Sunday saw the Norfolk Chamber teaming up with Steeles Law toplay in the Norwich Rebels Touch Summer League 2015.
The 10 men and women from Steeles Law team was bolstered by Jason Williams from the Norfolk Chamber as they braved the wet conditions at Eaton Park for their first match, and despite some slipping and sliding on the wet grass (mostly from Jason) a lot of potential was shown for future games.
Overall a great time was had by all and we look forward to more of the same for next Sunday’s match against Norwich Rebels 2.
Urgent changes are being made to local access arrangements at the Postwick junction road works to reduce the risk posed by traffic queuing back on to the westboundA47.
From Monday evening (15 June) after the evening peak, access to Postwick village and Brundallwill no longer be possible via the existing bridge over the A47 (although access to Postwick Park & Ride will be retained). This is because traffic management changes for a new phase of work on the new Oaks Lane roundabout, to the south of the A47, have resulted in traffic queuing back down the slip on to the dual carriageway.
Adjustment to the temporary traffic light timings did not solve the problem, so the access to Postwick village via the existing bridge and Church Road has had to be closed to ensure a free flow of traffic leaving the A47, maintaining safety on the westbound carriageway. Traffic heading for Postwick village and Brundall is being diverted via the A47 to the Cucumber Lane roundabout. This is likely to be necessary until construction of the Oaks Lane roundabout is complete, in about four to six weeks.
Norfolk County Council apologises for the inconvenience this will cause to local residents.
West Norfolk Chamber Council held their latest meeting at the community pub, the King’s Arms at Shouldham and received an update on RAF Marham’s future plans from Wing Commander Ady Portlock.
RAF Marham is the second largest unit in the Royal Air Force. The base is home to 2,500 service personnel, 200 civil servants and approximately 5,000 dependents, plus 1,000 contractors.
Only a few years ago, RAF Marham’s future was in doubt, as the Tornado jets, based at Marham, were being phased out in favour of a new jet. However, the decision to base the new Joint Strikeforce Fighter (JSF) – Lightening II, at Marham has secured the base’s future in Norfolk until at least 2050.
In February 2015, the Prime Minister, announced that £300 million would be invested in RAF Marham to equip the base to accommodate the new JSF.
The Tornado will be phased out over the next couple of years, with the Lightening II coming into full operation in 2019. RAF Marham will also have a training centre for the JSF, which will encourage the European nations to use Marham. In addition, the US Air Force has also announced that Lakenheath in Suffolk will be their JSF base. This will effectively make our region a key hub for the Joint Strikeforce Fighter.
Work on the base’s upgrades will commence towards the end of 2015, with the peak of the work coming in 2017. It is expected that there will be over 1,500 additional contractors on the base carrying out these works. This should provide some opportunities for local contractors and will definitely increase the local economic spend in the West Norfolk area.
With key contractors such as Circo, BAE, Rolls Royce and ISS all having or developing apprenticeship programmes, there will also be future opportunities for young people in West Norfolk.
Heather Garrod, President of West Norfolk Chamber said:
“It is fantastic to know that RAF Marham’s future is secure until 2050 and so exciting to see so many future opportunities for our local economy and businesses, as a result of the JSF being based at Marham.
With so much is being invested in West Norfolk, is vitally important that West Norfolk’s young people understand what future opportunities are available to them, right here West Norfolk.”
Following their discussion on RAF Marham, the West Norfolk Chamber Council also identified their goals for 2015/16. They agreed to:
Recruit a further 3 West Norfolk Chamber Council members by the end of 2015
Increase West Norfolk Chamber membership by 10%
Create 8 x new apprenticeships with businesses that have not previously had an apprentice in the last 5 years
Norfolk Chamber welcomed a new initiative from KLM through Norwich International Airport to attract more users to the regional airport. The initiative will allow a FREE lounge pass for Amsterdam Schipol Airport (worth 50 euros) and is available to the first 10 responders.
There has been a sharp fall in the number of apprenticeships in the construction and IT sectors over the past five years.
There were 16,890 construction, planning and built environment apprentices in 2009-10, but this had more than halved to barely 8,000 just four years later. The construction industry has complained of an ageing workforce, but apprentice numbers suffered as companies struggled for work when they were badly hit by the economic crisis.
There were 10,510 apprentices who entered the information and communications technology sector in 2010-11, but this fell to under 8,000 for the following two years – still much higher than pre-financial crisis levels. Retail and leisure travel and tourism sectors have suffered declines since 2012.
There is also concerned about an apparent lack of take-up in certain sectors of high-level apprentices, which can lead to degrees by the end of the training.
By contrast, apprenticeships in health, public services and care shot up from 28,230 in 2009-10 to nearly 58,000 four years later. The number setting out in careers in agriculture, animal care and horticulture was up 22.4 per cent to 4,480 over the same time.
The Skills minister, Nick Boles, said: “We want far more employers to get involved in apprenticeships. This means making sure that we practise what we preach in government, so we’re going require all public-sector bodies – schools, hospitals, prisons and police forces – to employ apprentices.”
Caroline Williams, CEO Norfolk Chamber said “These statistics back up what we are hearing from our members. Many of our larger companies, especially in IT, are finding it hard to recruit the number of apprentices needed to meet their requirements. There continues to be a misunderstanding about the opportunities that especially the high level apprentices can bring to a young person. The drive to go to university is still strong for our more able students but we would encourage Norfolk’s young people and their parents to ensure that the apprenticeship route is considered carefully as a real alternative”
At a recent Norwich Chamber Council meeting, the members received an update on the work being done by the Norwich BID on accessibility to Norwich. This included looking at the Park and Ride contract, understanding the Norwich Area Transport Strategy (NATS) and city centre congestion.
It was agreed that these issues affected not just city centre businesses community, but the wider business community and the Chamber should work in partnership with the Norwich BID to ensure that the thoughts and views of the Greater Norwich business community and further were taken into account.
The economic update from the council members highlighted that there is a strong positive feel to the business community, although recruitment is still seen as an issue. More organisations are looking to recruit apprentices and in particular those between 16 – 18 years old.
Peter Foster, Chair of Norwich Chamber Council said:
“Accessibility to Norwich is very important, as a rural county, we need the city to remain fully accessible to all forms of transport. For the benefit of the city centre retail and businesses, we need a strong and effective Park and Ride Service, which makes Norwich accessible to both visitors and commuters alike. There are many changes taking place to the traffic flows in Norwich, the local business community needs to understand what these changes mean to them and have the ability to give their input.”
Ahead of the latest Great Yarmouth Chamber Council meeting, the members toured the 65% complete Beacon Park with Robin Neve. Beacon Park is part of the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone and is a mixture of offices light industrial units and warehousing, all aimed at the energy sector and clean modern industry. Details for Beacon Park can be found on their website: www.beaconpark.co.uk
The overall goal of the Enterprise Zone is to create new jobs and attract new businesses and enquiries for the Enterprise Zone are strong. Some of the benefits of the Enterprise Zone are simplified planning, reduce business rates for the first 5 years of occupancy, if premises are occupied before March 2018.
The Great Yarmouth Chamber council received an update on the overall Enterprise Zone from Eunice Edwards, the EZ Co-ordinator.
The Enterprise Zone in Great Yarmouth consists of Beacon Park and the larger South Denes area. In the Lowestoft Enterprise Zone there are a further 4 sites. At present 90% of those who have occupied units in the Great Yarmouth Enterprise Zone are from the local area and are looking to expand their businesses. The premises that they are vacating are quickly being filled, so the Great Yarmouth economy appears to be continuing to thrive, despite the recent slow down in the oil and gas industry.
Andy Penman, President of Great Yarmouth Chamber said:
“It is important to support the local business community and help drive economic growth and jobs in our region. Key issues for Great Yarmouth are skills shortages and the decline of our town centre. Therefore the Great Yarmouth Chamber Council members have set themselves three goals:
Create 6 x new apprenticeships in the 12 month period between April 2015 – March 2016.
Work towards securing a nationally known brand retailer to Great Yarmouth town centre
Increase the Chamber membership in Great Yarmouth by 10%
We will work in partnership with local businesses, education establishments and the Great Yarmouth Borough Council to achieve these goals.”
Is your current broadband speed slowing down your business? You can now do something about it!
If your business employs less than 250 employees and you are based in the Norwich City Council area, then it is likely that you are eligible for free funding through the government’s Superfast Britain Broadband Connection Vouchers scheme.
Eligible businesses can get a connection voucher of between £100 and £3,000 towards the charge of installing superfast broadband. This is usually enough to cover the costs involved. If your business is based at home, the connection voucher can also be used to get superfast broadband there.
It canfund associated installation costs including infrastructure equipment, construction charges, engineering works and surveys.
What types of broadband are eligible?
Cable
Ethernet First Mile (EFM)
Fibre to the Premise (FttP)
Fibre to the Cabinet (FttC)
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
Leased lines
Microwave
Satellite
Multiple organisations can jointly apply to the scheme and pool the funding. This can help where a whole office block wants to get superfast broadband,though all organisations must meet theeligibility criteria. The offer is also open to registered charities, social enterprises and sole traders.
The benefits to you business could include:
Increasing profits by offering better services to more satisfied customers.
Improving customers’ experience with quicker upload and download speeds and faster file-sharing, especially for large files.
Reducing software and hardware costs by helping businesses switch to online data storage solutions.
Enhancing the way businesses communicate and collaborate through online video conference and cloud-based information sharing.
How to apply
You can claim your broadband connection voucher in three simple steps:
Check your business is eligible using the scheme’spostcode checker.
Get a quote from aregistered supplieron a package tomeet your specific needs.
Click on the button below and fill in an application form. We’ll do the rest!
You can also go for an off-the-shelf deal directly throughwww.connectionvouchers.co.uk. Just check your postcode is eligible then click on option one ‘off the shelf deal’.Your chosen supplier will then complete the administration for you.
MedSec 7 is an accredited training and development provider, with experience of delivering training to Individual, Local and Corporate Companies, the Armed Forces, Private Security and the Oil and Gas Industry.We specialise in a variety of disciplines, in particular First Aid and Medical Qualifications, Event First Aid Cover, Teaching Qualifications, Assessor & Verifier Qualifications, Security Qualifications and Hostile & Challenging Environments Training.Our head office is in Taverham, Norwich but we have the ability and experience to deliver contracts at a regional, national and international level.
We are undergoing a period of introspection whereby, although to date our business has been concentrated on training personnel in support of contracts further afield in countries such as Cambodia, Iraq & Afghanistan, we are turning our attention to the part of the country that looks after us, East Anglia.
Our CEO, Training Director, Business Development Manager & Clinical Lead were all raised in East Anglia, with one joining the local Royal Anglian Regiment of the British Army and another spending the latter part of his Royal Air Force career in the skies of the region as a Search & Rescue Winchman Paramedic. It is now time to give something back and as a company we are getting involved with local business groups such as Norfolk Chambers of Commerce and running promotions for the regions residents.
The number 3 service, operated by First using low-floor fully accessible buses, will connect with trains at Abellio Greater Anglia’s Great Yarmouth (Vauxhall) station seven days a week, including Bank Holidays. The service will run hourly from Sunday 24th May until Saturday 19th September, increasing to a 30 minute frequency between Sunday 26th July and Saturday 29th August.
David Squire, Managing Director of First Eastern Counties said “The re-introduction last summer of a bus service to Great Yarmouth rail station was very well received by local residents and visitors alike. Service 3 provides direct links to many holiday centres and other attractions such as Yarmouth Racecourse and Stadium as well as connections to the extensive local bus network at Market Gates. We are happy to be working in partnership with Abellio Greater Anglia once again and look forward to welcoming passengers on board the service this summer.”
James Reeve, Abellio Greater Anglia’s Head of Customer Service North for Abellio Greater Anglia said: “We are pleased to work with FirstGroup at Yarmouth to promote the service between the rail station and the key tourist leisure attractions in the district. Many visitors to the town arrive by train and being able to offer a seamless travel experience for onward journeys from the station is very important for our customers and helps to showcase Great Yarmouth as a great holiday destination.”
Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said “The linking of our transport is essential for a seamless journey both for our visitors and residents so we very much welcome the news that this bus service will be running for its second season”
Service 3 links Great Yarmouth Rail Station with Vauxhall Holiday Park, Great Yarmouth Town Centre, Britannia Pier, the Waterways, Seashore Holiday Centre, Yarmouth Racecourse, Yarmouth Stadium, Caister Holiday Centre, California Holiday Village, Scratby, Newport Caravan Park, and Hemsby Village and Beach.
Commenting on the Chancellor’s Mansion House speech, where George Osborne set out strict new fiscal rules, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
“While running a budget surplus is a laudable aim, economic history shows that the national interest sometimes requires fiscal flexibility. It is impossible to predict global economic conditions with any certainty, so no government should put itself into a fiscal straitjacket that limits its scope to respond.
“Any move to constrain future spending should explicitly exclude infrastructure, which is an investment rather than just a cost. Roads, railways, energy grids and broadband drive productivity and job creation – and it is time for government’s contributions to national infrastructure to be removed from the debate on the deficit and the national debt.
“Far too often, Britain’s infrastructure needs have been sacrificed to short-term spending considerations. This must stop.”
Norfolk has historically lagged behind in terms of infrastructure and Norfolk Chamber and our members, from start ups to our large scale members have been lobbying hard for those improvements. In December last year funding was announced in the Autumn Statement to deliver improvements along the A47.
Improvements announced in Autumn Statement:
A47 North Tuddenham to Easton
A47 Blofield to North Burlingham
A47/A12 Great Yarmouth: junction improvements, including reconstruction of the Vauxhall roundabout.
Acle Straight – Safety improvements at key hotspots
We would call for the Government to honour its Autumn Statement funding announcements and provide the necessary infrastructure for Norfolk businesses to deliver economic growth and jobs for our region.
A huge congratulations to Sam Brown, Events Assistant Apprentice, on passing her driving test on Wednesday 10 June! She becomes the final member of the Event’s team who we will no doubt see whizzing off to organise and attendmore of our fantastic events.