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Flourishing high streets are vital to local communities

December 16, 2011 in Economy, Policy, Legislation with Comments Off

Commenting on the launch of the High Street Review, by Mary Portas, Phil Smith, Managing Director of Business West said: “The report’s recommendations on how to improve the high street are welcomed.  Business plays an important role in local communities, and a strong vibrant high street is key to this offer.  Consumer trends have changed markedly over recent years, and there is an obvious need for the high street to evolve its offer in order to reflect this changing economy.

“We fully support Mary Portas’ call for councils to use more discretion when applying business rates, particularly for start up companies, as these are a significant barrier for many businesses. Indeed, we believe that If the government really wants to see businesses flourish and create much-needed economic growth, it must go further and reduce the punishing, anti-growth rate rise facing all businesses in 2012.

He added: “However, whilst there is much to support in the report, we should not forget that across the area there are localities where some of the initiatives put forward in the review have been in place for some time.   Where there are good working models of high street and centre management, it is important that such partnerships continue to receive and benefit from necessary support.”

On the detail of the report, Tessa Coombes, Policy & Communications Director at Business West, commented: “It is good news for business that Mary Portas has recognised the need to improve and support town centres and high streets by recommending the introduction of some quite simple measures such as encouraging a reduction in parking costs and ensuring a town centre first approach in planning policy.

“We are keen to work with local businesses to ensure our town centres flourish but the same commitment is needed from local and central government, to ensure businesses and communities have the tools they need to succeed.”

For further information see the BIS website

BRISTOL BUSINESS COMMUNITY LAUNCHES 2050 VISION

December 8, 2011 in Bristol, Economy, Environment, Ethics, People, HR, Policy, Legislation, Transport with Comments Off

A blueprint for Bristol’s development over the next 40 years has today been published.  The publication is the culmination of a two-year project known as Bristol 2050 and is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe.

Bristol 2050 has brought together business leaders from across the region, led by Business West.  Together they have looked past Bristol’s current overall prosperity and have discarded the very English penchant for the status quo – to test the boundaries, think boldly and keep growth concerns at the absolute forefront of future policy thinking.

The findings of the project have today been published in a hardback book, known as ‘High in Hope’, authored by Dr John Savage CBE and with contributions from influential town planner David Lock CBE.  Among its recommendations, High in Hope advises that up to 6,000 hectares of land may need to be developed by 2050 to deliver much needed jobs and houses.  It also seeks to address the need to create an efficient and comprehensive public transport system.

Other specific ideas seen as critical to the future growth and prosperity of the region include the development of an Avon Barrage, extending High Speed Rail to Bristol and a greater ability to levy local taxes and use the funds.

Commenting on the project, Dr Savage said:

“The Bristol region is already attractive to people and businesses but there is uncertainty about where it is going and why; there is no longer-term vision, no overall leadership, no sense of a shared direction.  By ensuring that the business voice is heard and championing Bristol as the place to do business and to live, we believe that we can achieve a tangible and improving return on public investment, with a significant increase in the gross domestic product of the city-region.  We must make a statement to both local and national government about the importance of the city region and the desire for change and strong leadership.”

Phil Smith, managing director of Business West said: “The book is only the beginning; the primary reason for publishing the 2050 vision now is to start a debate, raise aspirations and illustrate the benefits of long term strategic thinking.  We have involved the wider business community from the start of this project and for it to be a success there needs to be an ongoing debate and a continual flow of new ideas.  To facilitate this we’ve set up project groups and are encouraging the wider business community to participate and take ideas forward.”

Cautious optimism, but still much to do

November 30, 2011 in Bath, Bristol, Economy, Policy, Legislation, Transport with Comments Off

Phil Smith, managing director of Business West welcomes much of the content of the Autumn statement and believes it will have a positive impact on business. He commented: “However, we do share general business concerns about the ongoing challenge of our current economic situation. The revised forecast tells a bleak story for business.  Rapid implementation of the new schemes proposed by the government around credit easing and infrastructure investment is now needed so together we can make a difference.

He added: “Our members will particularly welcome the Chancellor’s renewed commitments to reform employment law and simplify the planning system. Businesses will support the aim of credit easing, but will be watching carefully to ensure that companies can access the finance they need to grow.”

Other highlights from a business perspective were a greater emphasis on tackling youth unemployment, the extension of the business rate relief holiday, reducing legislative burdens on employing staff and an increase in the UKTI budget to help SMEs, all of which will be welcomed by the business community.

Phil concluded: “It is now crucial that the government does everything possible to put these initiatives into place on the ground and help the private sector create jobs as quickly as possible.”

Nigel Hutchings, Director of Bristol Chamber of Commerce said: “A significant announcement for the Bristol area was contained in the proposals around the National Infrastructure Plan. Funding has now been secured for the South Bristol Link, something Bristol Chamber has been lobbying for over the last 20 years. This is a much needed improvement to the transport infrastructure of the city, supporting improved accessibility for business and communities alike.”

 

Giving more power to councils over business rates will boost economy

June 30, 2011 in Economy, Policy, Legislation with 1 Comment

Commenting on the announcement made by Nick Clegg at the LGA Conference on localising business rates, Phil Smith, Managing Director of Business West, said:

“The Government’s plans to allow councils to retain business rates are a step in the right direction, and will enable communities to benefit from their own success. Giving councils the freedom to lower rates will help them attract thriving businesses to their areas, which in turn will boost enterprise and growth.

“However, this must not be used as an opportunity to increase rates, which could see us return to the days of councils using rates to subsidise lower council taxes. A national cap must be implemented to prevent the system from being misused, and firms must be reassured that business rates will not be set above the current uniform rate.

“Retaining business rate revenues will promote a pro-growth and pro-business attitude among councils. Together, with new powers to borrow against those revenues to finance infrastructure projects, these plans have the potential to really drive economic development at a crucial time for the UK economy. But we have heard a similar rhetoric from the Government on these issues before. Now is the time to act on these promises and create the right conditions for the UK economy to thrive.”

Business backing for Growth White Paper

October 28, 2010 in Economy, Local Enterprise Partnership, Policy, Legislation with Comments Off

The Local Growth White Paper published today sets out the government’s vision for economic growth. It confirms the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies and replaces them with Local Enterprise Partnerships; it sets out some fundamental changes to the planning system and tells us how business support will be delivered in the future.

Phil Smith, Managing Director, GWE Business West said: “We welcome the emphasis of the White Paper on private sector growth and removing the barriers to growth currently experienced by businesses when seeking to expand and develop. We are excited by the prospect of these new “growth hubs”, something we at GWE Business West are particularly well placed to coordinate and deliver with our extensive experience of delivering business support and as the local Chambers of Commerce representing and working with thousands of businesses across our area.”

The White Paper announced the first phase of LEPs to be approved, with the West of England identified as one of those areas given permission to formally set up an LEP, bringing business leaders and local councils together to focus on removing the barriers to private sector growth across the city region.

Tessa Coombes, Director of Policy & Strategy, GWE Business West said: “A great deal of hope is being attached to the formation of these LEPs but little or no funding will be available from central government to set them up. If we are serious about economic and private sector jobs growth then these new public/private partnerships have a massive agenda to address in challenging times. Chambers of Commerce are in an excellent position to support the LEPs ability to deliver and to bring the business voice to the table.”

“Our concern as a business community has always been to ensure that these LEPs have real vision and ambition. They need the powers and responsibilities to deliver that vision, the resources to implement and the commitment from all partners around the table to work together to make the vision a reality. The White Paper provides some reassurances on this; the rest is up to us locally.”

Read the full GWE Business West briefing document here

UK Faces Triple Challenge, states Tory MP at Bristol Chamber Annual Dinner

March 29, 2010 in Bristol, Economy, News, Events, Opportunities with Comments Off

Tory MP David Davis

GWE Business West welcomed the Rt Hon David Davis MP as guest speaker to the Bristol Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner 2010, which took place in Bristol on 25th March.

Hosted by Bristol Chamber of Commerce & Initiative President Michael Bothamley, the event attracted hundreds of business people, coming together to celebrate business across the region.

David Davis, who stood against David Cameron for the Tory Party leadership, served as Conservative Party Chairman and shadow Deputy Prime Minister. To many he is best known for resigning his seat and stepping down as shadow Home Secretary on a point of principle in 2008. He won the resulting by-election with a resounding 72% of the vote, and has since continued to campaign for civil liberties.

Commenting on the budget, Davis felt that it wouldn’t be the last budget this year, regardless of which political party came to power. He cautioned that a new parliament will be tough for whoever wins but that there is ‘enormous scope in the Government for greater efficiency’, with the opportunity to improve our Country significantly over the next decade.

‘Periods of pressure engender courage’ he said. Focusing on the theme of optimism, Davis stated that when things get tough, as a country, we are capable of incredible things. He gave the example of the UK transforming into the 4th biggest economy in the World following the ‘Winter of Discontent’ in 1978-79.

He touched on three key challenges he considers important to achieving a new era. These included the economy; where he noted that while relying too much on the financial sector, the manufacturing industry has been left to decline, contributing less than 1% to the economy in the last 10 years as compared to that of 10% by Germany.

Social mobility; the denial of opportunity to a whole generation of children born into poor families since 1970 has resulted in a waste of talent and an in-balance in education and job prospects. Finally, he touched upon our so-called ‘free’ society, in which he feels that freedom of speech and the right to a fair trial has been eroded. Davis calls for a new society that is ‘open, vigorous, fair’.

‘These three areas have eaten away at the heart of being British’ he said. He finished his speech with the rallying call to bring back ideas, innovation and invention to aid the economy. And to apply ‘courage and conviction to the job’ of steering the Country towards a better future.

Dr John Savage CBE, Managing Director at GWE Business West raised a Loyal Toast to the City and County of Bristol, remarking that Bristol and its surrounding regions are well placed to lead the way out of the recession, being the most successful City outside of London and a ‘great place for opportunity’.

Councillor Christopher Davies responded that the region was often the first choice for relocating businesses and had become a world class tourist destination. He credited this to the ‘focus, dedication and foresight of its many businesses.’

Sponsored by Continental Airlines, Lloyds TSB and Smith & Williamson, the evening ended on a high with a prize draw of two return tickets to New York. Presented by Bob Schumacher, Senior Director at Continental Airlines, the coveted prize was won by Rupert Cox, Chief Executive of Somerset Chamber of Commerce. 

£895 was raised from the evening’s collection, which will go to the President’s chosen charity, The Prince’s Trust, which aims to help the lives of young people in the South West.

www.gwebusinesswest.co.uk

Business thrives in face of recession

September 7, 2009 in Economy with Comments Off

In spite of the challenges faced by businesses during an economic downturn, business across the region appears to be buoyant, with The Business Show Bristol 2009 proving to be a sell-out within the first few weeks of its exhibition sales launch.

Over 550 businesses have pre-registered to attend the show, which takes place on Wednesday 16th September at Brunel’s Old Station, with a further few hundred anticipated to turn up on the day.

“There’s never been a better time to network, share knowledge and connect with fellow business people than during a recession, and a show of this nature can only be good for business.” said John Savage, chief executive of GWE Business West.

Organisers of the show, GWE Business West, have seen an 8% increase in their networking events programme bookings over the past year, and have adapted to the recession in offering a number of new opportunities and changed formats, including during the planning stages for The Business Show.

“This year, with the current economy and in anticipating reduced budgets, we planned the show to offer a variety of differently priced exhibition stand options. However we’ve been pleasantly surprised to see the traditional shell scheme stands being snapped up, with only a small number of businesses taking the lower-priced pop-up pitch option.’ says Susie Parker, marketing manager.

It proves that putting on a show of this type is still very much in demand. Businesses are focusing on keeping their profiles raised and in taking full advantage of opportunities to network and share knowledge, despite these challenging times.”

Now in its third year, with two more shows already scheduled for 2010 in Bristol and Bath, The Business Show is the leading business to business exhibition and networking event for businesses in the region and across the South West.

Sponsored by Business Link, O2 Telefonica and JLT Group Ltd, the show will feature around 80 exhibitors, a seminar programme sponsored by Leigh Court, free speed networking sessions sponsored by Smart Training, and a conference café sponsored by UKTI and Thermae Bath Spa, where delegates may connect and purchase lunch and refreshments. 

This year, GWE Business West Events have increased the show’s popular seminar programme, presenting five topical business seminars which will include: ‘Mastering Leadership’ with speaker William Montgomery from TEN; ‘Social Networking – (Don’t) Just do it’ with Neil Wilkins from Viper Marketing and Communications Group; ‘How to build a fan base for your business’ with Roy Sheppard from Reputation Marketing; ‘Feeding the green shoots – Tips to help your business grow and thrive’ with John Moorehouse of Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons and ‘Emotionally Intelligent Leadership’ with Andrea Ryland of Andrea Ryland Consulting.

Another new feature to this year’s event will be the ‘Speaker’s Corner’ where delegates may talk directly with speakers throughout the day, extending the opportunity for individual Q and A sessions.

The show’s location at Brunel’s Old Station, which sits next door to Bristol Temple Meads railway station, provides easy access to the event as business people located across the South West can opt to jump onto a train, hop off to attend The Business Show, and then return to business within a matter of hours.

For full information and to register to attend the show visit: http://www.businessshowbristol.co.uk/

Economic light at end of tunnel

May 1, 2009 in Economy with Comments Off

James Durie, Deputy Chief Executive & Director of the Initiative at GWE Business West with Dennis Turner, Chief Economist at HSBC

James Durie, Deputy Chief Executive & Director of the Initiative at GWE Business West with Dennis Turner, Chief Economist at HSBC

GWE Business West drew more than 150 people to Leigh Court in Bristol for a breakfast event which provided a rare opportunity to hear from one of the country’s most astute financial minds, Dennis Turner, the Chief Economist for HSBC.

The good news was that he said he thought the country could afford the predicted levels of public spending and that we should see an end to negative economic growth by the end of this year.

However, whilst his style was entertaining, his message was stark, that to compete in the global market, Britain must build on high value, technologically driven manufacturing, or as he put it: “We’ve got to do it smart because we can’t do it cheap.”

Speaking for more than an hour without notes, Dennis, gave an economics masterclass, bringing together history and current affairs and stressing the critical difference between problems with the economy and those created by the credit crunch.

“Business craves stability in the economy and for the last 16 years we have experienced a period where there has been a remarkable control over inflation and relatively low interest rates,” he said.

Those economic conditions allowed steady growth, but it was growth which was over reliant on consumer and Government spending.

“People have been building up debt to the extent that on average they now owe something like 19 months of their pay. At the same time, public spending was growing at a faster rate than the economy. It was predictable that trouble was coming and we could have provided a brake on the economy by raising interest rates as early as 2005 but that was an election year and not politically realistic,” explained Dennis.

Worsening conditions in the economy then collided with a crisis in banking, caused quite simply by many institutions lending far more than they were collecting from savers.

“It seems to me that all the economic levers have been pulled decisively, such as lowering interest rates and creating more funds to encourage banks to lend. As a result we are seeing some encouraging straws in the wind, the first rise in consumer confidence in two years and credit card debt being repaid.”

“It looks to me as though we may have reached the lowest point and we may soon start to see a slow upturn. Our exchange rate is advantageous for exporters, and we have the advantage of not being in the Eurozone, which is holding back strong economies like Germany who don’t have the flexibility to manage their own affairs which we enjoy.”

“What we must now do is to improve the business environment in order that we attract companies from all over the world to do business in Britain. I think we should worry less about ownership and concentrate more on where the jobs are. The simple message is that if nobody spends then nobody earns and we should never forget that everyone’s expenditure is somebody’s income.”

Business gloom at budget news

April 23, 2009 in Economy, Policy, Legislation with 1 Comment

GWE Business West Chambers of Commerce members have reacted with a mixture of anger and disappointment to the Chancellor’s budget.

Accountant Geoff Gollop said he thought it was bizarre that the Government were apparently setting out to reward failure. He said he believed there was no proper understanding of the importance of owner managed businesses in bringing the country out of the economic downturn and he was less confident today than he was before Mr Darling’s speech in the House of Commons.

“Loss making businesses are being given extended credit from the revenue before having to pay their tax whereas there is no benefit to those companies which have taken the prudent course and set aside cash to meet the bills when they come in. Similarly, people who have worked hard to increase their income levels beyond £150k are being hit with an increase in income tax.”

“At first sight it looks as though the increase in allowances against capital investment is helpful but in my experience very few SME’s spend up to the current level of allowance,” said Mr Gollop.

Elizabeth Miles, CEO of Iken Business Ltd, which provides document and e-mail management for lawyers and other professionals, said she was anxious about the level of borrowing, although she believed an energetic investment programme could help improve confidence.

“I expect the public sector will come under great pressure to demonstrate efficiencies. Ironically, whilst we don’t want to benefit from the misery of others, that may help our business because we have no borrowings, have re-invested in the company and can provide the support that the public sector will need to hit the targets they will be set,” she said.

James Durie, Director of the Initiative for the West of England, said he thought the Chancellor was taking a high risk strategy on borrowing based on some optimistic growth targets and he was disappointed that little had been said which would tackle some of their prime concerns.

“Of course we welcome the increased investment in the environment but there was little in this budget which suggested we would see an improvement in our transport infrastructure which is a key concern of our members and we would also have liked to see measures which would help companies to find new foreign markets. Equally, holding the level of business rates is all very well, but it’s not enough and people with empty buildings will continue to feel their pain,” added Mr Durie.

For information about the Budget 2009 go to BBC website

Chambers of Commerce membership soars in difficult times

April 17, 2009 in Economy with Comments Off

Networking with Chambers of Commerce

Networking with Chambers of Commerce

GWE Business West Chambers of Commerce, the network of Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire Chambers, experienced a bumper month for recruitment in March, exceeding all previous records by attracting 66 new members in just one month.

Rising to the challenges faced in an economic downturn, businesses are seeking new ways to keep business buoyant, and are taking advantage of organisations which can help them to add value and access new opportunities for development, such as maintaining sales, identifying new markets and investing in staff development – areas in which the Chambers of Commerce is already helping over 2000 members across the West of England.

Nigel Hutchings, General Manager of GWE Business West Chambers of Commerce, says “In these challenging times, a cost which is not attributable to the core work of a business may be seen as dispensable. However, we’re finding that both potential and existing members are realising that membership of their local Chamber is key in discovering new markets and accessing relevant advice to continue profitable trading.”

Networking through the Chambers of Commerce, which organises over 70 events and seminars each year across the region, has recently soared in popularity as it offers an alternative and cost-effective approach to traditional marketing – as well as an opportunity to take part in one of the region’s most active business communities.

And those members who are too busy to attend events are taking advantage of a range of online services that can help them to network online, access vital business information and promote their business – all for free.

GWE Business West Chambers of Commerce recognise the value in developing online opportunities for its members; re-launching the members’ zone on their website to offer an enhanced online service, which includes a more interactive online directory entry and improved promotional tools where members can promote their news, events, offers, jobs, case studies and tenders for free. The Chambers also facilitate online networks and access to news and business opportunities through social media, such as Twitter and LinkedIn.

In addition, ‘MyHRGuide’ is also now available free to full members via the members’ zone, providing instant access to a range of downloads. Small to medium businesses with little or no HR function will find this service invaluable in helping to guide their HR policies and processes.

Far gone are the days of an ‘old boy’s network’; modern Chambers of Commerce have evolved with the times, enabling a strong and dynamic community in which a diverse cross-section of businesses and individuals can thrive.

Active members can expect to gain value from a wide range of business benefits that include advice, information, networking events, representation and promotional opportunities, as well as significant discounts on many GWE Business West services.

For more information about GWE Business West Chambers of Commerce call 01275 373 373 or visit www.gwebusinesswest.co.uk

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