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

Bedford College is holding a series of open days which will help prospective students find out more about study options at the college.

Central Bedfordshire University Technical College opened in September 2012 to a Post 16 cohort, and will welcome its first Year 10 students in September 2013.

A fully-funded programme, supported by the European Social Fund in partnership with Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council, is being offered by the University of Bedfordshire. Skills for Growth offers organisations operating in Bedfordshire the opportunity to develop their employees' leadership and management skills.

Are you the owner of a small or medium sized enterprise? Are you facing challenges in today's turbulent and competitive market? Would you like to improve your business and revenue?

Robinson & Hall’s Property Auction department is now known as Auction House Beds & Bucks due to joining the country’s largest and fastest growing auctioneers, Auction House UK.

Cenex, the UK’s centre of excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies, will host its sixth annual Low Carbon Vehicle (LCV2013) event on 4 and 5 September at Millbrook Proving Ground.

Irfan Khan, a business graduate from the University of Bedfordshire, is applying the skills and knowledge he learnt during his degree to the world of work through Arriva UK’s Business Development and General Management Scheme.

Alcohol Services for the Community (asc)  is seeking sponsors for an event that is intended to help understanding of behaviours that lead to problematic family drinking and develop strategies to reduce existing and future problems.

Reacting to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

Chamber Members Zest Solutions, the Milton Keynes based IT support and hardware company, have expanded their business into the hand sanitising sector by waging war on living breading germs rather than the electronic type.

Commenting on the Richard Review on apprenticeships, Cheryl Smart MBE, Chief Executive of Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce said:

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) today published a map highlighting the urgent need for action on a range of transport projects needed to boost business growth across the UK.

Commenting on the appointment of current Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney as the future Governor of the Bank of England, Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy and Externa

BIS Minister Michael Fallon has announced that the government are looking for two Entrepreneurs in Residence. They want to bring small businesses and entrepreneurs in to the heart of government in order to ensure that policy decisions have the small firm perspective taken into account from the very outset.

Around 300 people from various voluntary agencies together with staff and the general public attended a stunning fundraising ball for The Mary Seacole Housing Association Limited.

This week has been a busy one at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce with the business support organisation hosting three events at their Kimpton Road offices.

The Chamber was used for training by Peter East Associates and for IT and Export courses.

The Basepoint Innovation and Business Centre in Luton has donated £1,744 to its chosen charity, ReachOut Plus, and also £346 to St. Vincent de Paul, an international Christian voluntary organisation that tackles poverty.

Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce is asking businesses across Bedfordshire to make their voices heard and take part in the Quarterly Economic Survey. The Chamber conducts a quarterly survey to allow businesses in Bedfordshire to express their views on a number of issues affecting their day-to-day business, particularly in the current economic climate.

The Premier Newspaper Group commends Zest Solutions on making the finals of the Annual Bedfordshire & Luton Rising Stars Business Excellence Awards 2012.

The Bedfordshire based company were finalists in the New Business of the Year category; Zest Solutions received their commendation for all the hard work and dedication they put in to each day to grow and develop their business solutions and IT company.

Wyboston Lakes, the leading conference, training and leisure venue, has won the accolade for customer service in the annual Bedfordshire & Luton ‘Rising Stars’ Business Excellence awards. The achievement underlines the company’s comprehensive commitment to the training of all employees to provide exemplary standards of service not only to external customers, but also to working colleagues.

The National Health Service spends billions of pounds each year on products and services. The University’s Knowledge Network takes a look at the NHS’s procurement process, on 29 November, to find out how local small businesses can compete to become NHS suppliers.

The Barnfield Federation is planning to put together an employer focus group for their Academy and Free schools. They are inviting expressions of interest from larger employers, particularly in the following sectors. Barnfield Federation see this as an opportunity to use their experience and put something back into the community through the education of young people.

Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the findings of a review into stimulating UK growth by Lord Heseltine.  Lord Heseltine conducted a wide ranging review of activities and recommended increased use of the capacity, skills and experience of Chambers of Commerce.

Augur Group is holding a public exhibition at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce in Kimpton Road to set up proposals for the development of Napier Park and Stirling Place on the former site of the Vauxhall Motors car plant.

The National Health Service spends billions of pounds each year on products and services. The University’s Knowledge Network takes a look at the NHS’s procurement process, on 29 November, to find out how local small businesses can compete to become NHS suppliers.

London Luton Airport welcomed local businesses and Airport companies to the ‘Meet the Buyer’ event, a business networking event giving local suppliers the opportunity to showcase their services directly to Airport related companies.

The UK government is consulting on how it should implement the revised Late Payment directive, which has to be done by March 2013.

JobCentre Plus in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire are looking for five Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce members to take part in a 90 minute breakfast event in St Albans on auto-enrolment of pensions.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is reminding anyone sending their 2011/12 tax return on paper that they need to do so by the 31 October deadline, if they want to avoid a penalty.

Paper tax returns received on or after 1 November will result in a £100 penalty – even if there is no tax to pay or the tax due is paid on time.

 A survey released today by the British Chambers of Commerce reveals falling levels of trust in financial institutions among businesses. The results, comprising responses from 1,560 businesses, show that although banks and building societies are the main source of finance for firms, half of businesses lack trust in these financial institutions.