in overall control. The franchise agreement will see £1.4bn in investment over the next nine years, with the introduction of a completely new fleet and a commitment to cut average journey times by 10%.

Dominic Booth, Managing Director of Abellio said:

“We are delighted to have reached agreement with Mitsui, fulfilling our long standing objective of running the franchise as a 60:40 joint venture. With the introduction of Mitsui’s knowledge and experience, we look forward to delivering significant improvements for Greater Anglia’s customers, including through the introduction of a brand new fleet.”

Commenting on the share sale, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:

“Greater Anglia have committed to a hugely transformational programme of upgrades to our region’s rail service. They have outlined major investment and improvements, which will see the total replacement of all rolling stock, increased seating and a faster, more efficient services. Mitsui will bring complimentary skills and expertise to help support the delivery of greater customer service for businesses across our region.”

Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty today (Mon) confirmed that the closure of Plumstead Road for the bridge beam lift will now begin on Wednesday 18 January.

The lift and 2-3 day road closure was originally scheduled to begin tomorrow (Tues 17th), but was postponed on Friday after heavy snow, sleet and wind prevented essential preparations, including scaffolding work which is now underway.

Plumstead Road will therefore remain open tomorrow (Tues 17th) and willclose in the early hours (between 4am and 5am) of Wednesday 18 January,staying closed on Thursday 19th and the following night.Plumstead Road will reopen when work is complete onFriday 20 January. The exact timing of reopening will depend upon progress, but will be as soon as it is safe to do so.

During the closure of Plumstead Road, at peak hours a shuttle bus will operate from the Green, Thorpe End, to the temporary stop near the junction with Green Lane North.

Please note that asa further contingency, the on-site signage will also include Saturday 21st as a potential closure date for Plumstead Road. This is so that if for any reason the works over-run , they can continue on Saturday morning. Without this notification, work would have to stop and be completed under a fresh closure, causing further disruption.

Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for the inconvenience caused by this closure of Plumstead Road.

A revised version of the Harmonized System (HS) Nomenclature entered into force on 1 January 2017.

This introduces 233 sets of amendments compared to the previous version with most of the changes concerning the agricultural sector (85) and with the chemical (45) and machinery (25) sectors also heavily revised.

The transport, textiles and wood sectors are others highlighted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) as being particularly affected by the changes.

Developed by the WCO, the HS Nomenclature was first adopted in 1983 and is now used by over 200 countries and economic or customs unions for classifying goods in international trade.

It is also used by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and individual countries as a common language of trade for the purposes of trade negotiations, and as a basis for determination of the origin of goods.

The 2017 edition includes more than 5300 six-digit subheadings compared to just over 5200 in the previous version released in 2012. Most of the changes were, according to the WCO, prompted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), including amendments for fish and fishery products.

There is also a focus on forestry products, intended to enhance the coverage of wood species in order to obtain a better picture of trade patterns, including trade in endangered species.

HS 2017 includes provisions to help monitor trade in products, such as substances controlled under the Chemical Weapons Convention, hazardouschemicals controlled under the Rotterdam Convention and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) controlled under the Stockholm Convention.

WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya has called on authorities to implement the new version of the Nomenclature as soon as possible.

Further information about the HS is available atwww.wcoomd.org. You can also find more information on the Gov.UK website, or by contacting us at the Chamber.