Norfolk Chamber has recently recruited additional members to its Board of Directors. Seven new Board members have been appointed, which takes the Board to a total of 16 members.
“We were pleased to receive such a large number of applicants for the Board. All of an extremely high calibre, with great all round business skills and experience. This made it very difficult to select a shortlist of candidates for interview and made the decision even tougher for the interview panel to make their final selections.”
“Our new Board members will help give Norfolk Chamber stronger representation geographically, by size of company and by sector and will allow us to truly be the voice of our membership. I am looking forward to working with them all to support and promote issues affecting the business community in Norfolk.”
Simon Watson Partner – Corporate Services, Lovewell Blake
The Norfolk Chamber Board is made up of Chamber members from across the County to ensure that members’ interests are represented at local, county and regional levels.
Chamber highlights its concerns over delays to A47 improvements to Highways England
Jonathan Cage, the Vice President of Norfolk Chamber and Managing Director of Create Consulting Engineers, represented the Norfolk Chamber at the recent meeting of the A47 Alliance. The meeting included a presentation from the Highways England team of AMEY/AECOM, on the feasibility work that has been undertaken to date and the anticipated timeframes for delivery of the improvements to the A47.
Highways England are responsible for the delivery of the improvements to the A47 and they outlined that the three main schemes, which are centred around Norwich, including Burlingham, North Tuddenham and Thickthorn, were all effectively programmed to start work in 2020, with an approximate cost of £300m.
Commenting on the Highways England presentation, Jonathan Cage said:
“Highways England advised that they had assessed each of the schemes to determine whether a Development Consent Order would be required. They acknowledged that a lot of work had been previously undertaken on Burlingham, and that a scheme had been close to being started in the past.”
“However they stated that they needed to review the details and determine whether or not the route was still the ‘preferred route’. It was also essential that a full detailed evidence base was available to back up any future scheme submissions, to ensure that they would stand up to detailed scrutiny at future Inquiry.”
“Highways England believed that this exercise would be completed by October 2015, at which stage they would be able to advise which, if any of the schemes, could be brought forward earlier for implementation. The same criteria would also apply to the Vauxhall roundabout and Gapton Hall roundabout improvements in Great Yarmouth.”
On the length of delay in commencing the improvement works along the A47, Jonathan said:
“I raised the Chamber’s concerns about the delays, especially with respect to Burlingham, and asked why did Highways England need to review the proposals again?” He noted that “it was very unlikely that the traffic flows had changed and the only major thing that had changed since 2006 was that more people had lost their lives.”
With regard to possible severe disruptions whilst the improvement works were being undertaken, Jonathan said:
“I also raised a concern about the potential for all three Norwich schemes to be progressed at the same time, which would effectively result in access to Norwich from all directions being severely disrupted for about 18 months – something that would not be acceptable to the business community. I was informed that it was unlikely that all three would be progressed simultaneously, which would then potentially lead to a further delay on one of the schemes.”
Roger Foulger, the Chair of the A47 Alliance, also highlighted to Highways England, the occasions that both the local MPs and the Norfolk Chamber had written to express their concern at possible delays. Jonathan Cage said: “It was clear that both the MPs and the Chamber correspondence had had an impact on Highways England – however the Norfolk business community, together with the A47 Alliance needs to continue to lobby hard for the improvements to the A47 to be delivered as soon as possible.”
Following the successful recruitment of an Events Co-ordinator Norfolk Chamber, due to expansion of the team,currently have an exciting opportunity for a 2nd experiencedprofessional to deliver high quality business events in a fast-paced environment.
You will be part of a busy team delivering over 70 events annually across Norfolk, ranging from large scale conferences and exhibitions, to business breakfasts and training. We regularly feature high profile speakers, including George Osborne, Vince Cable and CEOs of leading international businesses. You will be involved in strategic thinking to take our calendar to the next level.
With a proven track record, and three or more years relevant experience, you will be hardworking, innovative and have an understanding of how to market events using with the use of social media and technology.”
The salary will be £16,000 – £20,000 depending on experience.
Other benefits include 26 days holiday per annum, healthcare plan and contributory pension after successful completion of probation.
Drivers have been warned to expect overnight closures of the A47 at Postwick, at the eastern end of Norwich Southern Bypass, over the next two weeksstarting on Monday 13 July.
The closures, which are to allow furtherbridge work to be carried out, as part of thePostwick junctionimprovement,will be from 8pm to 6am at the latest.There will be shortdiversions via the slip roads and new link roads.
Chamber gold patron Aviva has announced that they will create 400 jobs in Norwich as it moves to restructure the business following its takeover of Friends Life.
This move will trigger the closure of motor claims offices in Manchester and Stretford and whilst some of its staff from these area may relocate it is expected that the majority of jobs will be filled from Norfolk.
Andrew Morrish, Aviva’s claims operations director, advises that they are looking for a wide range of people with customer service experience from working parents, recent graduates, apprentices and older workers. Each new member of staff will be put through a training programme so direct experience is not needed.
Mr Morrish said “We want to create varied careers for people. We need to recruit motor claims staff, but they might move into the life division, or the tech business. There is a great career with Aviva in Norwich. It is unusual to have a company like Aviva that has a range of different divisions in one place”
Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said “This is great news for Norfolk. The fact that Aviva sees Norwich as a ‘centre of excellence’ for their business will help to confirm Norwich as the important business centre that it is and increases its visibility. Aviva will be offering many different career opportunities for our young people as well as to those with different abilities”
Chloe Smith MP for Norwich North said “A major national employer is recognising that we can have excellence in Norwich. A move of this size brings other opportunities with it”
Mr Morris said Aviva wanted to reinforce its commitment to Norwich by engaging more with the local business community. “Getting support from business leaders and being more tuned into what is happening around Norfolk is good for us.”
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.
The recent news headlines outline a possible cash crisis facing Norfolk’s schools. 91% of secondary schools stated they will have to cut faculty/subject budgets; 93% of secondary schools identified that they will have to cut ‘other resources’; and 39% of secondary schools advised that they will have to reduce teaching staff through redundancies either in 2015 or 2016. It is therefore even more important that the Norfolk business community engages with the local education establishments.
Soft skills and accessing a future workforce are key issues for the Norfolk business community. Norfolk Chamber is passionate about developing the talent of Norfolk’s young people and we are working with our key stakeholders to help bridge the gap between the world of education and the world of work.
Many businesses rely on the education system to help equip young people with the soft skills and attitude they need to successfully make the transition to work and we will continue to work with our education and business members to ensure that we work in partnership towards closing this gap.
For those schools that are already part of the Chamber network, they are aware that the Chamber can provide the school’s head teacher/principal and members of staff with opportunities to attend Norfolk Chamber events. This provides them with easy access their local business networks. Norfolk Chamber also actively welcome groups of member school’s students to attend our large scale events, such as B2B and any specific events aimed at both young people and businesses.
Since the Great Eastern Mainline (GEML) Taskforce was created in 2013, at the request of the Chancellor, they have been making a compelling case for rail improvements in our region, which has resonated right across Whitehall and Westminster.
David Cameron, George Osborne, Transport ministers, MPs from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and beyond, together with many others have repeatedly praised the GEML campaign. More importantly Ministers have committed to the levels of investment that our region needs. Without doubt, the active support of leaders from across business, education and local authorities has helped make the difference.
The GEML Taskforce continue to have confidence in the progress made so far, and that the year-on-year transformation of the Great Eastern Mainline will continue. But success depends on us, the local business community, to keep up the momentum.
The Taskforce has advised that, despite the recent news of Network Rail’s performance and Government plans to ‘pause’ improvements in parts of the country, the Great Eastern Mainline was not affected. Transport Secretary Patrick Mcloughlin repeated his promise to the Taskforce to bring about ‘modern, faster trains to Ipswich and Norwich in the next franchise’. And in the recent Summer Budget, the Chancellor also re-affirmed his commitment for ‘Norwich in 90 and Ipswich in 60’ campaign. Keeping up the momentum, the Taskforce has written to the Transport Secretary and Network Rail asking for renewed assurances that the improvements will be delivered on time and as promised.
The GEML Taskforce has met twice, since the General Election in May, to review progress and agree the next steps. The most recent developments for the Great Eastern Mainline are:
Department for Transport has announced the three train companies shortlisted to bid for the new franchise. They are Abellio East Anglia in a joint venture with Stagecoach; First East Anglia; and National Express. These train companies will now submit their bids to Government by August, with the expectation that they will be innovative in their approach to achieving the recommendations of the Great Eastern Rail Report – including all-important new rolling stock and changes to the timetable. The contract winner will be announced by Government in June 2016 with the new franchise starting in October 2016.
The Taskforce has invited each of the three bidders to meet with them, so that they can outline first hand the high expectations that our region has of the new service. All three train companies have confirmed their acceptance of the invitation.
Network Rail is undertaking a feasibility study which will set out the engineering work required to increase the speed of the rail line. The final recommendations will be published in November 2015 with work starting soon after. At the same time, Network Rail’s Anglia Route Study will identify the work needed for the whole of the region between 2019-2024 and will be published in summer 2015.
All the newly elected MPs across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have been briefed on the GEML campaign and are supportive and fully involved.
The GEML Taskforce have recently written to business leaders across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and invited them to attend an update meeting on 23 October 2015 in Ipswich. The meeting will bring together all the key supporters and provide a progress update on the campaign, as well as answer any questions. They also hope that all three of the shortlisted train companies for our region’s rail franchise will attend this meeting.
Commenting on the work that has been done so far by the GEML Taskforce,Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“It is vitally important the Norfolk’s business community continue to support the rail campaign and the work that the GEML Taskforce is doing. Already the results of delivering a consistent message to Westminster, from the Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex’s business communities; the New Anglia LEP; theMPs from across the 3 counties;and the local authoritiesis paying off. With continued support and encouragement, we can work together to transform our railway.”
Ask most businesses in Norfolk what they need to help them to create improved economic growth and deliver more jobs and the majority will say improved road infrastructure would be a good start. Ask businesses in Great Yarmouth what they need and they will tell you improvements to the Acle Straight and improved links into the town and the port.
One of those improved links is a £112m third river crossing, identified five years ago, spanning 50m from the Southtown area to the South Denes area of Great Yarmouth. Supporters of this river crossing say it is crucial to cutting congestion, supporting regeneration and improving links to the town’s port.
The Chancellor, George Osborne, gave the go ahead to a river crossing in Lowestoft in March’s pre-election budget and Norfolk County Councillors fear that the Great Yarmouth equivalent may be in danger of being left behind. They are planning to lobby Norfolk’s MPs, with the support of New Anglia LEP to push the Great Yarmouth river crossing to the top of the agenda.
Colleen Walker, Chairperson of the County Council’s Economic Development Sub committee said:
“It is essential that the crossing happened.” She went on to say “We are going to lobby MPs for the money for the river crossing. We are shovel ready to go and this is vital not just for Yarmouth but for the rest of Norfolk. We cannot just sit on our hands.”
Commenting on the latest news, Andy Penman, President of Great Yarmouth Chamber Council said:
“Pressure needs to be stepped up over the third river crossing for Great Yarmouth. Norfolk Chamber will also call on our local MPs to lobby for the necessary funding to deliver the river crossing for Great Yarmouth. A crossing at this point would relieve traffic congestion, improve connectivity to the South Denes employment area and open up more regeneration opportunities, which are vital for the improvement of Great Yarmouth.”
We’re delighted to welcome Plain Speaking Agency as a new member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. Plain Speaking is a straight talking, results focused PR, communications and marketing agency based in Norwich. Founded in 2006, the team is made up of three senior comms professionals – managing director Pippa Lain-Smith, plus Amber Davis and Kayla Dunne – collectively with over fifty years’ PR experience: from global organisations to start-ups, consumer goods to business services, national brands to social enterprises. They are friendly and tenacious, all involved in every element of clients’ work, from developing campaign plans and implementing activity, to measuring success.
The Plain Speaking team believes public relations is about communicating and building relationships with people who are important to your brand; engaging their interest, inspiring their loyalty and encouraging them to do business with you. They help to build, maintain and protect reputations; and take pride in using language that clients understand, avoiding unnecessary jargon. The will only recommend communications tactics that they honestly believe will add value to a business.
Pippa Lain-Smith, managing director of Plain Speaking Agency, said: “Our team has such broad experience that we are able to represent a very diverse range of clients; from retail to telecoms, healthcare to property, and everything in between. We have one simple aim: to help our clients achieve their business objectives. Most of the clients that we work with have been with us for a number of years, which is testament to our commitment to exceeding their expectations.
“We joined the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce to engage more with the regional business community. The training, networking and events programme has been highly recommended so we’re looking forward to meeting new people and enhancing our skills base.”
According to recent Office of National Statistics figures, the UK’s unemployment total has risen for the first time in two years. The ONS said 1.85 million people in the UK were unemployed in the March to May period, an increase of 15,000 from the previous quarter, with a jobless rate at 5.6%.
However the local unemployment figures here in Norfolk told a different story, with the overall results bucking the national trend and showing that the unemployment figures were still falling.
All Norfolk districts saw the JSA claimant rates continue the trend of recent months and fell further. Broadland had the largest percentage fall of -10.1%, with Norwich showing a percentage drop of -6.5% and Great Yarmouth a drop of -4.1%. The smallest percentage change was in King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, who saw a percentage change of -3.8%. Overall Norfolk’s JSA claimant rate fell from 1.4% in May, to 1.3% in June 2015.
Europe is dominating the news at the moment due to the uncertainty of how the situation with Greece will be resolved. Commenting in the wake of the Greek referendum, which saw voters reject creditors’ bailout terms, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“Beyond its immediate impacts on markets and trade, it looks ever more likely that the Greek referendum vote will spark fundamental changes in the Eurozone – and the European Union as a whole.
“The Prime Minister may get an early, and important, opportunity to put the case for fundamental reform of the UK’s relationship with the EU. Businesses will want him to seize this opening, especially as many of the UK’s desired reforms would support the competitiveness of the EU as a whole.”
“There is now broad agreement across the political spectrum that our relationship with the EU needs to change and that the status quo is not an option. Norfolk businesses would like their voice included in the debate, to help the government secure meaningful changes to our relationship with the EU.”
There are five key elements that Norfolk Chamber wants to focus on relating to EU reform:
In a Europe in which the decisions will be made by and for the Eurozone – a club of which we will never be a member – Britain must have absolute guarantees to protect our economic and other interests within the EU.
We need to protect our businesses from the regulatory burdens imposed by the EU, particularly those that do not relate directly to trade, again with an opt-out if necessary. The vast majority of the UK’s economic activity is not directly derived from trade with the rest of the European Union – and yet all of that activity is hit by the cost of European regulation.
It is necessary to sort out the “common market” so that it works for British business. The UK is by and large a service sector economy and yet there is no meaningful internal market in services within the EU and, at the same time, the market in goods is imperfect and unravelling.
We need a clear and balanced approach to immigration taking into account the need for stability and social cohesion and driven by the skills requirements of our economy, meaning businesses can access the talent they need.
We need a cast iron opt-out to make sure we do not sleepwalk into an ‘ever closer union’.
If you have an opinion on this issue or would like to give examples of how the current situation with the EU is adversely affecting your business please advise [email protected]