We finished off lastweek by welcoming Regency Security Groupto our digital signage networks across Norfolk! The ad was created by Impact Media Group using a combination of static imagery, a clever use of personal messaging targeted to the audience and some basic motion graphics to draw the eye.
Established in 1993, with commitment to both customers and staff alongside a strong ethos of a standards driven approach, Regency Security has grown to become one of the premier security companies in the UK providing a complete range of security services to an ever changing marketplace. These services include; Door Supervision, Close Protection, Event Security & Stewarding, Guarding, Mobile Patrols, Key Holding , Alarm Response and tailor-led Training Courses from an award winning, fully accredited Training Company.
Digital-Out-Of-Home, synonymous with new creative options for your communication: Modern and innovative, DOOH is the new communication solution for advertisers looking for a means of communication with a high level of proximity, impact and attraction. Thanks to the great flexibility of its utilisation and content, digital advertising can be adapted in different environment. Well used, it becomes an inevitable venue that enhances the recognition, reputation and allocation of the brand.
Tariffs imposed by President Trump’s administration on global steel and aluminium imports could lead to yearly export losses of £125 million for the UK, but it will be by no means the hardest hit country.
According to leading trade credit insurer Euler Hermes, global export losses caused by the US decision will reach £5.57 billion with the highest losses being suffered by Canada, Brazil, Russia, China and South Korea.
Canada looks likely to be the biggest single loser, Euler Hermes has calculated, suffering a £1.5 billion loss. In Europe, Germany could be the biggest loser with £300 million in lost exports, while the EU as a whole will lose around £800 million.
Despite these figures, Ludovic Subran, Chief Economist at Euler Hermes, still believes that the risk of a fully-fledged trade war – characterised by a doubling or tripling of the average US tariffs and severe retaliation from the EU, Canada and Mexico – still seems unlikely.
However, he warned, the uncertainty caused by the latest wave of measures combined with tit-for-tat tariffs from other countries threatens the status quo of rules built up over the past 25 years.
The most frustrating aspect of the current disputes is that they are taking place in the context of reasonably healthy global trade figures.
“Encouragingly, global trade is actually doing quite well and rose by around 5% last year,” Mr Subran pointed out. “For the moment, it is outweighing the dampening effects of protectionism measures.”
A multi-disciplinary construction consultancy with head office in Colchester, Essex is celebrating 75 years in business this year with a ‘charity challenge’ for staff launched this month.
Daniel Connal Partnership (DCP), with offices in Norwich, Colchester and London, launched their one-year challenge on Friday 24 September 2021, in an effort to ‘give something back’ as a lasting legacy.
The team of up to 30 DCP staff is aiming to raise £7,500 for Young Minds Trust (www.youngminds.org.uk) by walking, running, cycling and/or sailing 7,500kms over the coming 12 months – as a combined team effort, all logged on the Strava app.
Young Minds Trust is a leading UK charity fighting for a future where all children and young people have access to the best possible mental health support. They work to provide young people with tools to look after their mental health, building resilience and confidence. The Trust also works to empower adults to be the best support they can be to the young people in their lives.
Commenting on the launch Robert Dale, Senior Partner at Daniel Connal Partnership, said: “We wanted to do something special to mark our 75th anniversary and with a few keen cyclists, runners and walkers among our staff we do like a physical challenge for a worthy cause!”
“Supporting the next generation is very important to our DCP family. With recent challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown having a particularly heavy impact on young people, we feel that the work of Young Minds needs to be supported now more than ever,” he added.
The 75th Anniversary Challenge will run for a full calendar year. At the launch event last week 25 members of the DCP team - 6 from the Norwich office – walked, ran or cycled around beautiful Dedham on the Essex/Suffolk border. The brilliant blue skies and blazing sunshine on the day really added to the occasion, which saw participants total 383km of the 7,500km total target.
Established in 1946, Daniel Connal Partnership (DCP) offers a range of specialist construction services right across the UK, with key expertise in education sector builds and public interest projects as well as specialist Health and Safety training. Find out more at www.danielconnal.co.uk
East Anglian based chartered accountants, Larking Gowen, is proud to be announced regional winner of the Workplace Wellbeing Award in the British Chambers of Commerce ‘Chamber Business Awards 2018’, it has been announced today.
“Attitudes to workplace wellbeing are rapidly evolving. I’m proud to be seen at the forefront of that in this region,” says Jon Woolston, Managing Partner at Larking Gowen. “For us, the wellbeing of all of our team isn’t just a desirable ‘add on’, it’s a fundamental part of our business culture, with positive impacts right across our business.”
Since launching its wellbeing programme, which is being continually developed through engagement with employees and Wellbeing Champions and covers physical and mental wellbeing, as well as wider career, financial, social and community aspects, the firm has seen increases in employee retention and productivity, as well as a reduction in sickness absence.
“We monitor the impact of our wellbeing measures closely,” says Amanda Ninham, Head of Human Resources at Larking Gowen. “We operate in a competitive sector where we have to work hard to attract and retain people. If our employees feel happier at work and are staying with us for longer, that’s a clear indication our approach works”.
“The partners at Larking Gowen are owner-managers,” continues Managing Partner, Jon Woolston, “and this means we still have a personal interest in and can directly influence the kind of environment we want to work in. The nature of our business, with strict submission deadlines, results in periods of intense pressure. It’s particularly important to create a culture where all employees are as happy to discuss mental health and wellbeing as they are to talk about physical health.”
Larking Gowen will now go forward to the national finals of the Chamber Business Awards. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Tobacco Dock in London on 29 November.
The nascent Customs Declaration Service (CDS) faces significant challenges and there is a risk that it will be unable to fully replace the existing Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system by January 2019.
Indeed, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will not know whether CDS works in live service until all of its functionality has been implemented this December, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned.
In its latest report on the CDS, the NAO says that the late release of functionality and migration of users increases the risk that HMRC will not have sufficient time to resolve any issues that the last release might highlight and that some traders will therefore have to continue using the existing CHIEF system.
Although HMRC intends to migrate users to the CDS beginning in August, and aims to complete the process by January next year, the migration of all users from the current (CHIEF) to the new (CDS) system by then seems, as the NAO puts it, “unlikely”.
However, if the CDS is not ready, does not perform as planned, if traders have not migrated to it in time, or there is no deal on Brexit, then HMRC now has more robust contingency plans in place, the NAO agrees (something it welcomes given that its previous report of July 2017 criticised HMRC for a lack of planning).
For the British Chambers of Commerce, Anastassia Beliakova noted that, until the Government has decided which customs option it wishes to pursue with the EU post-Brexit, the 145,000 UK businesses that are only trading with the EU are left in the dark as to the future costs and administration they have to factor in.
The NAO report, The Customs Declaration Service: A Progress Update, can be found here.
• 24% of firms have never heard of Making Tax Digital, which comes into effect next April for VAT
• Only 10% of firms know ‘a lot of details’ about the switch to the digitised tax system
Ten months ahead of its planned introduction, an alarmingly high proportion of UK businesses have little or no awareness of HM Revenue and Customs’ flagship Making Tax Digital project, according to new research released today (Tuesday) by the British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with Avalara.
Based on the responses of over 1,100 firms, with less than a year to go until the government plans to roll out Making Tax Digital (MTD), there is a widespread lack of awareness among business communities about the switch to a digitised tax system. A quarter (24%) of firms have never heard of it, and two-thirds (66%) know it only by name or some details about it.
All VAT registered businesses will have to maintain digital records for VAT and submit their returns digitally from April 2019 – just days after the UK leaves the EU. Of those that are aware of the change, a quarter (25%) have made no preparations at all. This is a concern as MTD will require VAT registered firms to have MTD compatible software in place that can create a VAT return and connect to HMRC systems via an Application Programming Interface (API). This is a much more complex process for businesses than the current online process of manual completion of VAT returns.
As the government prepares to roll out this flagship policy, businesses are reporting low levels of satisfaction and support from HMRC. Asked to rate the overall level of service, help and support received from HMRC on a scale of one to five, 60% of firms gave the tax authority a rating of 3 or less. Levels of direct engagement with HMRC remain low. Of those firms that are aware of MTD, just 6% of businesses have contacted HMRC for advice (including online services, webinars, or via their telephone services), compared to 51% who have spoken to an accountant.
The BCC is therefore calling for the introduction of Making Tax Digital to be delayed for all businesses until the start of the 2020/21 financial year. This would give HMRC the breathing space to engage effectively with businesses, ensure that the necessary software is in place, and raise levels of awareness about the impending changes. While steps have been taken to free-up capacity, businesses remain concerned that HMRC may still lack the resources to deliver MTD at the same time as supporting firms through the Brexit process (particularly given the level of uncertainty over the final customs arrangement), as well as day-to-day compliance issues. The delay to this initiative would also provide HMRC with the extra headroom that maybe needed to support business on these vital issues.
Mike Spicer, Director of Economics and Research at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“The government’s aim to modernise the UK’s tax system is admirable, but in view of low business awareness and the impending challenges of Brexit, it would make sense for HMRC to delay the implementation of Making Tax Digital in order to get this change right.
“We are concerned that far too many firms still aren’t clear on what Making Tax Digital is, or what it means for their operations. With just months to go before the deadline, these knowledge gaps could make the timeline for change unworkable for many firms.
“Ministers must face up to the reality of the pressures facing HMRC and delay the introduction of Making Tax Digital for all businesses for the next financial year. This would allow the Revenue to focus its immediate attention on supporting businesses through the Brexit process, which must be a key priority.
“When Making Tax Digital is implemented, the acid test will be whether it ultimately creates a simpler and more efficient tax system, or yet more onerous administrative burdens that stifle the growth of UK firms.”
Richard Asquith, VP of Global Indirect Tax at Avalara, said:
“Making Tax Digital will affect 2.6 million businesses. It is the biggest overhaul in VAT obligations in decades. Approximately 25% of businesses are still using manual or spreadsheet record keeping, which falls foul of HRMC’s new requirements. It is still not clear how they can become compliant without more education plus investment in compliance accounting packages. To date, HMRC have remained confident that they can cope with MTD and Brexit; although 29 other efficiency projects have had to be cancelled or delayed in preparation of the UK leaving the EU in March 2019.
“HMRC will be clarifying their Making Tax Digital program at our free Tax Summit in London on the 3rd October. This will be a great chance for businesses to have some of their concerns addresses by HMRC directly.”
Commenting on the release of the UK government’s long-awaited White Paper on the future UK-EU relationship, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“At last, businesses have a more comprehensive understanding of the Government’s aspirations for the UK’s future relationship with the European Union.
“This vision should not have taken two years and three weeks to emerge, but it is nevertheless a welcome starting point for businesses.
“Momentum and pace are now needed to translate ambition into answers to the real-world, practical questions that businesses face. Even with the welcome direction of travel in the White Paper, companies still don’t know how they’ll be paying VAT, how they can move people between offices, or whether goods will get across borders with a minimum of fuss. It is incumbent on the two sides to work pragmatically and productively on the nuts-and-bolts detail of the future relationship over the coming weeks, drawing on business experience and expertise.
“Time is short – and for businesses, it’s results that count.”
Following publication of the White Paper, the leading business organisation maintained 22 ‘red-rated’ and 2 ‘amber-rated’ issues on its Business Brexit Risk Register, which brings together the 24 top questions being asked by businesses across the UK. On this, Marshall added:
“Businesses still need clear and detailed answers on many of the practical, real-world questions they face. Many of these answers can only emerge through negotiations – so it’s time for the two sides to crack on and get to a deal. And we have said many times, and will say again, that the UK government must deliver clarity wherever the answers to business questions are entirely within the UK’s own control.”
The British Chambers of Commerce also urged the UK Government to step up preparations for all eventualities – including ‘no deal’ scenarios — to ensure that businesses have clarity on how the UK would operate its borders, immigration system and regulations in the event of a breakdown in negotiations. Adam Marshall said:
“Firms need clear guidance from the UK government on preparations for all eventualities, so that they know how critical systems and borders would operate in the unwelcome scenario where a comprehensive deal cannot be reached.”
Norwich City Council have released their latest economic barometer. The report highlighted:
Locally
Business activity picked up sharply in May, helped by an increase in new orders and demand. However this has subsequently slowed due to political and economic uncertainty
Unite is warning that the Constructionarium Project, which gives undergraduates construction experience, is at risk of closure as a result of the Construction Industry Training Board’s plans to close its HQ at Bircham Newton
More than 200 homes could be built in Norwich City centre on part of the former Jarrold printworks site. Plans also include a 60 bedroom hotel and offices.
Nationally
Mild improvements in both the UK manufacturing sector and the construction sector according to PMI data
UK wage growth fell short of expectations – slipping to 2.8% from 2.9%, raising further doubts about whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates in the summer
Tight labour market conditions have placed upward pressure on staff wages and are causing recruitment difficulties.
As a new business, it can be hard to make your brand known, get your name out there and start seeing that initial growth in customer base.Rush Removalsoffer a fast and reliable service on jobs big or small starting from as little as £40. Taking full advantage of our design team and taking out a long term campaign Rush Removals will soon be a widely recognised company across our Norfolk screens.
BBA are excited to be showcasing an exciting new Norfolk removals company, who share our passion and enthusiasm for providing the county with A*** quality services.
For the first time Norfolk Chamber has decided to enter the Grand Norwich Duck Race, in support of charity member Break. The Grand Norwich Duck Race will be held on Sunday 26th August where corporate and community groups will bring their decorated ducks to race from St George’s Bridge to St Fye’s Bridge, outside the Ribs of Beef Public House. After much deliberation and duck puns around the office, we are excited to reveal the name of our duck: Harry Quacker & the Chamber of Commerce! Harry Quacker was designed and hand-painted by our very own Sam Brown. You can keep up-to-date with Harry Quacker through Twitter – @HarryQuacker. Break support young people in care and moving on; children and young people with disabilities, families in need of support and children at risk, across East Anglia. Throughout 2018 Break are also celebrating 50 years changing the lives of vulnerable children and young people. Activities will begin from 11am including a cake stall, ice creams, face painting, Archers Butcher’s sausage stall, little duck stall, games and other activities. The main events are: 2.00pm – Individual Duck Race – 3,000 little ducks will take to the water to swim their way to the finish line 2.30pm – Large Painted Duck Race – large decorated ducks take to the water to compete to win the Grand Norwich Duck Race trophy Come along and support Harry Quacker & the Chamber of Commerce on Sunday 26th August as he magic’s his way to victory! Find our more about the Grand Norwich Duck Race: click here
Captain Fawcett is simply delighted to announce that irreverent internet sensation Thomas Benjamin Wilde Esq will be coming to King’s Lynn for a very special one-off winter show LIVE at Captain Fawcett’s Emporiumon Saturday 11th December 2021.
To celebrate the imminent release of his 3rd album, Making Friends at 40, banjolele-playing, tweed-clad troubadour, will be playing fan-favourites and brand new humdingers against the truly extraordinary backdrop of Captain Fawcett’s ‘Marvellous Barbershop Museum’, surely one of the UK’s most unusual private collections, a tonsorial treasure trove celebrating centuries of craftsmanship, located at the Captain’s Emporium.
Thomas has been a wandering minstrel, delivering his most distinctive, racy brand of comical musical merriment in live performances far and wide across the UK since 2016.
His online videos go viral (and what, chums, could be more topical than that, Egad?!) In fact, the video for his X-rated, very sweary anthem I’ve No More F***s To Give went absolutely bally bonkers across social media sending his debut album to number 3 in the Billboard Comedy Album Chart and clocking up over 10 million views on YouTube alone. It has even been used by peeved personnel as a somewhat unambiguous resignation message. Jiminy Crickets!
In 2020, he released the follow up A Quiet Night In, which features the delightfully naughty singles Pants Drunkand Smile And Nod (A Christmas Song), and his eagerly anticipated third album, Making Friends At 40 is set for release just before the Captain Fawcett show.
Thomas, who is a Brand Ambassador for Captain Fawcett, said “I was looking for a way of doing a special collaboration with the lovely folks at Captain Fawcett for a while, and when considering venues for the album launch, I could not think of a more splendid location!”
A madcap, mellifluous maestro, harmonious hero of the hirsute right here at Captain Fawcett’s Marvellous Barbering Museum? I should coco!
Tickets are priced £16 in advance and available through Seetickets.com
Limited spaces available for this most splendiferous occasion! And yes, there will be a bar. Huzzah!
Norfolk based ISP, FreeClix, have recently launched SimRush 5G, a unique 5G broadband product that is perfect for businesses who need to improve their broadband’s speed and reliability. It is capable of providing download speeds of more than 300 Mbps in and around Norwich. The professionally installed system comprises an external broadband router with multiple long range antennas to ensure an ultrafast service is delivered where 5G is available, and an internal router with the best dual-band WiFi built in for extremely high-speed wireless access.
But that’s not all.
Not only is SimRush 5G compatible with all UK 5G mobile networks, it is also backwards compatible with the 4G LTE network. When on 4G, SimRush 5G can still produce amazing broadband speeds of up to 100 Mbps. These high-speeds are possible because of the CAT 20 4G LTE chipset on the external antenna, which provides much faster speeds compared to previous SimRush hardware.
This gives two brilliant advantages of using SimRush 5G:
If you’re lucky enough to get 5G but unfortunate enough that it fails, you have automatic failover to 4G built into your broadband set up so you won’t go offline.
If you only have 4G network coverage in your area, you can still use SimRush 5G to get you excellent speeds using just the 4G network.
So, what does this really mean?
SimRush Co-Founder, Peter Freeman, discusses the benefits of using SimRush 5G for Norfolk based businesses.
“SimRush 5G is a fantastic way of getting exceptional broadband speeds in rural areas. We recently upgraded our customer, The Gunton Arms, who are over 8 miles away from the nearest 5G area, to SimRush 5G and saw huge improvements in their internet connection. They can now achieve much faster average speeds of 90 Mbps download!”
“We are extremely pleased with the performance of SimRush 5G across the UK. But as a Norfolk based company, we are even more delighted to see that it is also benefitting businesses in the local area. For those with 5G coverage the improvements are vast. 5G mobile technology offers extremely low average latency, meaning the amount of lag experienced when using the internet is minimal. It’s ideal for businesses who are reliant on a reliable broadband connection to keep their business functioning and productive. The built in 4G failover provides an extra layer of security and reduces the likelihood of downtime.”
“We’ve seen a big increase in the amount of enquiries from businesses with leased lines who cannot afford to risk the potential loss of money from an internet outage, particularly from professional services firms, the care sector and hospitality outlets. SimRush 5G is the perfect solution for these businesses. We recently proved this by helping a business that had a prolonged leased line outage to get their 25 staff and connected devices back online within hours of the initial request by rapidly deploying SimRush 5G.”
SimRush 5G has additional appeal for business users due to the unique Static Public IP addressing service that’s available. This cost-effective fixed IP solution enables remote access to CCTV, web servers or a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service which is a must for most businesses.
SimRush 5G is available to buy now from FreeClix, the UK SimRush Master Distributor. Please click here for more information regarding the product range and a comprehensive guide to everything 5G.
“5G network coverage is growing all the time and we are seeing more and more incredible speeds that are rivalling those of traditional broadband services. SimRush 5G enables businesses to get faster broadband speeds and improved reliability, whilst also future proofing their connection for years to come.”
Use a coverage checker to find out if you’ve got 5G network coverage in your area now!