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

The UK’s first entirely electric pay-per-use car club has arrived in Luton. E-Car Club has been designed to provide local businesses and the wider community with the convenience and flexibility of full-sized electric cars and vans without the high cost of owning them. And all with the lowest emissions in the market today.

The University of Bedfordshire's Knowledge Hub is offering a fully funded training opportunity aimed at creative, manufacturing, engineering, airport, aerospace and IT sector SMEs in Luton.

Close to 100 Bedfordshire and Luton businesses completed a survey during Business Continuity Awareness Week this March about how prepared they are if disaster strikes. In a prize draw that accompanied the survey Bedfordshire business Kidatu Ltd won an iPad Mini and a free session with experts from the Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum (BLLRF) to develop its Business Continuity Plan.

Local fitness instructor Jackie Neufville and her fitness company Fittville UK Ltd are organising a charity Spin-a-thon consisting of 6 hours of spinning on bikes to raise money for Luton’s homelessness charity NOAH Enterprise. Participants will be spinning for between one hour and potentially the whole day!

A student from Luton is making a great start in the world of engineering, thanks to the generosity of a local company.  

Commenting on the labour market statistics, published today by the ONS, David Kern, Chief Economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said:

The Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Provider Network are keen to hear views from employers across Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire about 16-24 Youth Unemployment and how you feel about Apprenticeships.

The University of Bedfordshire’s Knowledge Hub has teamed up with Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council to launch an innovative leadership and management training programme aimed at business professionals looking to develop their skills set.

Commenting on the government’s decisions today on National Minimum Wage rates from 1 October 2013, Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

UltraVision CLPL is taking the manufacture of contact lenses to the next level and in support of this has employed Clinical Director, Lynn White MSc FCOptom and Engineering Manager, Nick Stonehouse.  With a strong clinical and manufacturing team, UltraVision is poised for growth and ready to ensure the future development of the next generation of contact lens technology.

What does singer Adele have in common with Flitwick based fuel card business i-fuelcards Ltd? The answer is they’ve both trademarked their names. Nigel Webb, Business Development Manager at i-fuelcards Ltd, knew that in a competitive market it was essential to protect a brand that was establishing a great reputation. 

From October 2013 all newly built commercial property completed between 1st October 2013 and 30th September 2016 will be exempt from empty property rates for the first 18 months (up to the state aids limit).

• BCC’s Quarterly Economic Survey for Q1 2013 shows progress, with almost all major balances improving compared with Q4 2012. 
• British businesses are resilient, but many balances are still below pre-recession levels and growth remains too low.

• John Longworth: “These results provide a glimpse of the as-yet-distant sunlit uplands of recovery. Businesses up and down the country are working hard to drive the economy, create jobs and export, but they cannot accelerate this process alone.”

Tax cheats who become insolvent to dodge their companies’ tax obligations face up to five years’ scrutiny from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Do you own your own company?   Do you need to attract more customers?  Would you benefit from some marketing advice?  A new documentary series about SMEs wants to hear from you.

Chamber member Luton Family Law has secured the national Law Society's law management quality mark, Lexcel.

There's still time to enter the East of England's Local Impact Awards with Business in the Community.  This year BITC have seven categories open to companies based or operating in the region.

The latest workplace absence figures published in 2012 show that musculoskeletal problems such as back, neck, shoulder and knee pain are still proving to be a huge issue for people across the UK, blighting the lives of millions.

If you've ever complained about conditions for business and felt no one's listening, now is your opportunity to be heard.  The British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey is a highly respected snapshot of conditions for business but the BCC don't do it alone.  They need your input to help them present the most accurate picture in a survey which is taken very seriously by central government and the Bank of England and is reported widely in the press.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has been officially named as a Business Superbrand in an influential annual survey that identifies the UK’s strongest business-to-business brands. Independently co-ordinated by The Centre for Brand Analysis, the annual Business Superbrands survey considers thousands of brands that are judged by both an Expert Council and over 1,900 individual business professionals from across the UK. 

For the first time businesses are being offered interactive support with their tax affairs by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Chamber members Peninsula Business Services Ltd. has issued some timely advice for employers during periods of bad weather.

Commenting on the speech on banking delivered  by Business Secretary Vince Cable, Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy and External Affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

Commenting on today's speech on the Banking Reform Bill by Chancellor George Osborne, Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

2012 was an eventful year in the energy industry and 2013 is set to be no different!

Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce has expressed concern at opposition to plans to develop London Luton Airport by local interest groups in Hertfordshire saying they ignore the importance of the airport to the local and sub-regional economy.

Manufacturing and engineering are recognised as being vital to the health of our local and national economies.  It's important that Bedfordshire's prominence in these sectors is fostered and developed.

• Business lending fell by £2.1bn in December 2012
• Net lending to business contracted by £18.7bn for the year 2012