Chamber News

Commenting on the latest votes in Parliament on Brexit, Chris Sargisson, CEO of Norfolk Chamber said:

“Another day lost while the clock is ticking. Government and parliament are still going round in circles when businesses and the public urgently need answers.

“The real-world result of Westminster’s interminable wrangling is market uncertainty, stockpiling, and the diversion of staff, money and investment. For every big-ticket business announcing high-profile Brexit-related decisions, there are many more quietly making the changes they need in order to safeguard their operations in the event of a disorderly Brexit. The net result of this displacement activity and uncertainty is slow but very real damage to the UK economy.

“A messy and disorderly Brexit on 29th March would cause widespread damage to businesses and communities across the country. Neither Government nor many businesses are ready for a no-deal exit in two months’ time, and it must not be allowed to happen by default.”

Chamber members had the opportunity to highlight and discuss the challenges facing the local business community with Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South on Friday 25 January.

Brexit was the main topic of discussion and the business community’s need for certainty and clarity were clearly highlighted.  Mr Lewis provided an opposition perspective and his opinion as to how he thought Brexit should be delivered for the UK.

Broadband, 5G and overall connectivity were also brought up and Mr Lewis outlined his thoughts on a sustainable economy, that looked to protect our resources and limit climate change.  Improved connectivity would actively link into this agenda. 

Commenting on the meeting, Fiona Ryder, President of Norfolk Chamber said:

“We are really pleased to welcome Clive Lewis to the Norfolk Chamber office to hear from the local business community.  It is important that our MPs understand the needs of business and the Chamber will continue to ensure our members views are hear loud and clear in Westminster.”

We took over Hollywood Bowl on 24 January with over 120 attendees on the lanes for our annual Super Bowl event.

After a drink at the bar and some networking among the teams, we made our way onto the lanes ready to compete for the title of ‘Super Bowl Champion’. There were both company teams and mixed teams going head to head at this informal, social evening.

The competition was fierce with Price Bailey trying to take back their winning title, however it was Lovewell Blake who just snatched it from them, with an average score of 111.3 per player!

The full score board can be seen below:

Team Average Score 1st Lovewell Blake 111.3 2nd Price Bailey 108.2 3rd Naked Marketing 105.3 4th Credo Asset Finance (lane 3) 103.2 5th MIXED TEAM – Cracknell Law, Technique Recruitment Solutions, Coleman Opticians 96.4 6th BDO LLP 89.6 7th Credo Asset Finance (Lane 5) 89.2 8th Target Follow 87.6 9th Norfolk Chamber 82.2 10th Spire Solicitors 75.5 11th MIXED TEAM – Cassandra Andrews, Indigo Swan, Lime Learning, IoD Norfolk, Naked Element 75.1 12th Credo Asset Finance (lane 4) 73.5 13th Create Consulting 71.8 14th MIXED TEAM – Atkinson Moss, Vertas Group, Norfolk Chamber, Nor-folk, Hairsmiths Salon 68.8 15th MIXED TEAM – Charles Stanley, Ash Tree Barns, Anglia Business Cleaning 63.8 16th Cozens-Hardy 63.4

Following the bowling, we tucked into some grub and counted the scores ready to crown Lovewell Blake the winners.

Don’t miss our next evening networking event!

Wine Tasting with Harper Wells Thursday 28 March 08:00 – 20:00 at Harper Wells, Norwich

Find out more

With the shortlist released recently, these awards are now in their second year and growing too. It’s great to see such a diversity of businesses selected, showcasing their boundless skills, and supporting these fresh awards too. 

The North Norfolk Business Awards are a chance to celebrate some of the best companies in our region. As a Chamber of Commerce with a diverse business community, and over 900 members, we recognize how many great businesses there are in Norfolk. So, it is great to see several of our members like Archant, Lovewell Blake, Fakenham Racecourse and Four, supporting a number of the awards categories. It is of course also great to see our member Norfolk Cottages in the final shortlist too. Having been selected for the Tourism & Hospitality award, this is an ideal chance to highlight the great work they are doing and the strength of their brand too. Mega good luck to them for Awards dinner coming up.

Norfolk Chamber is excited to be supporting and to be part of this event too. Our CEO, Chris Sargisson will be hosting the night at Gresham’s School, Holt, on Thursday 21st February. Chris added his comments on the recent shortlisting “The inaugural awards were very impressive and based on the quality of the entries I’m sure the 2019 event will be even better. I know it was a tough job whittling down the entries and drawing up these shortlists. I suspect the judges are going to find it even harder to select the winners.” 

Shortlist and Awards;

Agriculture, Horticulture & Countryside, in association with Lovewell Blake:

Crop Systems, Kelling Estate, Place UK

Business Growth, in association with Four:

Anglia DNA Services, Crisp Malt, Hilltop Outdoor Centre

Environment, in association with Fakenham Racecourse:

Exo Environmental, Margins Walking, Glamping Holidays

Innovation, in association with the Fakenham & Wells Times and the Norfolk News:

Chell Instruments, Exo Environmental, Swift Aircraft

New Business, in association with Eastlaw:

Archangel Distilleries, Shambles Café Bar Bistro, The Massage Hut

Small Business, in association with Menta:

The Hop Inn, Morton’s Event Hire, The Norfolk Brewhouse

Tourism & Hospitality, in association with Thursford Christmas Spectacular:

Bewilderwood, Norfolk Cottages, Openwide Coastal

Young People & Skills, in association with New Anglia LEP:

CT Baker Group, Holkham Estate, Windboats Marine

Good luck to all the businesses on the Award dinner night. We are looking forward to sharing more about the awards soon. For more details on the award categories visit the North Norfolk District Council web page.

Catch up also on the recent article in the North Norfolk News about the shortlisting.

Commenting on the labour market figures for January 2019, published today by the ONS, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: 

“The marked increase in employment is further evidence that the jobs market remains a major positive for the UK economy. Although some firms report that Brexit uncertainty and recruitment difficulties are weighing on hiring intentions, the high degree of flexibility of the labour market continues to limit the impact of a sluggish economy on UK jobs growth.

“With earnings growth rising once again, pay growth is now comfortably outpacing inflation. However, achieving meaningful real wage increases over a sustained period is likely to prove challenging without delivering a marked improvement in productivity and easing the high upfront business costs which stifle pay increases.

“The continued rise in the number of vacancies is further evidence of the growing struggle for firms to hire the staff they need, which is weakening the UK’s growth and productive potential. Against this backdrop, more must be done to protect the long-term health of the UK labour market, including delivering a future immigration system that helps, rather than hinders businesses ability to invest, grow and support the economy. The Prime Minister’s announcement that there will no longer be a cost for EU nationals to apply to the Settled Status Scheme is a welcome move for the many businesses that are concerned about losing European employees after Brexit.”

An exciting new transport initiative for Breckland from Kickstart Norfolk in partnership with the Department of Work & Pensions, Breckland Council and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The Need –

At present, there are many hard to reach, unemployed individuals residing across the Breckland area who are unable to advance towards employment. When asked, clients stated that the main reasons for this are:

• a lack of transport
• rural isolation
• disabilities
• homelessness or criminal convictions
• Poor Health

Because of the above, hard to reach individuals reported that this was causing them to experience poor health, low motivation and self-esteem, and a belief that they would spend the rest of their lives on benefits.

The idea –

Building on the vision of the recent launch of Breckland for Jobs, Kickstart Norfolk, together with their partners the Department of Work & Pensions, Breckland Council and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), want to help these hard to reach individuals to unlock their potential to gain meaningful training, work experience and/or employment.

The Solution –

With funding provided by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP), Breckland Council & Kickstart Norfolk, Tripstart Breckland will provide a 7-Seater Minibus Service and IAG Support Worker for individuals across the Breckland area to engage with for a pilot period of 1-year.

Working in partnership with the individuals Jobcentre Work Coach, Tripstart Breckland’s dedicated IAG Support worker will provide, where applicable, the service user with the relevant 1-2-1 support to help them address and overcome their complex barriers to employment, build their self-esteem, confidence and motivation so they have every opportunity of moving forward with their lives.

Service users will be provided with a transport service until they are confident enough to plan their own route to their place of provision. Thereafter, support will be provided by both the IAG 

Support Worker and Communication Officer via telephone, however, face to face support will be offered where and when required.

The Tripstart Breckland Transport Scheme will be made available to everyone aged 18 and above, who reside in the Breckland area and are either unemployed or economically inactive.

The Tripstart Transport Scheme will compliment the transport services already provided by local government, it is in no way a replacement.

TRIPSTART Breckland is a transport provision for hard to reach residents of Breckland to use to move forward with their life.

All referrals received must be sent to the relevant Jobcentre for vetting before any individual is accepted on to the scheme.

Tripstart Breckland – Referral Process

Client Identified –

Once a potential client has been identified there are 4 referral routes that can be used to access Tripstart Breckland:

1. Self-Referral or Multi Agency Referral sent directly to Tripstart Breckland
2. Kickstart Norfolk refers individuals to Tripstart Breckland
3. Jobcentre Work Coach refers the indivual to Tripstart Breckland
4. Self-Referral or Multi Agency Referral sent to Jobcentre for referral to Tripstart Breckland

Vetting –

On receipt, all referrals to Tripstart Breckland must first be sent to the relevant Jobcentre for vetting, the aim of this is to:

1. Understand the reason as to why the individual has been referred to Tripstart Breckland

2. Ensure the individual meets the criteria for Tripstart Breckland

3. Make sure the individual is in receipt of the correct benefits

4. Deal with any benefit issues that may have arisen

Once vetting has been completed, referrals will be sent directly to the Tripstart Breckland, IAG Support Worker who will make contact with the client.  

Information, Advice, Guidance & Support (IAG) –

Individuals referred to Tripstart Breckland requiring IAG Support will be taken through a detailed induction, allowing the IAG Support Worker to compile, discuss and agree an Individual Action Plan with the client. The Action Plan will provide clear details of how the individuals barriers to employment will be addressed. All Action Plans will be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound and will be in line with the Individual Action Plan implemented by the clients Jobcentre Work Coach.

Communication & Support Plan –

Each client will participate in daily, weekly and monthly communication with the IAG Worker to ensure that progress can be monitored and reported.

Should any issues be identified or arise during the supporting period, with agreement from the individuals Jobcentre Work Coach, referrals will be made to multi-agencies for them to provide additional support to the individual.

When the individual is confident enough to plan their own route, communication with will be moved from weekly to bi-weekly unless the situation dictates that the individual remains on a weekly plan. Bi-weekly communication will last for a period of up to 2-years.

To ensure continuity of support and communication, the IAG Worker will send weekly reports to the individuals Jobcentre Work Coach and regular face to face meetings will be held.

See PDF below for more information;

Responding to the Parliamentary defeat of the Meaningful Vote on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration, Chris Sargisson, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber, said:

“There are no more words to describe the frustration, impatience, and growing anger amongst Norfolk business after two and a half years on a high-stakes political rollercoaster ride that shows no sign of stopping. Basic questions on real-world operational issues remain unanswered, and firms now find themselves facing the unwelcome prospect of a messy and disorderly exit from the EU on March 29th.

“The overriding priority for both government and Parliament must now be to avoid the clear danger that a ‘no deal’ exit on the 29th of March would pose to businesses and communities across Norfolk. Every second that ticks by sees more businesses spending money on unwanted changes, activating contingency plans or battening down the hatches and halting investment, as they try to anticipate a future that is no clearer now than it was at the time of the referendum result. 

“Businesses will take a dim view of more shuttle diplomacy and last-minute bargaining, which have so far done nothing to end the political impasse. The government must now urgently set out in concrete terms what it will do to avoid the damage that a messy and disorderly exit on March 29th would cause to businesses, communities, and the UK economy.”

Quarter 3: Oct – Dec 2018

Norfolk County Council have released their latest economic intelligence report. The report headlines are:

• Our strong labour market in Norfolk is performing above the national average at 75.2% locally and 75% nationally
• 29.9% of Norfolk’s working age population are obtaining higher level qualifications
• The Norfolk Market Town Centre Report highlighted that 5.4% of units are vacant in the market towns
• Interest rates remained at 0.75% in December 2018.
• UK house prices increased by 2.7%.

For full details of the latest economic intelligence report click here.

Lots of people go into the New Year with a New Year New Me attitude and over Christmas we heard a lot of members saying they are planning on networking more in 2019. They certainly proved they were serious as we kicked off our first networking breakfast of the year at the Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth. Over 30 businesses joined us for a morning of networking over a continental-style breakfast.

We had the pleasure of having Natalie Haydon from Affinity Agency join us to talk to the room about the importance of paid strategies and how to use them to your advantage to increase revenue. Natalie gave some really good insights about the importance of paid strategies and encouraged the room not to neglect them. She highlighted that one of the clients she works with were questioning the usefulness of paid search until they discovered it accounted for 50% of revenue in analytics and had an influence on over 70% of sales generated. It was a very informative presentation and one that gave delegates food for thought.

Our stand holders for the day included our feature charity Centre 81 and The Recruiting Office. Centre 81 work with adults with physical, sensory, and other disabilities. They provide two essential services to the local area: a skills and activities centre and a community transport service for the wider community. The Recruiting Office specialise in finding staff for business in: Office and professional services, transport and logistics, and manufacturing and food processing across Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire.

Join us at our next event: Our Region Post Brexit on Thursday 31st January, 3 – 5pm at Great Yarmouth Town Hall. In partnership with Great Yarmouth Borough Council and New Anglia LEP we will be hosting this free post-Brexit workshop. There will be the very latest updates from the British Chambers of Commerce and a number of joint interactive workshops looking at the impact, challenge, and opportunities that lay ahead as a result of Brexit  

Commenting on the GDP and trade statistics for November 2018, published by the ONS today, Mike Spicer, Director of Research and Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“Despite a small improvement in GDP growth between October and November, the underlying three-month measure showed an economy that was slowing after what had been a stronger performance in the previous quarter. This is reinforced by the results of our own Quarterly Economic Survey, which found that the UK economy was stuck in a weak holding pattern at the end of 2018.

“The trade deficit narrowed slightly in the month but has widened considerably over the year. These are testing times for many exporters who are feeling the pressure of Brexit uncertainty and broader global issues in the trading environment. Businesses continue to report concern over exchange rates and pressure on prices from the rising cost of materials. 

“As the clock ticks ever closer to March, businesses are becoming increasingly frustrated and looking to Westminster for clarity and precision on the future terms of trade. Firms need to know what customs procedures they will face with their nearest neighbour and other important partners in just over ten weeks.”

Norfolk Chamber is working all 11 schools within the Norwich Opportunity Area.

Norfolk’s future is in the hands of our young people and we all need to work together to prepare students for the world of work.  Schools face a huge challenge and have limited resources, so we want to hear from you about how we can best support your school or if you’re a business that wants to get involved.

Norfolk Chamber has a large number of businesses available to help – What does your school need?

• Help with mock interviews • A talk to a class or assembly  • Business support help to bring a STEM subject to life • Work experience opportunities? • Business attendance at your careers fair • Something else….?

We can make connecting your school to the local business community easier – let us know what support you need and together we can create the future workforce.

For more information or to talk though ideas please call: 01603 625977 or email: [email protected]  

Commenting on the yesterday’s announcement of the potential closure of Heatrae Sadia’s Norwich plant, Chris Sargisson, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:

“Heatrae Sadia have been members of Norfolk Chamber for over six years and the news that they are proposing to close their Norwich plant is extremely saddening as any job losses will impact heavily on those effected, the local economy and region.  Our thoughts are with those workers and families who jobs are under threat.

Our region has a buoyant job market and there will be a number of Heatrae Sadia employees, who may find that their skills and knowledge are transferrable, whilst others may need to consider some re-training so that they can secure good employment in alternative fields.

We will work as always in partnership and collaboration with both the local authorities, the LEP, as well as the local manufacturing groups to identify potential employment opportunities and help provide support to those affected whose jobs may be at risk.

In situations such as this, it is important to remind ourselves that exciting and innovative businesses are both starting up and expanding in our region and we must not lose sight of the excellent opportunities available here in Norfolk. 

Norfolk Chamber will continue to work tirelessly to raise the business profile of Norwich and Norfolk. A great place to live, learn, and work.”