Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

Reacting to the announcement of the new Prime Minister, Sarah Howard, Chair of the BCC, said: “We would like to congratulate Liz Truss on running a successful campaign to become the UK’s new Prime Minister.

“She must now take immediate steps to support the economy. The last few months have been difficult for everyone, time is running out and urgent action is needed to deal with the costs’ crisis.

This summer we’ve faced scorching temperatures across the UK and Europe.
The recent heatwave has had a real impact on businesses who have seen energy usage increase with the need for additional air conditioning and cooling equipment to keep staff, customers, and products fresh.

Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce and Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce are today confirmed as the Designated Local Employer Representative Body for the development of a Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for our region.

The government are giving companies up to £35,000 grant funding with a minimum 10% contribution (£3,500) to work with a partner, such as Cranfield University, to evaluate an innovative business idea. This is with a view to stimulating the demand for further innovation, collaboration and accelerating delivery by partnering with a knowledge bases such as Cranfield University.

Compare Your Footprint CEO and founder Will Richardson is on a mission to help smaller businesses measure their carbon emissions, in a partnership that sees ground-breaking carbon measurement software made available to Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce members at no cost.

Wyboston Lakes Resorts has delivered a record six months of Meetings and Events business for the first half of 2022, despite restrictions around events in January and February following the Omicron outbreak.

Business on the books at the six-month point is up by 47% on 2019 with a solid base already in place for 2023.

Whatever the size of your business, it is likely that at some stage you will face multiple challenges that can feel impossible to overcome. In fact, you will typically experience these at every stage of the business’s growth.

In this piece, we take a look at what we, as a member of the British Chambers of Commerce, offer to make it easier for business owners in our region to get advice and support when they need it most.

• Percentage of UK businesses reporting increased export sales remains flat for the 5th quarter in a row at 29%
• A quarter (25%) of exporters saw decreased sales, while 46% report no change
• Concerns over manufacturing recovery as exporters report unprecedented cost pressures and inflation worries

We’re all now familiar with the cost of living crisis - how households are struggling to keep up with bills and afford the rapidly rising cost of food, fuel and other essentials.

But there’s another crisis, similar to the struggle households are going through, which is dramatically hitting businesses, and that’s the ‘cost of doing business’ crisis. Firms across the country are being confronted by rapidly rising costs of vital raw materials, fuel, wages and, of course, energy.

Inclusion 365 owner and Chamber member Victoria Dale helps businesses champion Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), to improve employee wellbeing and business performance, and to help them become an employer of choice.

Read any report or study into how businesses can remain competitive today and you will come across the recommendation of ‘digital transformation’. Technology is now a growing part of our economy, attracting worldwide investment. According to the government, the UK tech sector attracted £6.3 billion in venture capital investment in 2018. It is therefore no surprise that they are keen for businesses to undergo digital transformation.

Director General of the BCC, Shevaun Haviland, is to urge the Government to take action to save the economy as the cost of doing business crisis continues to worsen.

Jaltek has increased its manufacturing space by 50 percent and is recruiting Production, Engineering, and Account Management, to meet increased demand for electronic assembly.

Commenting on the Office for National Statistics inflation figures for May 2022, Head of Research at the BCC, David Bharier, said:  
“The further increase in Consumer Prices Index inflation to 9.1% underscores the severe pressure that businesses and households are under.

On 6^th February 1952, Queen Elizabeth II succeeded to the throne when the UK was exhausted from war and rationing. But on her watch, the economy soon began to boom. New shopping centres and housing were built, followed by the first motorway.

HM The Queen has been pleased to appoint Mrs Susan Lousada DL as Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Bedfordshire on the retirement of Mrs Helen Nellis on Tuesday 06 September 2022.

The John Bunyan Community Boat, a completely volunteer based group in Bedford have just been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

Best practice focused webinars remain available on demand

Peli BioThermal, the life science industry’s partner from discovery to distribution, recently concluded its InnovationShare webinar series.

Companies that import and export are having a tough time recently with the disruption of Brexit, spiralling prices, and the war in Ukraine, so some positive news would be welcome. And on the surface, the recent reversal of planned import controls delivers this.

Following an annual agency review process by DrumRecommends, 21 year old Chamber member Bonfire Creative Intelligence has been listed in their Top 40 UK recommended agencies for building brilliant brands, and their Top 50 recommended agencies for Digital Marketing. DrumRecommends is an agency rating platform and is part of thedrum.com, a global media platform and the biggest marketing website in Europe.

Warden Plastics Ltd. have over 60 years of experience in plastic injection moulding and extrusion. With the in-house capabilities to manufacture a vast array of recycled plastic components to customer specifications, Warden Plastics serves customers in diverse industrial sectors, from automotive, medical, DIY, furniture and wastewater.

If you’ve been struggling to recruit the right people into your business recently, then you’re not alone. There is a ‘skills shortage’ in the UK, and between January and March 2022, vacancies rose to a record 1,288,000. This also comes against a backdrop of Brexit and a pandemic, both of which have been blamed for labour shortages. Some sectors have received particular attention, for example, the shortage of HGV drivers following the UK’s exit from the EU, and the difficulties in finding hospitality staff since the pandemic.

Did you know that:

• One in 10 firms have been the victim of a cyber-attack in the last year
• More than 50% of businesses believe their exposure to a cyber-attack had increased due to staff working from home
• 80% of companies do not have cyber-security accreditations in place

Beds Chamber members, THSP are delighted to announce that they won the Supplier of the Year award at the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) AGM and Awards on Friday 25th March 2022. This is a wonderful accolade for THSP in an industry that they have worked with for the past 30 years.  

Wyboston Lakes Resort is now accredited as a Real Living Wage Employer.

The Resort’s Living Wage commitment will confirm that everyone working there receives a minimum hourly wage

• Proportion of UK exporters reporting increased export sales (29%) was largely unchanged for the 4th quarter running

• Proportion reporting decreased sales historically high at 25%, also little changed since 1 year ago in Q1 2021

• Exporters more likely that non-exporters to expect increases to their prices in coming months

Every business owner will need to deliver a short pitch at some point, which sums up the basics of your business in under a minute. It is a powerful tool and here are our top 5 tips to make sure your pitch hits the right note.

A Bedfordshire PR company has launched a package aimed at helping contractors pitching for work on the Sizewell C project in Suffolk.

April draws near which signals the start of the John Bunyan Community Boat’s cruising season. This year we have a number of new cruises which encompass the delight of cruising with another activity be it dining, learning of the History of Bedford or even Gin.