General

The attached PDF provides an update from the Highways Agency on the progress to the A11, Fiveways to Thetford improvements. More information on the scheme can be found on the Highways Agency’s website:

www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/4248.aspx.

At a recent meeting of the West Norfolk Chamber Council the members were given updates from both the Leader and the Chief Executive of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council.

Nick Daubney, Leader of the Council, advised the members of the latest information on the proposed incinerator project, which has now been ‘called-in’ by the Secretary of State. Ray Harding, Chief Executive provided an update on how the Borough Council were proposing to resolve the availability of parking in and around King’s Lynn. He also advised that they were starting to work on planning the budget for 2015/2016.

As part of the economic round table discussion, Heather Garrod, President of West Norfolk Chamber highlighted that she was working to get the business community more involved with the local schools and asked for support from both the Borough Council and West Norfolk businesses. Ben Colson, M.D. of Norfolk Green and chair of the Town Centre Partnership advised that the King’s Lynn’s Business Improvement District (BID) was progressing well and gathering momentum.

Ostap Paparega, the Regeneration and Economic Development Manager for the borough council also presented the proposed King’s Lynn Enterprise and Innovation Centre project, for which the New Anglia LEP has confirmed funding of £2.5m. The project will provide 25,000 sq.ft. of business innovation, office space and business support.

Nick Daubney, together with the Mayor of West Norfolk, Cllr. Geoffrey Wareham, opened the Chamber’s Meet the Buyer event on 20th September. The event was held at the Knights Hill Hotel, King’s Lynn and was well attended. Among the buyers were Bernard Matthews, Bespak Europe Ltd, RAF Lakenheath and Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

William Hague last week announced a review of the balance of the EU’s competences (the power to act in particular areas conferred on it by the EU Treaties).

The review will look at the EU’s competences, how they are used, and what that means for Britain and our national interest.

Thanks to advances in technology, we can now get up to the minute news on the move, order our shopping and bank online, or video-call friends and family overseas.

So it is perhaps no surprise that the way we manage our healthcare is also changing as technology develops.

According to research commissioned by Best Doctors people are increasingly turning to the internet for health related information, with 89 per cent of survey respondents saying they would go-online following diagnosis by their doctor.

Another study, which surveyed consumers and healthcare executives in the US, found that one in three people were using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter for health related issues.

Keith Pollard, Managing Director of Intuition Communication, said that social media had altered the ‘patient-provider dynamic’: “The web has changed the power of patient voice, the involvement of patients in decision making and their treatment.”

So while we can ‘like’ our friends’ status updates and photographs on Facebook, increasing numbers are also locating and commenting on health services and treatments via the web, thanks to online social forums where people discuss everything from dentistry to diabetes.

Chamber Primary Health Plan provider Westfield Health recognises the importance of providing its policyholders with easy and immediate access to information and services.

The Chamber Plan, which is available to all members of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, provides money back towards the cost of everyday healthcare such as dental treatment, eye care, physiotherapy and diagnostic consultations, as well as providing fast access to scanning facilities and counselling services.

Employees can manage their account online by logging into the My Westfield area of Westfield Health’s website. They are able to view and amend their personal details, check benefit balances and view their claims history.

Additionally, Westfield offers a Text Messaging Service and iPhone app, where employees can check their benefit balances.

The Chamber Plan also includes an online Personal Health Risk Assessment, which gives employees an easy to understand and visual representation of their current health status.

Based on the unique Q-Score™ system, the assessment helps employees to understand how their lifestyle impacts on their health, as well as to identify steps they can take to improve their health and wellbeing and track their progress along the way.

Derived from the aggregated and anonymised results of employees’ Health Risk Assessments, a Company Health Report enables employers to identify any prevailing health risks affecting their workforce.

Westfield has also enhanced its existing GP telephone consultation service DoctorLine by introducing new webcam consultation service. The online facility will enable employees to see and speak to a qualified UK GP during normal surgery hours, while giving doctors the opportunity to use visual aids and diagrams to clarify the advice they give.

For more information about the Chamber Plan, visit www.westfieldhealth.com/chamber or call 0845 602 1629, available 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

The British Chambers of Commerce’s new Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) released today (Tuesday) shows that economic growth in the UK remains weak, with the Q3 results slightly worse than the previous quarter. The survey, comprising responses from 7,593 businesses across the UK including Norfolk, shows stagnation in the domestic market, and a fall in balances measuring exporting activity, although Norfolk appears to be bucking the national trend.

John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, commenting on the results urged the government to focus on policies that will create the right business environment for firms to invest and grow.

“The Q3 2012 results confirm that improvements in the UK’s economic performance remain inadequate. While we do not agree with the ONS’ gloomy estimation that the UK was in technical recession for three consecutive quarters, it is clear that the economy is stagnant. Though most key Q3 balances are weaker than in Q2, the survey results could still signal a return to positive GDP growth in Q3, as weaker balances may not indicate a contraction in overall economic activity.”

Caroline Williams, CEO of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: “Despite the backdrop of the national results of weak economic growth and poor business confidence it is encouraging that Norfolk businesses report that in some areas they are doing better than the national figures.

Both the manufacturing and the service sectors are showing positive results around the future export orders, as well as their domestic orders. This has influenced their confidence in their turnover balances, which also rose and, for the manufacturing sector, are back at the levels last seen in Q4 2011. Confidence in their profitability dipped slightly, but these figures still reflect or are better than the national figures.

Norfolk businesses are working hard in these challenging economic times which will have a beneficial effect on the local economy. However we do need our local MPs to lobby government to focus on policies which will create a business environment for our Norfolk companies to invest and grow”

The survey results show the following:

Business confidence and investment falls: The survey showed worsening confidence and investment levels from both manufacturing and services firms. For both sectors levels are lower than long-term historical averages, and have not yet recovered to levels seen before the recession. Fewer firms are looking to invest in training and plant & machinery, and confidence in future turnover and profit has fallen to levels last seen at the end of 2011. However the Norfolk manufacturing and services sectors both reflected an overall higher level of confidence than shown at both a regional and national level. Both sectors showed an increase in their confidence in turnover of 10 points, with manufacturing now showing a balance of 38% and the service sector showing a balance of 28%.

Encouraging Norfolk export results: The Norfolk manufacturers showed mixed results, with exports sales dropping from the last quarter, although future orders increased. Meanwhile the Norfolk service sector continued to increase both their export sales and their future orders. However, the national picture showed their export recovery has weakened. Previous surveys this year had shown strong results for exporters in both sectors. While balances are still positive indicating growth, this quarter they fell to levels similar to Q4 2011, meaning export growth this year, has dropped back.

Norfolk increases future domestic orders: Nationally, the balances measuring domestic activity have fallen on the previous quarter. In both manufacturing and services, balances for domestic orders for the last three months have fallen. More worryingly, the results point towards a contraction in the future, with the national forward-looking home orders balances in negative territory. Conversely, both the Norfolk sectors bucked the trend and showed an increased balance for future domestic orders, despite current orders showing a downturn. The domestic balances nationally are higher than those seen in 2008 and 2009 during the recession. However, they remain lower than their long-term historical averages, and far below pre-recession levels.

Firms less confident in taking on staff: The figures measuring whether firms have or are likely to take on new staff have also fallen in the last quarter. Asked whether they had taken on staff in the last few months, the balance of Norfolk manufacturing firms hiring fell very slightly by +1%. This is a much better result than the national figure which fell by +11%. The Norfolk service firms, although showing better results than national, declined by two points to +20%, similarly the national service sector balance fell by 3 points to +9%.

Companies reported cashflow problems: The service sector balances measuring cashflow (the movement of cash in an out of a business) for the UK and Norfolk remain weak, and were in negative territory. Exceeding expectations, the Norfolk manufacturers, having been in negative territory since Q1 2012, increased their balance by 16 points to +5%.

Commenting on the results, John Longworth, Director General of the BCC, said: “Economic growth is weak and businesses are less confident and less likely to invest than they were at the beginning of the year. The BCC’s survey results should be a clear signal to government that more needs to be done to stimulate growth alongside continued deficit reduction. Despite official estimates, we believe the economy is still growing, but it is slowing. We need immediate measures now to support confidence and investment, a radical long-term growth plan, and a continued commitment to deficit reduction.

Domestic austerity and the eurozone crisis have dented confidence. In addition, business concerns around access to finance are also undermining the rebalancing of the economy towards exports. Businesses need to know that the government is taking decisive action to get the economy growing. They also need advice and support to be able to grow. The BCC has proposed a Growth Voucher scheme offering 20,000 small businesses £5,000 worth of advice to jump start investment and expansion plans. We need to encourage businesses to look to new markets, develop new products and invest, by boosting confidence and creating a positive cycle of growth.

Ahead of his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor will need to consider other measures to move Britain towards a new model economy. That means implementing plans to create a British Business Bank, and far-reaching proposals to unlock infrastructure investment and special capital allowances that encourage companies to invest.”

David Kern, BCC Chief Economist, said: “The Q3 2012 results confirm that UK economic performance remains weak and inadequate. While the official ONS assessment that the UK was in technical recession for three consecutive quarters is still too gloomy in our view, it is clear that the economy has been stagnant for too long, and urgent measures are needed to enable businesses to drive a sustainable recovery. Though most key Q3 balances are weaker than in Q2, our results could still signal a return to positive GDP growth in Q3. This is because our Q2 survey pointed to a stronger economy than the ONS suggested. Also, our members’ replies have probably given a smaller weight than the ONS to temporary distortions due to the impact of the Diamond Jubilee on the number of working days. Starting from the ONS estimate that GDP fell by 0.4% in Q2 2012, we expect positive quarterly growth of 0.5% in Q3 2012.

The job of repairing Britain’s public finances will take longer to complete than initially planned. But, if the Chancellor demonstrates firm commitment to a credible fiscal plan, additional spending policies aimed at creating growth will help preserve market credibility. Overcoming the impediments dampening economic growth will be difficult and will take time, but we are confident we can get there. However, until excessive debt levels are reduced much further, businesses and consumers will have to accept a prolonged period of relatively low growth.”

Norfolk Chamber, through its linkage to the British Chambers of Commerce, is pleased to be able to offer Accredited Training Courses covering International Trade from January 2013.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is playing a leading role in the Government’s Get Britain Exporting agenda by launching a new National Trade Skills Training programme.

The ‘core 6’ course set will be accredited by the BCC and offered through the Chamber Network as a family of short courses. The courses are individually and collectively relevant to SMEs who wish to improve the skills and competence of their staff.

Candidates achieving Pass or Merit in any of the courses will receive a uniquely numbered certificate in each area. Those who pass all six courses will achieve a nationally recognised Foundation Award in International Trade.

The training programme has been developed after demand from employers for a national skills experience for their staff. By developing a national solution to the exporting skills gap, the BCC is making a vital contribution to helping the government achieve its target of creating 100,000 new exporters.

These courses are suitable for both experienced exporters and those with no previous knowledge of exporting.

The 6 course titles are:

• Understanding Exports
• Methods of Payment
• Export Documentation
• Incoterms® 2010
• Letters of Credit
• Import Procedures

Using the unique international trade experience within the chamber network, the BCC identified these six core, one day courses that businesses need to be able to start exporting. Through a steering group of Chamber experts they developed an accreditation process to give employers confidence that those attending the course have gained relevant and applicable knowledge and that their competence has been assessed and verified enabling them to boost their businesses export drive.

The courses will continue to be delivered by our trusted, accredited trainer Mike Strawson, who has been working with us for many years. Those of you who have attended our courses will know that Mike has an incredible knack of delivering the content in such a crystal clear manner, delegates walk away with a sound understanding of the subject. Mike has in fact, played an instrumental part in writing the new Accredited Courses for the BCC, and they are very similar to our existing ones.

For more information on these courses, please see our flyer or contact the International Trade Team on 01603 729712, email export@norfolkchamber.co.uK

HMRC is introducing Real Time Information (RTI) for PAYE from April 2013. The vast majority of employers are required to start submitting PAYE returns in real time in April 2013 and all employers will be routinely reporting PAYE information in real time by October 2013.

From April, PAYE returns are electronically required each time a payment is made, as part of routine payroll processes. Employers operating their own payroll will need to consider and take the appropriate action to either update their payroll software, obtain new payroll software or, where an agent or payroll bureaux is used, discuss the changes with their payroll provider. During October HMRC will be writing to all employers telling them about RTI, advising what they should be doing to get their business ready for the changes to PAYE in April 2013, and signposting HMRC guidance.

Information on these changes can be found here.

Working with partners, Norfolk County Council is seeking to progress a number of key infrastructure initiatives in 2012/13 and beyond. The attachedupdate aims to keepeveryone up to speed on progress.

Responding to Ed Miliband’s keynote speech to the Labour Party Conference in Manchester, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“Ed Miliband extended an olive branch to business by saying that Labour wants to engage with the private sector and small businesses. Many companies in the real economy will want to hear more over the coming months about Mr Miliband’s promise to support businesses focused on long-term growth.”

On banks and access to finance:

“Many businesses will sympathise with Ed Miliband’s ultimatum to the banks to reform or face regulatory action. However, there could be perverse consequences of a political witch hunt. In designing its future policies to improve access to finance, Labour must be careful not to undermine the financial services industry, which makes such a valuable contribution to our economy. Labour must also set out how it will make a British Business Bank a permanent part of our national growth strategy.”

On skills and education:

“Employers have long said that our national obsession with university leads to a blatant disregard for the majority of young people. Too often, young people come out of education without the skills required for the world of work. We need to value all types of skills equally, as they are all critical for the success of the economy. Business cannot function without the right mix of academic, technical and manual skills – they are all vital.

“Ed Miliband wants to put employers in the driving seat for training and skills. He’s right to say that giving employers greater control over training funds will deliver results. But introducing yet another overhaul of qualifications is not the answer. Businesses have a hard enough time determining the value of current qualifications. Instead, we need to focus on getting businesspeople into schools to help prepare young people for the world of work, boosting apprenticeships, bringing back enterprise education, and ensuring no one leaves the classroom without the basic skills needed to succeed in work.

“To get there, however, Labour may need to reconsider its long-held views on academic selection. The systems that work best in the rest of Europe separate academic, technical and manual schools, where they are funded and valued in equal measure. Labour must also look beyond the issue of apprenticeships in tackling problems with public procurement.”

Over 100 Norfolk businesses, large and small, came together this morning to discuss the economy from both a local and a national scale at a bustling Norfolk Chamber breakfast at Dunston Hall, sponsored by Steeles Law.

Attendees heard a presentation from John Longworth, Director General at the British Chambers of Commerce, who provided an overview of key economic issues facing businesses across the country, including the Eurozone and USA. Mr Longworth commented on the confusing economic data coming out of Government. He felt that the data was “not inaccurate but incomplete” and was causing businesses to lack confidence in investing.

He felt that access to capital remains key to economic success, as was the funding of infrastructure rail, road, aviation, energy, digital and of course skills. Mr Longworth complimented Norfolk Chamber on its campaign work and emphasised the need for the Chamber network to continue to make the business case to government and to “hold people’s feet to the fire” if they try to avoid addressing the key issues.

Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North and Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, highlighted three areas that are essential for economic growth at a local level, namely infrastructure, in particular rail, young people and export. Ms Smith emphasized the need for local businesses to work together with the Chamber to get behind the new Norfolk Rail Prospectus as there is a window of opportunity to get the business voice heard.

John and Chloe then went on to interact with several Norfolk businesses by holding a Q&A session and addressing the questions and concerns of a varied audience.

John commented “I was delighted to be speaking at the Norwich Economic Breakfast. The economic climate is of concern to businesses of all sizes, though many tell us things aren’t as gloomy as newspaper headlines suggest. I enjoy hearing from members, and will do all we can at the British Chambers of Commerce to ensure the government listens to what Norfolk businesses need to grow, and contribute to a strong economic recovery.”

Chloe commented “As a local MP and minister, economic growth for Norwich, Norfolk and the country is my top priority. I make it my business to understand business, and so I was delighted to join the Chamber for such an informative event.”

The breakfast also featured a very special guest, Nelson the Gorilla, who was there to highlight the work the Chamber is doing with the charity Break. Aiming to have 50 Gorilla sculptures around Norwich in 2013, Break have launched their ‘Go Go Gorillas’ project and are looking for the support of Norfolk businesses to sponsor a sculpture.

Nelson’s cousin, Horatio, will be being painted live at the Chamber’s forthcoming B2B Autumn 2012 event, taking place on 18 October at Norwich City Football Club, with a special guest appearance from Jake Humphries, an Ambassador of the ‘Go Go Gorillas’ project.

To view photo’s from the Norwich Economic Business Breakfast, visit the Norfolk Chambers’Facebookpage.

A survey released today by the British Chambers of Commerce reveals falling levels of trust in financial institutions among businesses. The results, comprising responses from 1,560 businesses including Norfolk show that although banks and building societies are the main source of finance for firms, half of businesses lack trust in these financial institutions. Over a third of respondents said that they trust financial institutions less than they did a year ago, and almost four in ten are not confident in securing finance.

The survey shows the following:

• Almost half (49%) of firms use banks or building societies for external finance, with only 10% using equity, and 8% using grants, venture capital, private equity, peer-to-peer lending and angel finance combined.
• 50% of firms mistrust banks and building societies; 38% of businesses trust them less than a year ago.
• Only 57% of respondents feel confident that they could secure external finance, but over a third (37%) are not confident. However 59% of firms say a government-backed business bank would make them more confident about accessing finance.
• When asked about government-backed finance schemes, 43% of businesses had not heard of any of them, with younger businesses and micro firms more likely to be unaware of them.

Commenting on the findings, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said:

“As we approach the end of the party conference season, Britain’s politicians must stop scoring points against each other and start scoring points for economic management, starting with the thorny problem of business access to finance.

“Our new research clearly identifies the scale of the problem: half the companies we surveyed mistrust banks, and levels of trust have worsened significantly over the last year. Four in ten companies are not confident that they could get external finance. And awareness and take-up of existing government support schemes, which are run through the banks, is extremely low, with the recent LIBOR and mis-selling scandals damaging confidence among businesses. While it is important to avoid stifling growth in financial services with over-regulation, the City’s primary role should be to oil the wheels of the economy, providing the patient capital businesses need to plan for the future and grow.

“Financial institutions need to rebuild trust and repair damaged relationships with businesses and improve transparency. Regulators should look to increase competition in the banking sector to ensure businesses have more choice, and the government must ensure that plans to create a British Business Bank mean more funds available to growing businesses. Six in ten companies would feel more confident in seeking finance if Britain had its own dedicated business bank.

“While it is right that the businesses consider other forms of funding, the results of this survey show that bank finance is, and will remain, the dominant source for businesses. Other BCC surveys conducted this year have shown companies’ concerns about access to working capital, and the impact of this, for example, on small businesses looking to export for the first time.

“Political leaders always seek to woo the favour of corporate Britain. But the next election will be won or lost on what happens in the real economy. Our findings suggest that the parties need to focus on access to finance for Britain’s army of small- and medium-sized companies, and particularly new and growing companies, if they are to win the votes of Britain’s wealth creators, and the people who work in business, in years to come.”

Targeting the Australian market? Australia offers opportunities for new overseas suppliers because it depends on a wide range of imported industrial and consumer products. The market is also very open to overseas suppliers – there are no import quotas and most import duties are 5 per cent (general rate), and zero for eligible developing countries.

Take a look at a guidecovering the Australian market, which outlines the key factors that must be considered by potential overseas suppliers if they are to take advantage of the opportunities in this competitive market.