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The Chamber Business Awards is our chance to showcase the success of Norfolk businesses to the country. With just 1 month left until entries close on Friday 29 June, we urge you to start your application today.  From the stories of excellence amongst Norfolk organisations in the past year, we know that a Norfolk firm deserves to take home any of the nine award categories being celebrated – you can even enter into all nine!  The categories for 2018 are: 

• Small Business of the Year (Employing less than 75 full time members of staff)
• Export Business of the Year
• Best Use of Technology
• High Growth Business of the Year
• Employer of the Year
• Education and Business Partnership
• Customer Commitment Award
• Workplace Wellbeing Award
• Digital Communication Campaign of the Year

Businesses who enter the awards will compete with fellow entrants from across our region; for us that’s the East of England. Once regional winners have been chosen, they will go on to compete for the national titles.  Sarah West from Full Mix Marketing gave us her top tips for an award winning entry, including ‘If it’s worth entering, do it well. Plan your submission and make sure you get someone outside your organisation to proof read it and listen to their comments. If there is scope for visual design, present your entry in a clear, professional and appealing way.’ To see all of Sarah’s tips, please click here. The awards are free to enter and open to Chamber members only. The deadline for applications is midnight on Friday 29 June.  You can find full details on the Chamber Awards by clicking here. If you need any help with your application, or have any questions about the Chamber Awards you can get in touch.

The first three months (Q1) of 2018 saw the UK’s total trade deficit (goods and services) narrow by £0.7 billion to £6.9 billion.

The shift was mainly due to falling goods imports from countries outside the EU, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In its latest Statistical Bulletin: UK Trade: March 2018, the ONS reveals that the trade in goods deficit narrowed £1.5 billion with non-EU countries and widened £0.4 billion with the EU Member States in 2018 Q1.

The narrowing goods deficit with non-EU countries was largely due to falls in imports of machinery and transport equipment (mainly ships and aircraft), and miscellaneous manufactures (mostly clothing and works of art) of £1.3 billion and £0.5 billion respectively over the quarter.

According to the ONS, the fall in imports of goods from non-EU countries was due to declining volumes as import prices rose in the three months to March 2018.

Over the longer period of 12 months to March 2018, the total trade deficit narrowed £13.3 billion to £26.6 billion. That was due, the ONS explains, to export growth of 9.2% exceeding a rise in imports of 6.4%.

During that same 12-month period, the UK’s trade in goods deficit with the EU narrowed £2.9 billion, while with non-EU countries it widened by £0.7 billion.

The positive export figures were welcomed by International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, who pointed out that the falling trade deficit will help households across the UK feel the benefits of a stronger economy.

“It is clear evidence,” he said, “that the world wants to buy high-quality UK goods and services, and my department is putting the country in a position to benefit.”

Speaking during a visit to Scotland, Mr Fox also highlighted a 21% rise in exports of Scotch Whisky, which are now worth £4.4 billion.

Andrew Proctor has been elected leader of Norfolk County Council, at a special meeting today.

Councillor Proctor, who has been county councillor for Blofield and Brundall since 2009, was elected by the full council this afternoon.

Cllr Proctor said: “I’m honoured to be elected as council leader and I want to carry on the good work that’s been started already. I wish Cliff Jordan and his family well for the future.

“The most important thing is we have got to continue to work for the whole of Norfolk and delivering our manifesto pledges on which we were elected.

“I will take a team approach, drawing on the talents and expertise and experience of my group.”

Cllr Proctor is currently leader of Broadland District Council. He said he would stand down from that position shortly, once arrangements had been made.

Councillor Graham Plant is the new deputy leader. He said he would continue to service as leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council. At the same meeting, outgoing deputy leader, Councillor Alison Thomas, paid tribute to Cliff Jordan, who stood down as council leader last month, due to ill-health.

Drivers are being asked to plan ahead in the countdown to the Norwich Dereham Road/Sweet Briar Road roundabout closure next week.

Between Monday 28 May and Friday 1 June, the area will be closed in all directions for five days while resurfacing of the new roundabout and its approaches takes place. Councillor John Fisher, Norfolk County Council Chair of Norwich Highways Agency Committee, says: “Whether you’re commuting or just out and about in Norwich next week during half-term, please take a few minutes to find out more about the closure.

“This is a significant event for the city’s transport network and the decision for a full road closure has not been taken lightly. On balance, this approach represents the quickest, safest and most efficient way to complete the work to the best possible standard. “I’d also like to ask people to help by spreading the word to friends and family. The more informed we are across the city, the better prepared we’ll be to keep the roads moving as well as possible during this time. “We understand that it will be disruptive and frustrating for all those affected and really appreciate everyone’s patience while work takes place.” For full details, including diversion maps and access information, please visit  www.norfolk.gov.uk/derehamroad. This work marks the last phase of the Transport for Norwich project, which is designed to improve journey times for all traffic and increase the roundabout’s capacity for the future.

Google Digital Garage are coming to Norwich on Friday 22 June to deliver practical digital skills workshops on a range of topics. 

Hear from the experts with free face-to-face coaching workshops aimed at start ups and small business owners. 

To view all the workshops and register your interest click here.

Social Media Strategy Learn about creating a social media strategy based on your business goals.  11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Get Your Business Visible on Google Learn how to start showing up on Google Maps, plus ways to make your business more visible on Google. 12:30 PM – 14:00 PM

An Introduction to Digital Advertising Learn about search, social and display advertising and how to get started with advertising a business.  14:00 PM – 15:00 PM

Social Media Roundtable Roundtable on Social Media for your business. Book a spot on a specialized Q&A with one of our presenters for practical advice tailored to help you reach your goal. 14:00 PM – 15:00 PM.

Answer Questions With Data Learn the value of insight-based marketing and discover how interpreting data in the right way can help your business grow.  15:00 PM – 16:00 PM

On a sunny Wednesday morning over 60 Norfolk businesses joined Norfolk Chamber at Barnham Broom Hotel for networking and an informative talk fuelled by breakfast.  As delegates began arriving the tea and coffee flowed to wake everyone up and get them in gear to start making new connections. Once called through to the main event room Chamber CEO Chris Sargisson kicked off the morning by welcoming attendees and setting them up for the agenda ahead. First item was our networking activity, designed to spark conversations amongst the tables and get delegates building relationships. Delegates were given a timeline with key years listed along with a set of images which contained tech items such as the first Macintosh and the Nintendo Wii. The aim was to match the tech to the year it was released which was cause for plenty of debate on the tables. In the end the highest score was 7 out of a possible 12.  Following the activity came breakfast served kindly by Barnham Broom Hotel. The conversations continued throughout and gave delegates a chance to really get to know those around them.  Our guest speaker for the morning was Tim Robinson, Chief Operating Officer for TechEast. Tim began his talk by telling delegates to continue growing the tech community in Norwich by giving a strong voice and shouting about the amazing things the sector is doing locally. Not only do tech companies need to continue collaborating, but every business needs to join forces with the tech sector – this was echoed throughout Tim’s presentation and by our tech attendees in the audience.  Tim also touched on TechEast’s vision to make Norwich become a top 5 digitech cluster by 2020 and highlighted how great the tech community in Norwich is, with it being the number 1 strength in Norwich as discovered by this year’s Tech Nation report.  The event came to a close and gave delegates more time to network with those around the room.   Our next networking breakfast is in Great Yarmouth on Thursday 21 June. More details.

Full fibre broadband connections offer the fastest and most reliable speeds available, and the Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport has recently announced a UK-wide £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which is open to Norfolk businesses and residents.

Gigabit vouchers can be used by small businesses and the local communities surrounding them to contribute to the installation cost of a gigabit capable connection. Businesses can claim up to £3,000 against the cost of connection, either individually or as part of a group project. 

It is also possible for multiple businesses to pool their vouchers i.e. if there are 10 businesses on a business park and they all apply, that’s £30,000 towards the connection costs (for installation and other year 1 costs).

For more information and how to apply click here

Commenting on reports that the Home Office is to exclude non-EU doctors and nurses from the Tier 2 visa cap, Jane Gratton, Head of Business Environment and Skills Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“This is a positive first step. Non-EU doctors and nurses make up a large share of visas granted under the Tier 2 regime, so removing these workers will help many businesses across the UK economy to access the skills they can’t recruit from the UK. The cap on Tier 2 visas has been routinely under pressure from many sectors, with businesses having to compete for vital skills to fill growing shortages.  

“However, if the UK is to truly become Global Britain, then this must only be a first step. The government should go further and remove the arbitrary migration target, and scrap the cap on Tier 2 visas across industry. The current policy hurts business and dissuades some of the best and brightest from coming to the UK, and any changes must help firms compete on the global stage.”

Additional duties are to be imposed on a range of products from the USA after European Commissioners endorsed a decision to retaliate against the recent tariffs applied by the USA on imports of steel and aluminium from the EU.

Commissioners agreed that selected imports from the USA should be subject to additional duties, which are expected to apply from July.

The additional duties range from 10% to 50% and cover a wide range of items, including: playing cards (10%); cranberry juice (25%); cast steel tubes or pipe fittings (also 25%); paper hand towels (35%) and cordless infrared remote control devices for video game consoles (50%).

The full list of products concerned and the duties which will apply to them can be found at trade.ec.europa.eu.

In total, the theoretical additional duty collected will amount to $1.6 billion the Commission calculates which is far below the estimated €6.4 billion impact that the US measures will have on EU exports.

The EU is therefore reserving the right to impose further measures at a later stage (either in three years’ time or after a positive finding in a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement procedure if that is made sooner).

Characterising the decision as “a measured and proportionate response to the unilateral and illegal decision taken by the United States”, Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström confirmed that the EU’s action is fully in line with international trade law.

The imposition of rebalancing duties is part of what the Commission describes as a three-pronged response to the US action, with the other two elements being the launch of legal proceedings against the USA in the WTO and the possible triggering of safeguard action to protect the EU market from disruptions caused by the diversion of steel from the US market.

Following a successful Pub Quiz in May, our summer of fun and informal evening networking events continues. With the sun giving us glorious weather recently, we’ve released more events in our After Hours series to help get you building new connections in a different way.

Next week we’ll be at The Bowling House for a game of bowling and some tasty treats from their new menu. There’s still time to book so make sure you don’t miss out – we’ve even opened bookings to non-Chamber members so you can bring business guests! More details.

Following some competitive bowling, we’re taking the Chamber to Chambers! Chambers Cocktail Company opened in Norwich just a few months ago with a unique serving style for their cocktails. Attendees will get the chance to make one of their cocktails, guided by their expert barmen. We’ll also be bringing some of the finest pizza in town fresh from Brick Pizza for you to enjoy with fellow Norfolk businesses. Cocktails and Pizza is taking place on Thursday 26 July – more details.

Next we’re bringing back our flagship fashion event Look the Business to Jarrold on Thursday 23 August. Keep up-to-date with the hottest new trends in business and casual as Jarrold put on a fashion show to make you want to treat yourselves. To make this even easier, you’ll also get exclusive shopping time with discounts! More details.

If you have any questions about any of our After Hours events please do get in touch.

We hope to see you at an event soon!

The latest World Trade Outlook Indicator (WTOI) is 101.8 which remains above the index’s baseline value of 100 but is below the previous value of 102.3.

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which produces the index, this suggests continued solid trade growth in the second quarter (Q2) of 2018 but probably at a somewhat slower pace than in the first quarter.

“The recent dip in the WTOI reflects declines in component indices for export orders in particular but also for air freight, which may be linked to rising economic uncertainty due to increased trade tensions,” the WTO suggests.

The latest results are broadly in line with the WTO’s most recent trade forecast issued on 12 April 2018, which predicted a moderation of merchandise trade volume growth from 4.7% in 2017 to 4.4% in 2018.

While the air freight index remains above trend (102.5), it has lost momentum in recent months. Container port throughput remains above trend (105.8) but shows signs of plateauing, while automobile sales (97.9) and agricultural raw materials (95.9) are currently weighing down the WTOI.

The WTO cautions that the index is designed to provide “real time” information on the trajectory of world trade relative to recent trends, and is not intended as a short-term forecast, although it does provide an indication of trade growth in the near future.

The full World Trade Outlook Indicator is available here.

Time is running out for businesses and the public to share their experiences and opinions on transport problems to the west of Norwich, as an eight-week consultation will draw to a close early next month.

Norfolk County Council is asking people for their views on any existing transport issues in this area and whether improvements are needed. The consultation is being carried out in response to calls from many people to fill in what they see as a ‘missing link’ between where the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (now called Broadland Northway) ends at the Fakenham Road (A1067) and the A47.

More than 1,200 responses to the consultation have been received over the last seven weeks, with most people going online to give their views via www.norfolk.gov.uk/nwl. Nearly 1,100 people have also come to a series of consultation events to speak to council staff and respond to the consultation in person.

Martin Wilby, Chairman of Norfolk County Council’s Environment, Development and Transport Committee, said: “This consultation has shown, if there was any doubt, that many people have strong opinions on transport in the area to the west of Norwich. We’re getting lots of valuable insights from local residents and those who travel through the area, and they’ll be very useful as we come up with some options for things we could do to help tackle these problems.

“If you feel strongly about this too but you haven’t responded to the consultation yet, I would urge you to tell us what you think – it should only take around 10 minutes.”

While building a new road between the end of Broadland Northway and the A47 is one potential option, the consultation asks people to identify any options which they believe could tackle transport issues in the area. These include improving public transport and improving existing routes as well as an option to do nothing.

The consultation will close at midnight on Tuesday, 3 July. The council will analyse the responses over the summer and let people know the results later this year and what, if anything, it proposes to do to tackle any of the transport issues identified.

For more information and to respond to the consultation online, visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/nwl.