We welcome local businesses within the Norfolk area to ur FREE breakfast business networking here at the Norwich Electric Forecourt® in Postwick, Broadland Gate, Norwich NR13 5HB.
Hosting at the Electric Forecourt® is a great prospect to network with other local businesses building your portfolio and increasing relationships locally over coffee and a pastry at a world class location.
The GRIDSERVE team will introduce you to the forecourt and explore what we have available for you and your business, along with the option of an exclusive tour of the site and an opportunity to test drive any of the various different electric vehicles.
We have the pleasure of our guest speaker Caroline Ellis from the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce talking about two great programmes on offer Co.next and Co.Solo
Co.next is about empowering, engaging and encouraging young professionals and Co.Solo a new community of Freelancers, Sole traders and Independent Professionals.
Networking is a huge focus to the business events, therefore we provide plenty of time and opportunity to build on creating new business relationships for all businesses in attendance.
If you are interested in sponsoring one of our business events or being a guest speaker – Please do reach out to amanda.armitage@gridserve.com
T&Cs
Photography will be in place, please do advise if you would prefer not to be included in any social media posts.
Last week, the House of Lords voted again on the Government’s proposed changes to civil liability for employers who breach health and safety legislation.
The Lords had previously voted against Clause 62 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, removing civil liability for such breaches but that was overturned in the Commons, and the matter was returned for further consideration by the Lords earlier this week.
The ‘controversial change’ (not much in real life in our opinion) will see an amendment to s47 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, removing the existing right of an employee to rely on a breach of health and safety legislation, in order to obtain compensation.
The current law provides that where statutory health & safety regulations are not complied with leading to injury or damage, the claimant can seek compensation on the basis of the employer’s breach of those regulations. The changes mean that it will only be possible to claim compensation for accidents which would currently constitute a breach of health and safety regulations where it can be proved by the claimant that the employer has been negligent at common law.
The proposals stem from Professor Lofstedt’s report, “Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent Review of health and safety legislation” which recommended an overhaul to the regulatory system, including the reduction of (perceived) red tape & the review of strict liability for civil actions.
However, in his progress report published earlier this year, the Government’s approach to civil liability is “more far reaching” than Professor Lofstedt anticipated. Suggestions have also been made that this change will place a heavy reliance on the Health & Safety Executive to ensure compliance, particularly given recent funding cuts (about 35%).
However, those in favour of the change argue that it is not justifiable to hold employers’ liable for incidents outside of their control, which could not reasonably have been prevented and that the change is required to address a perceived and growing “compensation culture”. The Government’s view is that fear of civil suits is causing employers to over implement health & safety requirements and to insist on unnecessarily cautious work practices, both of which are increasing costs and reducing business growth, and stopping people from doing things sensibly- hiring an expensive work platform – when a bit of planning, a well maintained ladder and 2 competent members of staff could have done the job
Concerns have been raised about the impact that the removal of civil liability for health & safety breaches will have on injured parties.
At present, an employer can often defend a civil claim for breach of health & safety regulations on the basis that it has taken all reasonably practicable steps to comply with its duties. There are a few limited circumstances where strict liability applies, allowing an employer no defence if a breach of the relevant regulation is established.
For example The requirements of the Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (to thoroughly examine lifts/ lifting gear) & the requirement for a Written Scheme of Examination under the Pressure systems (Safety) Regulations 2000 are examples of strict liability, many other requirements have the caveat so far as is reasonably practicable’ which gives business the opportunity to devise a cost/ benefit solution but is obviously open to (mis)interpretation and over zealous enforcement/ action
During the Lords’ debate, the Government argued that the cases that will be most significantly affected by this change are “those which would have previously relied on an absolute or strict liability duty”. This argument appears to be based on the assumption that the issues and evidence to be considered for a claim in negligence will still be broadly the same as those which currently apply in relation to claims brought for a breach of statutory duty where the “reasonably practicable” defence is available, and that therefore the change will not place any greater burden on claimants than they currently face.
However, the removal of strict liability would seem to move the risk of injury through simple misfortune from the employer to the employee, and seems to be a step away from the “no fault” approach to compensation which some have argued for. The Lords’ vote means Clause 62 will be included as part of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill when the bill receives royal assent.
Britain is getting greener. The drip feed of climate change news stories, new-look rubbish dumps and colour-coded bins filling our front gardens has paid off and the amount of rubbish recycled or thrown away by the British has fallen by 15% over the last six years. Recycling has made a big impact, with around half our household waste now recycled. However, there’s also been an overall reduction in the amount of household waste produced, falling in by as much as 7% in some places. Some of this is down to the recession – people spending less equates to less packaging; a stagnant housing market means less moves and fewer attics, cellars and sheds to be cleared. However, one of the most striking trends is the decline in the amount of newspaper being recycled and this correlates directly to the 28% fall in the circulation of British national dailies as we increasingly turn to digital sources for our news. In fact, the latest Reuters Institute Digital Report shows that smartphones now play a big role in news consumption with 28% of their survey sample accessing news via their mobile each week in the UK.
Good New for the Environment? Good news for the environment then? Possibly, but the perception that digital news is somehow ‘carbon light’ compared with newspaper products is wrong. The Guardian has taken the bold step of publishing the carbon footprint for its entire digital media operations and estimates that for providing content for www.guardian.co.uk and www.guardiannews.com this was about 10,000 tonnes of CO2e last year. This is around a third of the company’s current overall carbon footprint and about the same as the carbon emissions of Luxemburg!
Behind this ‘big number’ is the Guardian’s willingness to try and get under the skin of the complexity of the internet and attribute realistic power consumption and CO2e figures to each leg of the ‘news pixel’s’ journey – from the device you read the news on, across the network, to the various datacentres and servers they control around the world and back again. Most revealing is the fact that the vast majority of the energy consumed is by customer devices – Wi-Fi hubs, modems, laps tops and smart phones account for about 86% of the footprint, while the data centres that support them account for single digit percentage points of power usage.
The Guardian covers its report with caveats around the estimates and informed guesses it has had to make about these emissions, however the holistic view of the energy consumed by a pixel of news from the journalist’s typing fingers to the reader does reveal that behind the shift from paper-based news to digital news is an equally important shift in energy consumption from the producer to the consumer.
Enjoy a day out on the 18-hole championship course in the knowledge that each shot you take is helping to improve the lives of those affected by cancer locally.
The day will start with sausage sandwiches and coffee before heading out on to the beautifully kept course for your team’s round. You’ll then head back to the hotel for a two course meal and prize giving.
You will be able to track your scores electronically and keep an eye on your teams ranking, with Golf Genius.
Team entry is £240 and can be purchased below, we will then be in touch with further information about the day.
Our 2023 Golf Day is kindly sponsored by Artisan Drinks Co. Founder Steve Cooper said “Artisan Drinks are delighted to be partnering Big C in their first ever Suffolk golf day, a local charity close to our hearts that provides cancer support and information to those with a cancer diagnosis and their families helping communities across East Anglia.”
“To create a truly sustainable economy, growth needs to be linked to positive impacts upon the environment and resources used, not only effectively but also intelligently” This statement from the New Anglia LEP Green Economy Pathfinder manifesto is difficult to argue with it.
So why in the past has adopting sustainable business practices so often been viewed as a ‘nice to have’ or an ‘ideology’. In 2013 this simply is not the case. Sustainability is now seen as an efficiency driver, especially when expertise is effectively shared and businesses collaborate. What is clear, is that if you want to save money and be more competitive, you have to engage with sustainability.
An effective transition to a sustainable economy will also boost economic recovery, create jobs, increase resource security and help make Norfolk more globally competitive. Significant population growth, greater resource constraints and other global mega-trends are challenging business models throughout the economy. The businesses that prepare for these events through innovation, communication and engagement will be the winners of the future.
The New Anglia Green Pathfinder report, relating to business resource efficiency, identified that low-cost and no-cost resource efficiency opportunities could generate savings of around £1.6bn in the New Anglia LEP area alone. So if you are a business who feels that you are missing out, how do you get involved?
As when looking at any business practice you can take advantage of the knowledge of businesses that have already taken up the challenge and can demonstrate that it has made a difference to their bottom line. For instance, local company Bernard Matthews and a keynote speaker at our sustainability conference next week is fast becoming one of the UK’s leading energy neutral businesses thanks to a broad range of green initiatives. Local companies Greenright Homes and Muntons have both delivered real returns from embracing new technologies.
The government has recognized the need to support businesses in this area and there are currently opportunities to secure loans and grants to assist your businesses embrace new low carbon technologies.
There is no doubt that sustainability is a key factor in running a successful business. Business leaders that rise to the challenge and lead the way in the development of low-carbon goods and services will help define the future success of the UK economy.
Norfolk has some of the UK’s most dynamic, innovative and sustainable businesses which are leading the way and it is important that all businesses review how they can embrace this agenda.
I believe Mark Pendlington Group Director Anglian Water Group, who is also presenting at our sustainability conference on 9 May , sums it up well “Business leaders that rise to the challenge and lead the way in the development of low-carbon goods and services will help define the future success of the UK economy.”
In these challenging economic times being resource efficient becomes increasingly important and so I would encourage all businesses to find out more, as being sustainable could really help your bottom line.
We will be hosting a fundraising event for the SOS Bus on Wednesday 13th November at 6:30pm. Simply RSVP at info@sosbus.co.uk As part of Putt Putt Social’s Corporate Social Responsibility we are proud to announce our support of the SOS Bus during the coming festive season. From November through until January 2025 our customers can show their support for the SOS Bus when popping into our venue by simply tossing a coin into one of our ponds or popping a penny into any of the collection tins in the venue!
The SOS Bus offers assistance to anyone in Norwich city centre on certain Friday or Saturday nights whose well-being is threatened by illness or injury, emotional distress or other vulnerability. The SOS Bus also helps prevent unnecessary A&E visits and ambulance call-outs and frees up police officer’s time!
What is the capital grant scheme? The Low Carbon KEEP capital grant scheme allows SMEs to recoup 40% of the cost of purchasing capital items, such as essential equipment or software, which are fundamental to the success of a Low Carbon KEEP project. All capital items purchased utilising Low Carbon KEEP capital grant funding will remain in the ownership of the SME partner. Should the Low Carbon KEEP project come to a premature conclusion, the amount of the capital grant awarded will be proportionally reduced. . If you decide not to apply for capital funding at the beginning of your Low Carbon KEEP project, but change your mind afterwards, you can still apply at a later date, provided your project has not come to an end.
What is the maximum value of capital funding available? The maximum value of ERDF capital funding available to any single project is £20,000. All grant calculations and payments are made excluding VAT. The capital grant funding can be used to purchase more than one item on more than one occasion
Can you provide an example of a capital grant item which is deemed fundamental? All items deemed eligible for funding must be fundamentally linked to the project activity proposed and be directly beneficial to its delivery. For example a logistics project might legitimately propose capital expenditure on vehicle tracking devices but not on the installation of low energy lighting equipment in the SME Partner’s offices. The role of the capital items proposed must be fully explained and justified in the body of the application. All items must be procured according to ERDF regulations to be eligible for payment. The approval of proposed capital expenditure is entirely at the discretion of the programme’s assessment panel. If in any doubt as to the legitimacy of a proposed capital purchase the partnership must consult with the programme management team prior to submission of the application.
Who is responsible for payment when initially purchasing capital items? All claims to funders are made retrospectively on a quarterly basis, with the SME incurring the entire expenditure in the first instance.
When will the SME partner receive the funds from the capital grant scheme? No grant will be paid to the SME Partner before it has been successfully claimed from funders by the programme management team. This may take several months.
When can the SME partner make a capital purchase to be eligible to claim funds from the capital grant scheme? The SME Partner must be prepared to enter into a Capital Grant Agreement with the Low Carbon KEEP Programme prior to any purchases being made. No claims will be processed without a fully signed agreement in place. All items must be fully evidenced and that evidence submitted in a timely manner to be included in programme claims to the funders.
Any other useful information? All costs detailed in the application must be as accurate as possible. The monetary amounts detailed will be used to form the basis of the Capital Grant Agreement and will not be altered after approval of the project. It is strongly recommended that accurate quotes are sought from potential suppliers to achieve the required level of accuracy.
Ensuring that your business is protected from common cyber attacks is essential to a business’s survival, not only from a financial viewpoint but, just as crucially, from a reputational perspective. It is a well reported statistic that many consumers would refuse to do business with a company that it felt it could not trust with their data. In the B2B world, smaller companies are increasingly finding that they have to provide information about their cyber security provisions to customers in in order to bid for contracts, and insurers to obtain Cyber Insurance.
Putting good practices in place right from the start can save you both money and time and it is far easier to implement these practices in the early days and adapt them as your business evolves, than it is to do so once the business has scaled.
This webinar will begin promptly at 1.30pm, share 30 minutes of insightful and knowledge sharing content followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.
Location: Carrowbreck House, 7 Carrowbreck Road, Norwich, NR6 5FA. Are you struggling with Linkedin? Not quite sure what the fuss is about? Wondering whether you should spend even more time on yet another networking platform? It’s ok, you’re one of many, you may even be one of the many who set up an account but then didn’t go back to it. Linkedin is a business tool which helps you to do even more business. Having just hit 200million users, 1 million groups, 40 million visits a week and a total of 5.3billion searches during 2012, you can’t ignore it. Did you know that half of the users on Linkedin are the main decision makers? Did you know that Linkedin drives the most customers for B2B organisations – even more than Blogs? Tapping properly into Linkedin will enable you to drive valuable customers to your website. Tapping properly into Linkedin will position yourself as a leader in your niche and gain you new clients. Stop missing out on opportunities now! This course is for you if you are a SME, Business Development Manager, Sales manager, Marketing Manager, whichever industry you’re in, and you are keen to utilise LinkedIn for your business to drive traffic and get results. Duration: Half-day course (9.30am – 12.30pm) Equipment: No equipment is necessary for you to bring to the course. Pens and note paper will be available. Lunch provided: Light refreshments will be provided. Lunch only provided on full-day courses. Course Content: How to achieve maximum exposure and connect with main decision makers The power of groups and company pages How LinkedIn works with or without a budget How LinkedIn is the perfect marketing tool & discover the ways to use it in your business Course price: From £37.00 – £48.00 For more details or any enquiries, please do contact us on 01603 788950, or email carrowbreck@broadland.gov.uk
The major banks ( Barclays, HSBC, RBS (incl. NatWest), Lloyds (incl. Halifax/Bank of Scotland) and Santander (plus NI banks) in the UK and Northern Ireland have agreed that if your loan application is declined you have the right of appeal, as part of the BBA Better Business Finance Programme (betterbusinessfinance.co.uk).
When an appeal is raised, the decision will be reviewed by a second person from within the bank who was not involved in the original decision.
The banks will consider all the information originally provided and ask for more where they think it is necessary.
The whole process is monitored and scrutinised by an independent team to ensure the banks are implementing a fair, prompt and transparent process.
In the first year of the programme, an appeal led to a change in decision in 4 out of 10 cases as a result of the process.
How do I appeal? If you have been declined finance you bank should have given you instructions on how to appeal with your decline. You will need to instigate an appeal if you feel you have been declined unfairly. In most cases it can be started with a phone call to your bank, and there isn’t a charge.
An appeal can be made after any formal request for lending had been declined – this means any application that has gone through a credit assessment, after the bank has received the information from you to make a decision.
The bank should explain to you why your application has not been successful, and work with you to reshape the request if possible and give guidance on alternative sources of finance if appropriate. The banks and the BBA are making this as easy as possible.
Where is there more information? Contact your bank for information on appealing.
Alternatively, the participating banks and the BBA launched the website https://www.betterbusinessfinance.co.uk to provide more information on the appeals process and lending in general.
There is a range of Government support for finance Just as businesses have different finance needs, there are a range of different Government support products for businesses, from grants to loans for start-ups, to tax breaks for angel investors.
You can find information on all Government schemes, a tool to help identify the most relevant ones at: gov.uk/business-finance-support-finder
There are many banks providing business finance in the UK and dozens more organisations providing finance, from peer-to-peer lenders to asset based financiers.
Each lender’s regional reach and appetite across sectors differs – so it may well be that whilst one lender can’t help you – another might.
The Government and BBA have worked with an array of finance providers to produce a useful directory to help you find alternative finance providers:
There are also Community Development Finance Institutions, peer-to-peer lenders, asset financiers, invoice finance and more that can be accessed through businessfinanceforyou.co.uk and you can find out more at www.gov.uk/business-finance-explained.
Managing a neurodiverse employee can be seen as a significant challenge to an employer.
This free workshop (which includes breakfast) aims to challenge preconceptions and enable leaders to see neurodivergence as a business advantage when neurodiverse colleagues are supported and managed effectively.
1-hour face-to-face workshop event to cover the following:
To understand the difference between a range of neurodiversity types
The benefits and skills of the different neurodivergent types
How to get the best from neurodiverse employees
How to make impactful reasonable adjustments to support neurodivergent employees
The legal position
Where to find additional employer resources on neurodiversity.
MAD-HR hosts this event with support from:
Kelly Sayers is an employment law specialist at Top 100 Law Firm Keystone Law. She has spent over 20 years advising employers on all aspects of employment law and people-related issues. Living in a neurodiverse family herself she has a particular interest in neurodiversity and equality.
James Kindred is a local entrepreneur and late-diagnosed Autistic & ADHD. Alongside founding Big Drop Brewing Co and running a brand and digital consultancy, Fork, James works with regional and national neurodiversity and suicide prevention charities to progress understanding and awareness of Neurodivergence.
