The Great Eastern Rail Campaign aims to deliver better, faster trains for Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex, with the goal of achieving Norwich in 90 minutes, Ipswich in 60, Colchester in 40 minutes and Chelmsford in 25 minutes.
As well as a faster and more reliable service the campaign is also aiming for a greater capacity to reduce over-crowding, significant investment in track infrastructure and a better travelling experience.
The Great Eastern Rail Taskforce is due to report back to the Government in November 2014, therefore the Norfolk Chamber has a four-month window of opportunity to champion the case for greater investment in our region’s main railway line and a real chance to influence Government and get results. We are surveying Norfolk businesses in advance of this report submission so that Chamber member’s views are included.
This survey will take no longer than two minutes to complete and your views are important! Click HERE to complete the survey.
Taking Part in Cromer Academy’s three day event “Broadening Horizons’, Chris Perry from the Norfolk Chamber spoke to a hundred your 10 students to explain what Apprenticeships really are and why they are a real alternative to traditional pathways.
With speakers from colleges, local training providers and Universities, the three day event has been organised with Careers advisor Melinda O’Connor to inspire the year 10’s to think out of the box and be proactive in planning for their future. The day was aimed at giving them all the current options available in the Norfolk region as well as the alternatives to the traditional progression pathways of university.
Chris Perry comments “It’s fantastic that Melinda and Cromer Academy are being really proactive in giving their young people all the options and encouraging thinking differently when it comes to planning their futures. This approach is vastly needed in the region and i hope that many other schools take up the challenge to invest in promoting a level playing field when it comes to giving carers advice.
With lots of young people in Norfolk there is still the perception that becoming a graduate is the only route to getting a good career and being successful. Apprenticeships for the vast majority are a 2nd choice , a fallback plan, which means that they are somehow the lesser option or worse still, that they are not even thought of as an option at all. Many still feel that apprenticeships are an option if you want to be in a physical trade such as plumbing or motor mechanics but that could not be farther from the truth. Last year, out of the 7000+ apprenticeship positions available, less than 15% where in hands on trade sectors but a whopping 75% where in the professional sectors such a Law, marketing, business admin and even enterprise. This shows that the options are endless and now more than ever businesses are prefereing to use apprenticeships to recruit young people ages 16-24.
Rail passengers and businesses across Norfolk Suffolk and Essex, are today being urged to join the campaign calling on Government for greater investment in the Great Eastern Main Line.
New Anglia LEP, the region’s MPs, Chambers of Commerce, business and rail leaders are heading a Taskforce calling for a faster, more reliable service on the London to Norwich line including:
Significant investment in track infrastructure
Better trains and a higher quality travelling experience
Greater capacity with more seats and more carriages
The overall goal is to achieve London to Norwich in 90, Ipswich in 60, Colchester in 40 and Chelmsford in 25 minutes.
The Taskforce will report to Government in November, making the strong economic case for investment in the line. With support for the campaign gaining momentum across the region, today the Great Eastern Rail Campaign is launched, calling on commuters, businesses and all rail users to get behind the cause and sign up to register their support via the new websiteand follow the campaign on twitter with #gerailcampaign.
The campaign is already ‘backed by business’ with Norfolk Chamber members already signed up in support. These include leading businesses such as Aviva; John Lewis, Norwich; Caterham Technology; First Bus Eastern Counties; Broadland Wineries; Thermaglow and many others, as well as local authorities and businesses from Suffolk and Essex.
Mark Pendlington, chairman of New Anglia LEP and co-chairman of the Great Eastern Main Line Rail Taskforce, said: “Today is a rallying call for all those who want a better rail service across Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. For too long East Anglia has suffered from under investment in our rail network. Let’s make our voice heard loud and clear to influence Government and get the rail service the three counties need and deserve.”
“The Great Eastern Main Line is fundamental to the region’s future growth. A better, faster service will provide vital employment opportunities for commuters, attract further inward investment, making this a much more accessible and mobile economy where it’s easier for us to do business, and boost tourism by ensuring more tourists can visit and spend their money in the local economy.”
“The Government is committed to improving train links across the UK. We need to show them how vital rail investment is for our region. The people of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex can help us do that by signing up to our campaign today.”
Independent research suggests that significant enhancements to capacity, line speed and service quality on the GEML would bring an economic benefit of around £3.4 billion to the region.*
Jonathan Cage, Managing Director of Create Consulting Engineers and Vice President of Norfolk Chamber said: “I am fully in support of the Great Eastern Rail Campaign, investment is well overdue in the Eastern region in both rail infrastructure and rolling stock. The franchise operators do their best with aged trains, carriages and infrastructure giving them a clean and a paint every few years. However what they can’t do with paint is to increase the speed, frequency and general reliability. This needs significant investment both by the DfT and Railtrack.
Many businesses operating in today’s economic climate aim to be sustainable. They need to maximise the use of trains for long distance business journeys. It is therefore essential that trains compete with the car on price, speed and reliability. To achieve this it is imperative that we achieve the goals being set by the Great Eastern Rail Campaign.”
Today (Friday July 25th) the Taskforce is meeting in Ipswich to update stakeholders on their progress. This is the second of three wider stakeholder meetings to be held in each county prior to the November deadline. Following the meeting the Taskforce will then go to Ipswich station to hear from Abellio Greater Anglia on the progress they are making on updating and refurbishing trains with a viewing of a pilot up-graded commuter train used on the line between London, Chelmsford, Colchester and Clacton.
Key Facts
East Anglia’s trains are some of the oldest on the network – the average age is 25.5 years
By 2026 there will be an estimated additional 4,000 rail trips in the morning peak period on the GEML
30 million passenger journeys are made annually on the Great Eastern Main Line and over 11,000 services operate every 4 weeks (excluding Metro services south of Shenfield)
Investment in the GEML will generate £3.4 billion in transport-related economic impacts and a further £280 million in wider impacts within the East of England*
*Figures from Atkins – design, engineering and project management consultancy – Great Eastern Main Line Study; The Economic Case for Investment on the Great Eastern Main Line 2010
The latest GDP figures for Quarter 2 (2014) are released today, Friday 25 July and have highlighted the following key findings:
GDP growth in Q2 2014 was 0.8%, the same increase as in Q1
The level of GDP in Q2 2014 was 0.2% higher than its previous peak in Q1 2008
Year-on-year increase in Q2 2014 was 3.1%, marginally higher than in Q1
The service sector led the recovery with quarterly growth of 1.0%
Manufacturing output rose by 0.2% in Q2 2014, while construction recorded a fall of 0.5%
Commenting on the preliminary GDP estimate for Q2 2014, published today by the ONS, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said: “The fact that Britain’s economy is now bigger than it was in 2008 is great news, and will provide a shot in the arm for businesses and consumers alike. Yet even though we’re one of the fastest-growing developed economies, there’s no room for complacency. Without sustained action, these growth figures could be ‘as good as it gets’ for the UK. The government and the Bank of England must pull out all the stops to encourage business investment, help exporters and get finance flowing to growing firms who still aren’t seen as a safe bet by the banks. Above all, interest rates need to stay low for as long as possible, and rise slowly and predictably when they do go up – to avoid undermining the solid business confidence that’s driving the growth we’re seeing in businesses across Britain.”
Caroline Williams, Chief Executive, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:The British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) also recently highlighted that business confidence in Norfolk and across the East of England continues to grow. Many businesses reported strengthening order books for both UK and overseas sales. With increased certainty surrounding the local economy, businesses feel able to invest in staff, plant and machinery. However there is still room to grow, as the number of organisations operating at full capacity remains low. Inflation remains a concern for all sectors, as is does the difficulties in recruiting staff.
The vitality of the Norwich retail sector continues and unemployment figures across the region fell, with Great Yarmouth reporting JSA Claimants at their lowest levels since 2005. With an upward trending local economy and continued business confidence, the future looks positive for Norfolk and the East of England.”
Manufacturing figures for domestic and export sales and orders improved
Service sector figures from domestic and export sales and order also increased
Both sectors reported improved confidence in profitability and cashflow balances strengthened
Both sectors indicated their intention to recruit in the next 3 months
Manufacturers operating at full capacity dipped considerably from 31% to 17%. Similarly the service sector reported a reduction in those operating at full capacity from 43% to 39%.
Concern regarding interest rates was noted by both the Norfolk service sector and manufacturers. This was also reflected at a regional and national level.
A Technical Consultation on Planning has been issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). The consultation document presents a number of proposals for how Government wants to improve the planning system, to make it more responsive, more straight forward and less confusing.
Changes proposed include:
Neighbourhood Planning – to make it easier for residents and businesses to come together to produce Neighbourhood Plans and Neighbourhood Development Orders – by limiting the time a Local Planning Authority has to respond to an application for a Neighbourhood Plan and changing requirements for consultation;
Reducing red tape and regulations – to support housing, high streets and growth – by expanding permitted development rights to enable new homes to be created from light industrial, warehouse and office buildings and buildings in other uses; to allow more dwelling extensions without the need to apply for planning permission; to allow greater flexibility to change shops to finance and professional service premises and vice versa; to allow retail units to expand without planning permission; and to provide more flexibility for leisure uses in the high street etc;
Improving the use of planning conditions – to enable development to start more quickly – by deeming the discharge of certain conditions where a LPA does not make a timely decision on applications to discharge; and for LPAs to justify the use of pre-commencement conditions;
Planning Application processes – to improve speed and responsiveness – by changing thresholds whereby statutory consultees are notified; and a change to ensure that rail infrastructure managers are consulted where development is proposed close to operational railway land;
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Thresholds – to reduce the number of projects ‘caught’ by EIA – by raising the thresholds whereby EIA screening requests are required; and
Nationally Significant Infrastructure Planning Regime – to enable the system to work more effectively – by increasing the flexibility within Development Consent Orders.
Comments on the proposed changes must be made to the DCLG before 26 September 2014.
Penny Mordaunt – Parliamentary Under Secretary for Communities and Local Government today visited Great Yarmouth’s Town Centre and was accompanied by a delegation from local businesses including the Chairman of Palmers David Howard, Jonathon Newman, the Great Yarmouth Town Centre and Bid Manager, Brandon Lewis – Great Yarmouth MP and Andy Penman representing the Great Yarmouth Chamber Council.
The tour of the inner town involved a walk through the main thoroughfares; a trip around the busy market place; through Market Gates Shopping Centre; onto Queens street and finished at the Mercury Newspaper headquarters. The discussions focussed on the hard work of each of the local stakeholders – work that is desperately needed to regenerate Great Yarmouth Town Centre and to bring economic growth to the town.
Norfolk Chamber staff have all signed up to the Great Eastern Rail Campaign. The campaign is calling for a faster, more reliable service on the London to Norwich line including:
Significant investment in track infrastructure
Better trains and a higher quality travelling experience
Greater capacity with more seats and more carriages
The overall goal is to achieve London to Norwich in 90, Ipswich in 60, Colchester in 40 and Chelmsford in 25 minutes.
Commenting on today’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) interest rate decision, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“The MPC made the right decision to keep interest rates and quantitative easing on hold. Norfolk’s economic recovery remains on track but is still facing challenges and this is not the time to put it at risk with premature rate increases. The current calls for higher rates, particularly while wage pressures are still weak, are unjustified. Official figures show that a large number of people are working part time because they are unable to find a full time job – refuting the view that there is no spare capacity in the economy.
“The rise in sterling over the past year has put pressure on UK and Norfolk exporters, and is equivalent to a tightening in monetary policy. This strengthens the case against premature on interest rate rises. To sustain business confidence, the MPC must deliver a clear and consistent message on the future path of interest rates.”
BCC publishes the results of its international trade survey highlighting the untapped potential of service sector exporters in rebalancing the UK economy
The BCC calls for action to tackle language, regulatory and funding barriers to encourage potential exporters to take their first step towards doing business overseas
Caroline Williams: ‘We need to turn this untapped export potential into reality and help drive the Norfolk economy.’
Overview
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is releasing further results from a major international trade survey, which highlights the untapped potential of businesses within the service sector to rebalance the economy towards exports.
The results, collated from more than 1,565 service sector firms within the UK, show that 18% of service sector companies are on the verge of exporting. The service sector is performing well and growing, and provides huge opportunities for export growth. But the BCC is calling for more to be done to support potential exporters in taking that first step, as this could go a long way towards eliminating the UK’s trade deficit by 2020 – an ambition shared by the BCC.
Barriers and calls to action
Reflecting on their experience of exporting for the first time, service sector firms identify the biggest barriers to entering new markets. These barriers must be addressed if we are to support those firms who are on the verge of exporting in taking that initial first step:
Barrier: Excessive overseas regulation was the largest barrier to trading internationally identified by almost one third of service sector exporters (32%). Call to action: The Chamber is calling for a reduction in red tape, including the completion of the EU Single Market in services.
Barrier: One quarter of service sector exporters (26%) reported that language and cultural differences are a barrier to exporting Call to action: The Chamber is calling for foreign language learning to be made compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16 to help entrepreneurs become more globally minded.
Barrier: Exporting firms also identified a lack of funding (24%) as a barrier towards exporting for the first time. Call to action: The UK should be matching the efforts of countries like Germany that invests much more in its bilateral Chamber Network. Furthermore, the UK banking sector could and should do more to provide businesses with the working capital they need to fund exports.
Additional findings from within the survey:
Untapped export potential and barriers facing UK service firms
Of the service sector firms surveyed, 23% are currently exporting. This is only one percent higher than in 2013.
An additional 18% of service sector companies (almost one in five) are on the verge of exporting – the same figure as last year.
More service sector exporters need to target emerging markets
Europe (81%), Asia including the Middle East (54%) and the Americas (48%) remain the largest target markets for service sector exporters.
The BCC is encouraging more service sector firms to look beyond traditional markets for export opportunities. Africa for example has been identified by the IMF as having one of the largest GDP growth prospects, with an increased demand for services in countries such as Nigeria.
Encouragingly, 32% of exporters are already trading with Africa but there is the potential for this figure to become even higher.
Professional services are leading the way
Professional services (35%) have the largest share of service exports, followed by financial and business services (25%).
Education and training contributes 22% of service exports and IT and communication services account for 20%.
Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said: “Norfolk exporters have consistently be growing their businesses and the Norfolk Chamber has consistently beaten its own international business plan targets through their activity. During the down turn many owner managers did not have the time resource to look at trading internationally but now we have noticed a considerable increase in enquires for countries across the globe. During the Autumn we will be holding specific events for business looking to start exporting as it is a great way to grow a business.”
Commenting on the findings, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said:
“The services sector could hold the key to unleashing the export potential of the UK – with its large trade surplus playing a significant role in offsetting the UK’s goods trade deficit, totaling more than £100bn. This proves that the sector is strong, but if we can convert the remaining untapped export potential into a reality, it could go a long way towards eliminating the UK’s trade deficit by 2020 – an ambition shared by the British Chambers of Commerce.
“We need a culture change in the UK when it comes to international trade. This means more investment, stronger language skills and a global mindset instilled in people from a much younger age. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be matching the level of export support provided by our major international competitors, like Germany, which spends ten times more on its bilateral Chamber Network than the UK. Having places to go and people to meet in market when business people step off the plane is key to helping make these connections, and selling goods and services into fast-growing global markets.
“The results also highlight that a shortage of relevant skills is undermining the UK’s export performance. To nurture the next generation of exporters we need to encourage young people to gain experience in international trade, by offering them a range of vocational subjects, such as foreign languages, that prepare them for the wide-range of opportunities available in today’s globalised world.
“Only a collaborative approach from the government, Chambers of Commerce and business groups in the UK and overseas and the private sector, will reduce the barriers to international trade – and make significant headway towards rebalancing the UK economy in the long-term.”
Great Yarmouth Borough Council are running a 12-week public consultation from Monday 28 July 2014 to Monday, October 20, 2014, covering the vision for the borough, how the borough council will work in the future, and proposed income and savings options for 2015/16.
During the 12 weeks, you will be able to complete and submit the consultation online. The consultation allows everyone in the borough to give feedback on the proposals and to share their own priorities, aspirations, views and ideas to help councillors make informed decisions on future plans and council budgets.
A new study has shown that there is a strong economic case for an east-west rail link that would open up the possibility of new journeys from Norfolk to the Midlands and beyond, without the need for passengers to make their way across London.
The East West Rail Consortium has published a report showing that extending the East West Rail line from Oxford to Cambridge has real potential. It shows that the delivery of attractive new rail services between key locations could deliver substantial economic benefits and support significant growth in the East West Rail corridor.
The report concludes a study by Atkins Consultants and is the first step towards developing an outline business case for the East West Rail ‘Central Section’. The Western Section, between Oxford, Bedford and Milton Keynes is already going ahead**.
Working closely with the East West Rail Consortium and Department for Transport, Network Rail will now lead the next phase of work which will examine the feasibility and cost of several potential route options for the Central Section. That work is expected to identify a preferred route and service pattern in early 2015 and provide the basis for the development of an outline business case.
All the route options would link to Cambridge, opening up the possibility that the line, if constructed, would provide rail journeys from Norfolk to hard to get to destinations in the south Midlands such as (depending upon the final route) Luton, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford, and onward journeys to south-west England and south Wales – and without the need to cross London between rail terminals.
The aim of the next phase of work is to establish a scheme with a robust and convincing business case that can be submitted to Government in 2016 to secure inclusion of the scheme, subject to funding availability, in the 2019-24 investment plans for the rail industry.
It has been a long term aim of the East West Rail Consortium to improve rail connections within the region by re-instating the former ‘Varsity Line’ between Cambridge and Oxford. This would provide the rail infrastructure for train services to run from East Anglia to Oxfordshire and beyond, with connections to all national mainline services to the north, west and south of England.
Bev Spratt, Chairman of Norfolk County Council’s Economic Development Sub-Committee, said: “Improving rail infrastructure is vital for the Norfolk economy, and new east-west rail connections to Oxford and beyond would complement the road improvements underway on the A11, that are planned for the A14, and that we are pressing for on the A47.
“There’s no doubt that improving Norfolk’s strategic links to the rest of the country will strengthen the world-class industries we already have, and make the county even more attractive for further inward investment.”
Bob Menzies, Service Director for Strategy and Development at Cambridgeshire County Council and Chair of the East West Rail Central Section Steering Group, said: “Now that the Western Section between Oxford, Bedford and Milton Keynes is going ahead, we are working to develop the business case for the Central Section to complete the missing link. To do this, we need to identify a route that will deliver the greatest benefits to support the case for investment.
“The good news is that this study shows there is significant economic growth potential that could be unlocked through new rail services and that the Government is providing funds for Network Rail to undertake the next vital phase of feasibility work to identify a preferred route.
“The former line between Bedford and Cambridge has been dismantled, the land sold and sections used for other purposes, including housing. This means that we are looking at constructing a brand new stretch of railway. Several routes have been considered in the past but until now there has not been clear justification for investment.
“This is why we commissioned Atkins to identify where the greatest economic benefits could be realised through improved transport links. The study considers forecast population growth, employment levels, economic activity and planned growth as well as a review of existing and forecast transport requirements.”
Dr Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge and Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for East West Rail said: “There’s no doubt that we need this railway – linking Norwich and Ipswich through Cambridge to Oxford and Reading has huge benefits; that’s why I’ve pressed for it for years. But the route is hard to find, and people have quite rightly been asking which route would be taken, how much it will cost and when it will finally happen – this study helps us to answer those concerns. I am delighted that Network Rail will now take forward the next phase of route design and produce a business case.”
Bank of England raises 2014 growth forecast to 3.5%, up from 3.4% in May
Inflation will remain slightly below its 2.0% target over the next two years
Amount of slack in the economy is now estimated at 1% of GDP, below previous estimate of 1.25%
Commenting on the Bank of England’s Quarterly Inflation Report, David Kern, Chief Economist at the BCC, said:
“The Bank of England’s Inflation Report conveys mixed messages on the outlook for interest rates. The higher growth forecast for 2014 and the lower estimate for the amount of slack in the economy may be seen as a signal to bring forward interest rate rises. However, Governor Carney’s comments will reassure businesses that the MPC will not rush any increases in rates. He also acknowledged that the rising supply of labour in the economy may provide new sources of economic capacity.
“It is pleasing that the MPC has reaffirmed its commitment that when rates start to rise, they will do so slowly and not reach the level seen before the recession. We must nurture the business confidence we are seeing at present by giving businesses the security of working in a low interest rate environment for the foreseeable future.”
