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• Retail sales volumes for July 2013: up 1.1% on the month; up 3.0% on the year
• There was strong growth in supermarket sales, boosted by the sunny weather
• The share of internet sales within total sales continues to increase

Commenting on the retail sales figures for July 2013, published today by the ONS, David Kern, Chief Economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said:

“We are now seeing a clear upward trend in retail sales, and these figures suggest that the pace of GDP growth in the third quarter will continue at a modest pace. Some commentators have suggested that strong retail sales, while other areas of the economy remain weak, will lead to an unbalanced economic structure. We don’t share these concerns, as although we would like to see more growth coming from investment and net trade, it is better to rely initially on domestic demand than to have no growth at all. And while net exports are not as strong as we would like, there is an improvement – a point that many commentators ignore. To maintain business confidence we should focus on the positive features of our economy. In addition, increasing the flow of credit to growing businesses and keeping inflation low will help to gradually rebalance the economy.”

Read updates issued by the Export Control Organisation including details about imposition of arms embargoes, Open General Export Licence amendments or announcements about Control List changes.

Notice to Exporters 2013/21 The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has decided to grant an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) in support of the Joint Strike Fighter project (JSF, also known as F-35 or Lightning II). The Export Control Organisation is finalising the draft of this OGEL. We expect to publish it by the middle of October.

Norwich City Council is currently holding a consultation on their draft Economic strategy for the Norwich urban area, which looks towards the next five years (2013-18).

Essentially, the strategy will provide strategic guidance and sets out how Norwich City Council, working with the business community and with our local partners, will focus activity and resources to stimulate economic activity and jobs growth.

This consultation period runs until Tuesday 3 September 2013, so you only have 1 week left to submit your views. To have your say and to view the full draft Economic strategy 2013-18 click here.

Broadland District Council is now consulting on its ‘preferred options’ in terms of sites for future development across the district. The consultation will help the Council to produce a Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) which will identify or ‘allocate’ areas of land for specific types of development, such as housing, employment, community facilities etc. It will also include the definition of development boundaries or settlement limits for those places where some further ‘infill’ development may take place. To find out more and to submit your views online, click here. The consultation period will close on 2 September 2013.

At a recent meeting of the Norfolk Chamber’s Planning & Development Group, a discussion was held with Norfolk’s local authorities and New Anglia LEP, on how to better promote Norfolk to developers and inward investors from both within the UK and overseas. Recent improvements to infrastructure such as the A11 and the real signs of recovery in the economy, make now the ideal time to undertake a coordinated marketing campaign to really promote and push the benefits of the region.

Existing initiatives such as the East of England Energy Zone; Norwich Research Park; to name but a few are starting to gather momentum. There is also the exciting prospect of a City Deal for Norwich. Norfolk is also leading the way on a low carbon economy, being an energy exporter as well as being a key player in the future delivery of offshore renewables. Norfolk and Norwich also has some fantastic cultural offerings, such as the Norfolk & Norwich Festival, the historic city centre and the Norfolk Broads. Norwich has a strong retail centre, not only providing for the needs of the city, but also providing an attractive shopping destination for visitors from further afield.

Unlike Manchester and Birmingham, who have successfully marketed themselves and their outlying locales on the national and international stages, Norfolk does do not have just one central focal point – we need to be a lot more visible as a county. The region needs to have a strong Brand that everybody of all ages can get behind and believe. Each of the local authorities currently has a very restricted budget for economic development and it is therefore essential that the region gets the best value for money out of these resources. Norfolk has a lot to offer and we need to have a united, credible message to do this.

The group went on to discuss what that Brand should be. Does Norfolk have a large enough offering on its own or should the Brand be across both Norfolk and Suffolk, thereby widening the opportunities? If this approach was used, then ‘New Anglia’ could be the Brand – however it was felt that this would need a very clear marketing message to ensure the Brand was recognisable.

The group also acknowledged the need to ensure that existing Norfolk based businesses were fully supported by a robust customer care programme. The existing business community is just as important to the economic growth of Norfolk, as attracting new inward investment.

An opportunity for Norfolk to put itself on the map, would be to attend a large international trade fair/exhibition i.e. MIPIM, which is an annual property exhibition that is held every year in Cannes and attracts worldwide interest from developers and investors. All of the main cities in the UK have stands such as London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Derby, Bristol and the North East to promote themselves. Over the years these have changed from individual city stands to being more coordinated approaches from regions, often promoted by the LEP supported by local businesses.

The whole of the Eastern Region is currently not visible in this arena, meaning that either international investors are either not aware of the opportunities in the region, or potentially worse, they invest in another region in the UK. Costs for an individual company or organisation to take a stand at one of these events can often be high, so a joint stand approach between Norfolk, Suffolk and even potentially Cambridge could be a more viable option. A logical facilitator for this could be the New Anglia LEP, who has the cross-county reach and may have access to possible funding for such a project.

Jonathan Cage, chair of the Planning & Development Group said “Norfolk needs to be ready to take advantage of any and all opportunities. A unified approach across the county would help put Norfolk on the map and give potential investors confidence to bring their business to Norfolk, targeting an event such as MIPIM would give the region something to go for and would pull together public and private sector expertise and resources to really put the County on the global map.”

Norfolk County Council has launched a Budget Simulator to assist them to tackle the three-year funding gap of £182m and try to balance the 2014/15 budget whilst still protecting key services.

Any Norfolk resident can take up the challenge using the council’s online Budget Simulator that has been launched ahead of the Council’s formal budget consultation that will begin later in September. The Simulator is intended to give people an understanding of the challenges facing the County Council.

The Simulator’s starting point is that if Norfolk County Council continues to spend the same amount on services as it does now, there would be a £73m shortfall (8.8%) next year (2014/15)*, part of a £182m funding gap over the next three years. This is because of cuts in Government funding, increased costs and higher service demand.

The Simulator presents six service area themes: Adult Social Care, Environment, Transport & Development, Cultural Services, Organisational Services, Children’s Services and Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service. Within these themes are a number of services where the budget can be cut, kept the same, or increased – but the overall spend has to be reduced by 8.8%. Once the budget has been balanced, the Simulator provides a glimpse of possible service consequences that could flow from the decisions that have been taken.

Steve Morphew, Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Personnel, said: “The tough decisions are impossible to avoid with funding cuts on this scale. We have to get our house in order to make sure we are getting the best for the people of our county and spending the reduced amounts wisely, but there is no escaping the fact that the prospects for the next three years are grim.

“We can’t hope to please all of the people all of the time. The only way we can hope to reflect the needs and priorities for our communities is to engage in an informed debate with as many people as possible – not just those whose voices are always heard and sometimes drown out those who can’t shout as loud.

“We hope the Simulator will be an easier way to get an understanding of what gets spent and how spending different proportions on different priorities affects the overall budget. It is intended to help individuals and organisations get ready for the consultation that starts later this month.

“The council budget can be sprawling, detailed and complex. Instead of using that as an excuse we are trying to find ways of helping people understand and get involved in deciding spending priorities. We are launching this under the banner ‘Norfolk – Putting People First’ so our first job is to make sure people can be heard.”

Click here to go to the Budget Simulator Challenge

Notice is hereby given that the 117th Annual General Meeting of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce & Industry will be held at the Norwich City Football Club, Carrow Road, Norwich on Friday 11th October 2013. Registration will be at 9:30am, for meeting commencement at 9:45am. Please see attached all papers relevant to the meeting.

• Notice of Meeting & Agenda
• 2012/13 Final Accounts
• Proxy Form

Commenting on the publication of an independent review of infrastructure by Sir John Armitt, chairman of the Olympic Development Authority, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber, said:

“Infrastructure allows Norfolk business to function. Yet for too many decades, we’ve seen plan after plan, strategy after strategy – but little delivery on the ground.

“Sir John Armitt is one of the few people in Britain who knows what it really takes to deliver a major project, and his new report sets out some welcome ideas on how to break our infrastructure logjam.

“An independent infrastructure commission could help end what we call ‘Stop-Start’ Britain, and promote greater business investment. Our infrastructure needs, from roads to rails to airports to major energy projects, should be assessed by real experts. Politicians should be in the hot seat to deliver infrastructure projects, rather than just debating it endlessly.”