A further 80 additional areas are now able to receive superfast broadband, which takes the number of homes and businesses able to buy better broadband to 141,077 across Norfolk.
It has also been announced that some of the areas due to be able to access better broadband by September 2015 include: Attleborough, Diss, Fakenham, Holt, Long Stratton and Poringland.
Remember, once the new superfast broadband services golive, your existing broadband packages will NOT automatically upgrade, you will need to contact your provider to see how you could benefit from the new speeds.
Full information on the latest update can be found on the attached update sheet.
Businesses who make the leap into international markets are reaping the rewards, according to an international trade survey being published today (Tuesday) by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
The results show that the majority of current exporters (59%) recorded sales growth in 2014, despite stagnation in the Eurozone and the appreciation of sterling. Furthermore, a third of exporters (34%) had to expand their production capacity last year to cope with demand from international markets, compared to only 3% that reduced capacity.
Despite the rewards on offer to all firms, it’s the long-established international players that are getting most of the benefits. Of the exporters that responded to the survey, the majority (61%) have been trading internationally for more than 10 years, compared to only 6% who have been exporting for up to two years.
Firms considering exporting suggested that greater access to overseas distributors and partners, and increased funding and support, would encourage them to seek out international markets.
BCC Director General, John Longworth said “we must redouble our efforts to grow a pipeline of new exporting companies that the UK economy so desperately needs”.
Key findings from the survey:
More businesses need to join the ‘export game’
The majority of the exporters (61%) surveyed have been trading internationally for more than 10 years, while new exporters (0-2 years) account for only 6% of the sample.
89% of businesses have ambitions to grow domestically, however fewer than half of firms (44%) have ambitions to grow internationally.
Exporters stand to reap the rewards as they tackle additional markets
The majority of exporting firms (59%) reported an increase in sales in the past 12 months, compared to 18% who said sales have fallen.
A third of exporters (34%) had to expand their production capacity last year to cope with demand from international markets.
Firms face challenges when trying to export
The most influential factor when considering exporting is the ease of finding customers, agents and distributors, according to the majority of firms (77%).
Increased funding (26%) and access to overseas agents and distributors (20%) are identified as key factors that would encourage non-exporting businesses to export for the first time.
Almost six out of ten (59%) non-exporters say they do not have the right product or service for export.
Commenting on the findings, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce said:
“Firms willing to explore international markets reap the rewards on offer. It is encouraging to see some businesses exporting for the first time. But we need to redouble our efforts to grow the pipeline of new exporting companies and help more of our existing exporters to break into new markets. Together this will drive up our export performance and rebalance the UK economy.
“A long-term partnership between government and business can bring about a revolution in exports, encouraging more businesses to export for the first time and those already exporting to go further. We must make it easier for companies to consider trading internationally. By making exporting a bigger part of our business culture, we can build our collective appetite to trade. Increasing funding and improving market access for potential exporters will go a long way towards removing the perceived barriers for non-exporters, many of whom could be selling their wares overseas.
“As the election debate rages, Britain’s political parties have failed to set out how they will address the export challenge – and achieve the ambitious growth targets that the Prime Minister set out for 2020. Businesspeople want to work with the next government to implement ambitious plans that help Britain recapture its reputation as a premier trading nation. Only then will we eliminate the UK’s stubborn trade deficit – and unlock future economic growth.”
The BCC’s Business Manifesto: A Business Plan for Britain has proposed a number of measures to assist first-time exporters, and to help existing exporters target new international markets:
Continue to develop a world-class, global business-to-business network of British Chambers and business groups- linking British firms with customers and opportunities for growth in the fastest-growing overseas markets.
Continue work to bring UK Export Finance up to par with the world’s best export finance agencies – ensuring UK businesses can access finance needed to seal deals in markets around the world.
Reform the UK’s passport and visa system – to allow overseas British business people and their foreign counterparts to conduct trade activity with ease, boosting Britain’s export performance.
Make foreign language learning compulsory from age seven to 16 – supporting more young people to ‘think global’, and acquire the knowledge and skills that are highly valued by Britain’s exporters.
Commentating on the Conservative’s small business manifesto, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
“A focus on promoting our small businesses is welcome, as is much of the thinking within the Conservative’s small business manifesto. The commitment to improve access to finance, investing in our rail, road and broadband infrastructure and a major review of business rates are all priorities for businesses around the country and it is good to see them being addressed.
“Alongside these encouraging ideas, there is wiggle room which we would like to see closed. For example, what does it mean to ‘respond’ to the airports commission? We need more than a response; we need action to expand our airport capacity. The proposals for a permanent increase in the Annual Investment Allowance and cuts to red tape set the right mood music, but we need to see the details to understand how they will be translated into action which helps our SMEs.
“The one element we would like to see more of, is support for established businesses looking to scale up. It is great to help start-ups, but they are not the only businesses in need of support.”
The A47 at Postwick will be closed again this coming weekend (Friday 8 May to Monday 11 May) for the final stage in lifting bridge beams into place. Diversions will be as on previous weekend closures.*
Both carriageways of the A47 will close at 8pm tomorrow, Friday 8 May, opening no later than 6am on Monday 11 May. A series of overnight closures (details below) will follow, but these will be less disruptive.
This weekend, theA47 will re-open sooner than 6am on Mondayif possible, but the amount of work required is more than on the two weekend closures in April.
Postwick Park & Ride will again be closed. The nearest alternative is Harford Park & Ride.
As on previous weekends, the diversions will be via the junction slip-roads and the new business park access roads. There may be delays on the diversion routes when beams are being moved into position for lifting into place.
If it is not possible to complete the work by 6am on Monday, work will be halted in time to allow the A47 to reopen on schedule, and will resume the following weekend (15 May to 18 May) under another A47closure. If this is necessary it will be well publicised next week.
If all goes well and the beam lifts are complete this coming weekend (8-11 May), there will be no weekend closure on the 15-18 May.
However, there will still be the need for a series of Monday to Thursday overnight closures, starting on Monday night (11 May) and continuing for around four weeks (no closure on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May). These closures will be from 8pm, with the road reopening as soon as possible, but no later than 6am the following morning.
Vehicles will use the same diversions as at the weekend, but this is unlikely to cause significant delays because of the low levels of overnighttraffic.
Later this month there willbe a change to thetraffic management arrangements on the westbound’off’ slip road, where traffic from the Great Yarmouth direction leaves the A47 for Thorpe St Andrew, Broadland Business Park, Postwick Park & Ride and the north and east of Norwich (including Norwich International Airport). The change will be at the site of the Oaks Lane roundabout to allow the north side of the roundabout to be constructed.
*Click here for diversion plans or go to norfolk.gov.uk/Postwickfor further background, including links to A47 closure information.
Norfolk County Council has just released their latest update on Norfolk’s infrastructure. The update highlights the A47 corridor and the proposed plans for the improvements announced in the Autumn Statement; the latest on the NDR, progress on the Postwick Hub; and the Better Bus Area.
The report also gives information on the Cycle City Ambition Project, further improvements on the rail networkand the Better Broadband for Norfolk project.
The Generation Park Norwich team are holding a series of events as part of the second round of public consultation.
The latest proposals, featuring a display of models illustrating the scheme, will be on display at the King’s Centre, King Street, Norwich, on Friday, May 8th from (2pm – 7pm) and Saturday, May 9th (9am – 1pm). The public will be invited to offer comments on the proposals.
The following week a public meeting will be held for residents of Trowse, focusing on transport. The meeting will be held at The White Horse, Trowse, on Friday, May 15th from 4pm – 8pm.
There will then be another opportunity to see models of the proposed scheme on display in the Atrium at The Forum in Norwich from Tuesday, June 9th to Thursday, June 11th (9am – 6pm daily).
These meetings and the subsequent display at The Forum follow the first public consultation, staged in January this year.
Subject to planning permission, the proposed riverside development, adjacent to Crown Point rail depot, would transform the derelict 30-acre Utilities Site into a new amenity for Norwich and reflect a modern revival of the heritage of the brownfield site.
Generation Park Norwich would feature an efficient green Community Energy Centre producing electricity for major power users in the city and for the National Grid, along with more affordable and reliable heat for local businesses and houses via a District Heating network.
The scheme would create 11 acres of parkland, new cycle routes and walkways on the banks of the rivers Wensum and Yare, plus highly energy-efficient houses and student residences.
In keeping with the low carbon, forward-looking, spirit of the proposal an energy research and development centre and education centre would complete a remarkable new river gateway for the city.
Professor Trevor Davies, of Generation Park Norwich, said: “Community engagement is key to this project as it is very much a development that will serve the local community and at the same time create a new hub with its mix of leisure facilities, housing, education and research.
“The feedback we get from the community is a vital part of the process and we look forward to sharing our proposals.
“For anyone unable to make the consultation, the updated proposals will be posted on the Generation Park Norwich website, where people can also register for news alerts”.
Over 70 Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Chamber Members joined together on a sunny May morning at the Knights Hill Hotel for a delicious breakfast and some fantastic networking.
Our host for the morning Heather Garrod, took the delegates through the morning, challenging them to make at least one appointment in the diary with a prospective client. It was then onto a themed ice breaker to get all the delegates thinking and discussing which countries imported which good the most. There was a great atmosphere from this and it continued through breakfast and into our safari move.
Our speaker for the morning Alastair McFarlane followed on from breakfast, he gave a delegates an insight into how much AB Ports are doing across the country and in the local area and the importance of the ports. He told delegates how Kings Lynn port is a major grain exporter supporting agriculture in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire and it contributes £40 million to the local economy every year. A recent refurbishment has meant that there are also now modern laboratory facilities on site for testing of a wide range of products.
Delegates found the talk very interesting and had lots of questions for Alastair during the Q&A. The morning then ended with some free networking giving the delegates a little bit more time to get that all important meeting in.
Our next event in this area is a Hog Roast and Quiz Night on Wednesday 22 July, for more details click here
Rail passengers using Norwich station are to benefit from improvements as Abellio Greater Anglia announces the start of a programme of works to redesign the concourse.
The works will see the relocation of the automatic ticket gates to create easier access to the toilet facilities, the installation of a new First Class lounge, a refurbished waiting room on platform 6, improved cycle parking and the introduction of Abellio Greater Anglia’s cycle hire scheme ‘Bike and Go’.
Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said” Norwich station is the gateway to both business and leisure visitors and it is essential that Norwich creates the right impression to its visitors. The Chamber has been looking for these improvements for a number so years and so we very much welcome the investment in this refurbishment and hope that it can be completed swiftly.”
The first phase, now underway, will see the relocation of the ticket barriers and removal of the central cash points and is expected to take four weeks to complete.
Work will also commence during this time to extend the existing cycle area to accommodate an additional 242 covered, free cycle parking spaces and the company’s ‘Bike and Go’ cycle hire scheme will be installed. Ten high quality cycles will be available for hire for just £3.80 per day.
During the summer months, Abellio Greater Anglia’s Customer Services Team will be relocated to a new, more centrally-located customer service office on the station concourse will which will also feature new retail units and cash machines, subject to planning approval.
Towards the end of the year the existing waiting room on platform 6 will be refurbished and a new First Class Lounge will be created alongside platform 1 (in the old Customer Services Office). The customer toilet facilities will be completely refurbished and will be accessible to everyone without the need to pass through the ticket barriers.
Abellio Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager, James Reeve,said: “This is an exciting project for the station which will deliver a much-improved layout of the station concourse, refurbished waiting rooms and toilet facilities and improved cycle storage. Investing in upgrades to stations across the network is extremely important to Abellio Greater Anglia, demonstrating our commitment to providing excellent facilities and service to our customers.
“We will be doing all we can to progress the works as quickly as possible and to minimise any inconvenience to our customers while these improvements are carried out.
“We are grateful to our customers for their co-operation and patience in the meantime.”
The Chamber Awards is one of the UK’s most contested and prestigious business award programmes and as a member of an Accredited Chamber of Commerce you can enter for free! Each year, from Aberdeen to Norwich and King’s Lynn to Plymouth, organisations of all sizes and from all sectors compete for the coveted titles and the £10,000 cash prize on offer.
See what entering the Chamber Awards did for Titania Ltd, a security and compliance software development company based in Worcester who won last year’s Small Business of the Year award:
‘The entry process for the Chamber Awards really makes you think about the challenges and triumphs that your company has faced. It is a great feeling to see all that we have achieved down on paper and even better to have it read and appreciated by others. Writing the application really helped to solidify ideas around where the company has been and where it is going, our growth plans for the future and where we are aiming to be. This is something that can often get lost during the day to day bustle of running a fast growing SME.’ Ruth Inglis, Sales & Marketing Manager, Titania Ltd
Larkfleet Group, a sustainable house builder and sustainable energy projects developer based in Lincolnshire, entered the Sustainability award in 2014:
‘Entering the Chamber Awards helped us as a business to demonstrate our successes and reaffirm our strengths. This alone was a worthwhile exercise as it is rewarding to remember how far you’ve come and what you’ve achieved as a business.’ Helen Jones, Group Marketing Director, Larkfleet Group
O’Brien Contractors, a family run construction business based in Coventry, entered the Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2013:
‘We would encourage others to enter the Chamber Awards, the entry process was straightforward, with a good balance of questions that made sense and were easy to understand. When entering make sure you research your company as if you don’t know anything about it. Speak to your team and customers and ask them what they think makes your organisation different, it’s not always what you think.” Rebecca Gozdecki, Marketing Manager, O’Brien Contractors
The Chamber Awards are open for entry until Friday 26th June. For information about the categories and to enter visit www.chamberawards.co.uk
In this Chamber Session, Su Ingle of Su Ingle Media gave an engaging presentation on her top tips to using the media to promote your business. She gave her delegates interesting case studies to look over and talked about on her own experiences. Su also gave them some useful tips as to how to use radio, TV and press releases and tools to working with the media. Matt Brown of One Vision said “Su was a great presenter and very knowledgeable”. Su’s highlight from the session was “meeting different businesses” and her top 3 tips for using the media would be to “prepare by knowing your audience, prioritise your key messages in order and to prove points with evidence”.
For more information on Su Ingle Media, please click here. For further information of the sessions that remains in series 3, or any of our other events, please visit click here.
On a beautiful sunny Thursday morning over 140 of the Norfolk business community joined us for a breakfast all about getting the most out of apprenticeships and the benefits they have to businesses, young people and the community.
Delegates started off with some networking and an exhibition full of training providers and knowledgeable businesses to provide them with the advice they need to get apprentices into their business.
It was then onto the speakers, Richard Nutt from National Apprenticeship Services started us off with a very informative speech on all the different aspects available around apprenticeships and the funding available. He also gave the delegates some tangible benefits relating to the recruitment of an apprentice, a copy of his slides can be found on our website. This was then followed by a short Q&A before a refreshment break where delegates took advantage of the networking time.
We then had an interview panel with Bernard Matthews and Reepham High School & College to talk about their successful joint working and how they have bridged the gap between the classroom and commerce, and how other businesses can plan to do the same. This led to a lively discussion on the causes behind the lack of take up from apprenticeships. Delegates were in agreement in the end that more education was needed for all including the general public on how important apprenticeships can be and the benefits of them as an alternative route to university.
We finished with another interview panel of businesses and apprentices who are actively involved and how apprentices have increased their knowledge, and employers benefited from practical engagement. This first-hand experience was widely accepted by the entire room. It was valid input from those who really are bridging the gap. This interview panel sparked yet another lively discussion on the calibre of young people that are choosing the apprenticeship root. The idea of ‘cheap labour’ was also discussed and the need replace this with the idea of training young people into the kind of employees your business really needs and could benefit from.
The event was a massive success with businesses getting a lot out of it including the relevant connections they need to take that next step in the apprenticeship path. Twitter was a hive of activity along with business sharing their ideas and tips.
To see photos of the event see our Facebook of Google+ pages.